🍁 By Investing in Citizenship Together We Become a Productive Community 🍁
June is Canadian Citizenship Month at The Windsor Residence for Young Men. This year Greg Goulin and Brian Cohen have each pledged $10,000, ($20,000 in total), to match your donations during the month of June, ending on Canada Day. If you wish to “meet their match” with a donation, mark it “citizenship." Our program was founded and remains designed to produce productive citizens from impressionable but homeless young men who might otherwise become broken adults draining on our community resources, involved in crime, addictions, violence (domestic, chauvinistic and otherwise), and dependent on social assistance. We do this by modelling a healthy family, sometimes the only family "our guys" have ever known, with respect for all, including oneself. Homeless male youth 15-25 years of age are 8 times more likely to die “on the street” than their peers; and, males have a suicide rate 3 times higher than females. While males of the same age are the most violent demographic in any society, they are also the largest group to present with the most serious injuries and wounds at Ontario’s emergency wards. As well, they silently suffer about 40% of the sexual assaults within that age range. They, too, have been the victims of domestic assault; but, hopefully we can model a functional family to learn from and prevent repetition. We invest your donations in our guys’ future; but, they have to apply for admission and establish that they want to change their plight. WRYM is not a shelter to attend for a bed and a meal; rather, its program is similar to a scholarship program sponsoring those who want to learn basic life skills while staying in school or employment, if not seeking to do so. In other words, our guys have to give to get – that’s citizenship. Consequently, our community also has to give to get productive citizens from homeless youth whose prospects only get worse the longer they are on the street. Thank you for looking kindly upon these young men; because they have tremendous potential. Even if they are “hard to hug” sometimes, they deserve a decent chance in life. Note: Existing monthly donations, in-kind and donations for other purposes, are not eligible for “match”. To “match” you can click on the donation square below or mail your cheques to the residence before June 30th 🎉 Thank You to All of Our 50/50 Participants 🎉 Congratulations to Kimberly Rathbone, who purchased the winning 50/50 ticket and won $827.50!!!
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What Our Graduates Say About WRYM When a resident leaves us, we always reflect on the individual's journey to make sure they received the support they deserve / need. It is important to determine if our youth have any recommendations for how we could have improved the support they received or improved their time in the residence. This occurs through our "Discharge Survey," where past-residents are given the opportunity to tell us how their time in WRYM went. Listed below are some direct quotes we wanted to share with you: "The program was useful and assisted with transitioning at a good time. I was provided with what I needed, while also given enough space to create/build independence." "WRYM helped me remember appointments and make a schedule that was appropriate. It gave me routine. I got my basic needs met." "What I found most beneficial was life skill assistance (cooking, cleaning, transportation, advocating) from staff, and kindness. I feel like I grew up while being here in a positive setting." "The staff and residents made me feel safe." "I have supports to help when needed now" Thank you Plasman Inc.! We are so excited to share that Plasman Inc. has invested in WRYM's Youth Independence Program, by donating an amazing "Smart Board", which will help us teach our life skill lessons through sharing multimedia and creating engaging group discussions. Below is a link to learn more about this exciting donation. We cannot thank Plasman Inc. enough for their many years of support and friendship. https://plasman.com/news/plasman-donates-smart-board-to-windsor-residence-for-young-men/ We have a New Flyer! It isn't always easy to summarize the many ways our organization supports youth to help end their homelessness; but, we feel our new flyer does the job! Attached is an electronic copy for your possible interest. Please feel free to share this with friends who may be interested, or with a youth / family that may be looking for support. Thank you for being a champion of youth experiencing homelessness and The Windsor Residence for Young Men. Without your support, we could not help improve so many lives. With gratitude, - Jason A Rough Night with Good People
Thank you Ontario Trillium Foundation for your $89,500 Investment Starting April 15, 2022, WRYM began a 12 month project to adapt and rebuild our Aftercare program in order to respond to client needs that were intensified due to the pandemic and its psychosocial impacts. Last Friday, (February 24, 2023), we were pleased to host a recognition event here at WRYM, in order to update the community and our stakeholders on the project and the impacts we have made so far. In our first 10 months of operations, we have supported 102 youth in their efforts to maintain housing and well being, with over 2,000 different individual supports provided. If you would like to learn more about this work and our partnership with OTF, please see the news article below: https://blackburnnews.com/windsor/windsor-news/2023/02/26/89k-grant-used-help-young-men-windsor-essex-housing-retention/ Want to Help Decide who Makes Windsor-Essex's Best Burger? Until March 31st, you can purchase a "Burger Battle Passport" for just $20, to get "buy one get one free" burger/fry coupons from a variety of Windsor-Essex's most prominent burger restaurants. Your passport also gives you the opportunity to vote on who makes the best burger! Proceeds of the event will go to The Welcome Center and The Windsor Residence for Young Men. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Windsor for putting on such a deliciously exciting event, and being a partner of WRYM. Please see the attached flyer for more information! ![]()
Without you, there is no WRYM. Thank you for being a partner, supporter, friend, and champion of youth experiencing homelessness. With appreciation, - Jason 5 Years Later - From Homeless to College
In 2018, Jeremy had been kicked out of his parent's house and hospitalized for significant mental health concerns. When being discharged from the hospital, Jeremy had nowhere to go and came to WRYM looking for help to get his life back on track and help him resolve his situation of homelessness. Over 7 months at WRYM, Jeremy learned a lot of life skills, continued accessing support from mental health professionals, participated in counselling, and gained a tremendous amount of confidence in himself and his perspective about his future. We were so thrilled when Jeremy moved out in the summer of 2018 in order to live in a supportive environment where his needs would be met. We wanted to share with you that Jeremy's story did not end there. Jeremy continued his progress and was able to enter into independent living, gain employment, begin a committed relationship, start college, and volunteer for a local food bank. Today, we are pleased to announce that Jeremy (name changed for privacy) will be receiving The Windsor Residence for Young Men's Deacon Ray Scholarship. This scholarship will provide Jeremy $1,000 to assist with his navigation of school related expenses and costs, as he continues college and giving back to the community through his volunteer work. Thank you to Edy Hadad, who established and continues helping fund the Deacon Ray Scholarship. We are honored to memorialize Deacon Ray in such an inspiring way. Rough Night Out Fundraiser - February 10, 2023 On February 10th from 7pm to 7am, volunteers are raising funds and awareness, by sleeping outside (roughing it out) here in the backyard of The Windsor Residence for Young Men. Please see our flyer and registration, linked here. Anyone can be involved, even if you are unable to attend or remain outside for the entirety of the event. Modified participation is certainly possible, if you would like to join but have limitations of any kind. Want to support the event, but cannot participate? No problem! Please use the link below to sponsor the event and our participants 😊. The sacrifice and commitment of our participants is truly outstanding, and we hope you will consider supporting them in their effort to end homelessness for youth. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/78689 Thank you, Greg For the past 7 years, I have had the honor of assisting Greg Goulin with WRYM's Netletters, be they small contributions or a second set of eyes. It has been an honor and privilege to watch as Greg volunteered his time to spread WRYM's message and share our progress with you. Although Greg is still an active Director at WRYM (and a wonderful friend), he has chosen to take a step back from publishing the netletter and he will enjoy a bit more freedom in his well-deserved retirement. Subsequently, I would like to extend a deep gratitude in thanking Greg for being our Netletter author these many years and a wonderful mentor. I aim to continue to provide you with updates and information about WRYM of interest so that we can all take joy and pride in the work being done. Jason Weinberg Executive Director Our Guys had a Good Holiday
Many of them were able to visit family again, if only for a few days at most; but, that is often the best ``remedy`` for homelessness. Mary Lynne and Hubert Lafontaine, as is their custom, cooked a full turkey dinner for those in residence which was supplemented by treats dropped off by others. Lots of leftovers, which is strangely humorous to hear the guys, otherwise homeless, complain about! It is difficult to explain how important the holiday season is to a youth at WRYM who is often disconnected from their families or loved ones. Keeping spirits high for our residents during the holidays can be easier said than done, but due to an amazing team and some incredible champions, we are pleased to tell you that it seems thar “our guys” had a very happy holiday. As well, they all received plentiful and appropriate Christmas bags, (needed, extra and just plain fun things), thanks to your generosity. Speaking of which … Thank You for Your Donations during our Season of Giving Your thoughtful kindness raised $69,115 in donations and pledges; not quite as much as $82,193 last year, but a most significant amount in any event, especially in these economic times! And finally, you will be hearing less from me in the future. (Hurray, you may say, less pestering!) After 13 years of advocacy and fundraising before our doors were opened, (some lawyer ☹), and then 10 years of operations resulting in unimagined success thanks to great staff, volunteers and others; another couple of health issues will likely result in less participation on my part. The social justice issues that “our guys” faced have been significantly overcome, for them; and, they will always remain close to my heart, hopefully yours as well. Stay safe, and share this with your friends. -Greg On behalf of “our guys”, staff, volunteers and myself, THANK YOU ALL for your generosity this Season.
Donations and pledges have reached $62,315 with 11 days to go! Last year we raised $82,193, or just over 20% of this year’s budgeted expenses; so, your kindness by keeping “our guys” close to your hearts is very significant. I must also note that as our 10th year comes to a close we have had our 400thadmission, keeping our promise to our community of 40 a year; but, we did not anticipate a 90% success rate, maintained for several years now, nor national recognition of our program at the conference of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. It seems our investments in the homeless male youth of our community has been worthwhile in producing many potentially productive citizens. A “Reflection” As you may know, since the back of my neck was removed to prevent quadriplegia, I have been “working remotely” and don’t get out much anymore; but, all things in life have their blessings. After almost 60 years, I have been able to become a watercolourist again, even if a two-fisted one with little feeling in my hands. As a youth, I was very fortunate to have been tutored by Bill Stidworthy, a renowned artist with work in the Art Gallery of Windsor’s collection. Thanks to Bill’s blunt appraisals of my efforts, I was even able to win a few prizes back then; and now, working on a post-rainfall scene, I remembered some of his advice: water is not blue, it is many colours and it has texture, of ripples at least, as well as “reflections”. Bill said: “ Look with your eyes, not your mind, and then think about it ! ” It was good advice, in many ways. I ask you to do the same with “our guys” and WRYM, please. Wishing you the Very Best of the Season, and Thanking You for providing the same to “our guys”, Greg WOW !!! In less than a week our supporters have donated $12,740 to “match” the $10,000 pledged by Capital Power; and, it seems that we need more Matching Donors – such a problem! While your almost instant and significant generosity is very surprising, perhaps it is reflective of your faith in the effectiveness of our program which received national, (and some international) recognition early last month when our Executive Director, Jason Weinberg, was invited to the conference of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness to present on our innovative and highly successful Youth Independence Program, (if innovative means getting back to basics). Or, possibly you have noticed that WRYM did not have an outbreak of COVID19 throughout the pandemic due to health and safety procedures we instituted, while maintaining our 90% success record transitioning our guys out of homelessness. Again, it may be that you realize that we are the only residential program in our community that serves all homeless self-identifying male youth 16-24 years of age, in house and after they move on, regardless of their religion, immigration status, and sexual orientation; noting as well that we seem to be the only residential facility for homeless male-oriented Trans youth; and, that “our guys” all get along! Thank you, Stay Safe and the Very Best of the Season to all. Please share this with your friends and encourage others to support our efforts. Greg
Gregory D. Goulin, LSM, JD (ret.), Founder The Windsor Residence for Young Men 1505 Langlois Ave., Windsor, ON, N8X 4M3 an incorporated registered charity # 879631810RR0001 www.wrym.ca Cell: (519) 981-9917 WRYM’s Season of Giving Starts November 29th, 2022 Tuesday, November 29th, is Giving Tuesday, the start of WRYM’s Seasonal Giving Campaign AND Capital Power has pledged up to $10,000 to give us a boost, to Match and double your total monetary Donations !!! We are truly grateful for the confidence in our program expressed by this significant generosity. Donations to WRYM’s Season of Giving can be made online, by mail or in person at 1505 Langlois Ave, Windsor ON, N8X 4M3. Last year, during the 2021 Season of Giving campaign, Capital Power also provided $10,000 dollars in matching funds. "We are proud to support the exceptional work being done at The Windsor Residence for Young Men,” said Matthew Bitzer, Plant Manager, East Windsor Cogeneration Centre, Capital Power. “Capital Power believes it is very important to help these youth find new homes and build fulfilling lives, especially with winter coming and the cold weather setting in.” Capital Power is a growth-oriented North American wholesale power producer with a strategic focus on sustainable energy headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. They build, own and operate high-quality, utility-scale generation facilities that include renewables and thermal. They have also made significant investments in carbon capture and utilization to reduce carbon impacts and are committed to be off coal in 2023. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The 2022 Annual General Meeting of The Windsor Residence for Young Men will be held on Thursday, 15 December 2022, at 6pm by remote format. If you plan on attending, please register by replying to this email with your name, address, email address and phone number before 5pm, Friday, 9 December, 2022. You are most welcome to attend; but, we must also verify your membership status for voting eligibility. Our Bylaws read “Membership in the corporation shall be limited to persons interested in furthering the objects of the corporation and shall consist of anyone whose application for admission as a member has received the approval of the board of directors of the corporation”. Consequently, voting will be done by roll call of the members registered to attend. Once you have registered, you will be sent an email with details about how to access the meeting and the materials necessary for participation. Stay safe and please share this with your friends. -Greg National RECOGNITION for WRYM’s Program Our Executive Director, Jason Weinberg, left for Toronto yesterday to present at The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness’ National Conference having been awarded one of two all expenses paid PAULA GOERING MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIPS. Since its inception in 2013, the CAEH National Conference on Ending Homelessness has been equipping policymakers, funders, researchers, advocates, community leaders and front-line workers with the inspiration, information, tools and training they need to end homelessness in Canada.
This year’s program features 85 sessions in 14 streams, delivered by hundreds of national and international subject matter experts for over 1,400 participants from across the country and around the globe, attending remotely or in person. No doubt Jason’s award is due to WRYM’s consistent 90% success rate with our diverse range of residents whose only commonality is that they identify as male, 16 to 24 years of age, and are at risk of homelessness. Our Youth Independence Program (YIP), devised by Jason, will feature prominently in his presentation. We would like to again thank Green Shield Canada and the Windsor Essex Community Foundation for having the foresight and faith in WRYM to have provided the initial funding for the first sessions of YIP’s program. On the 12th of October, 2012, the Windsor Residence for Young Men finally opened its doors after 13 years assessing the need, devising the program, raising the funds and lobbying the public as well as municipal government. Many prejudices had to be overcome. Today our program still meets projections made with, remarkably, a consistent annual success rate of 90% and is being adopted in other communities. So … WE’RE HAVING A PARTY NEXT WEDNESDAY !!! The Caboto Club has resumed its charity pasta dinners, dine in or take out and is charging $20 per meal with children under 5 free. We have secured next Wednesday, 5OCT22, from 4-7pm, for WRYM’s 10th Birthday Party with Jim Crichton as MC. I hope to see you there. As before we will have baked goods for sale as well as draws for our gift card tree and the like. Additionally this year we have an online silent auction for the two water colour paintings shown in the attachment. At present the results are as follows: BIDS to date (September 28th, 2022): “Ditch Lilies #1” - $50 “Ditch Lilies #2” - $50 The Pair (both) - $150 ANSWERS to questions, (most recent at the top): -There is significance to the names. These are my favourite flowers. They are very hardy and beautiful, growing wild in the ditches of our county from which many have been transplanted, and now multiplied, to fill the gardens of my home. They remind me of “our guys” and their potential if properly cared for at WRYM. -Including the frames, both are the same size: approximately 9” x 11”. -In the photo attached, “Ditch Lilies #2” appears reddish. It is actually more yellow and orange. -Yes, I have learned to be a two fisted painter. While feeling has yet to return to my hands, I can now resume a favourite pastime. AS PREVIOUSLY STATED: Bids must increase in increments of $5. To acquire The Pair, your bid must exceed the combined final bids for the two individually. Online bidding will cease at 11:59pm Tuesday, 4OCT22, with the winner(s) notified on Wednesday morning 5OCT22 to attend our Birthday Dinner at 6pm with cash or cheque. We do not have credit or debit card capabilities. If you wish to place a bid or have a question, reply to me directly by email and I will share your bid amounts, but not your name, and answers to your questions, with all others also interested. AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU To Sue and Dave Freeman, their family, friends, sponsors, volunteers and participants for a very successful golf tournament enjoyed by all while significantly benefiting our guys. Stay safe and please share this with your friends. Greg |
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AuthorGregory D. Goulin, LSM, JD Archives
May 2023
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