  Honouring Remembrance Day: A Time to Reflect and Appreciate This Remembrance Day, The Windsor Residence for Young Men takes a moment to honour and reflect on the sacrifices made by veterans and their families in service to our country. Their courage, dedication, and commitment to protecting the values we hold dear serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of community, resilience, and support. As an organization dedicated to helping young men rebuild their lives, we are inspired by the bravery of those who have served and continue to serve. This month, we are reminded of the importance of standing together to support each other, especially during times of hardship. We also extend our deepest gratitude to the veterans who are part of our community. Your strength and service are an inspiration to us all, and we are proud to honour your legacy. On this Remembrance Day, we pause to reflect on the sacrifices that have shaped our nation and recommit ourselves to supporting those who need it most. Lest we forget.  See What "the guys" Have to Say About WRYM Each of the youth who come into our Transitional Housing Program are asked to complete a "Discharge Survey" when they are moving out in order to provide feedback about their experience. Below, are some direct quotes from residents who have moved out over the last year: "WRYM is the place I feel most respected. The Youth Independence Program opened my eyes to things in my life and boosted my self confidence" - 19 year-old who left to independent living "The thing I found most beneficial was employment assistance, as searching before WRYM was difficult" - 19 year-old who left to independent living "What I found most beneficial was staff support, being independent, building positive relationships and guidance from the counselor" - 20 year-old who left to University "The Youth Independence Program was good. It gave me something meaningful to do" - 21 year-old who moved into independent living  Season of Giving: Double Your Impact This Holiday Season! This holiday season, you can make twice the difference for young men facing homelessness. From December 4th to December 31st, 2024, every donation to The Windsor Residence for Young Men will be matched dollar for dollar, up to a total of $25,000, thanks to a generous pledge from Capital Power ($10,000) and the Basilian Father's of Sandwich Ontario ($15,000). Your contribution will help provide critical services like safe housing, mentorship, mental health support, and life-skills training for young men in need. With your support, we can help these young men build brighter futures. How you can help: Donate online using the button below, and your gift will be matched and/or help spread the word and encourage others to join the cause. Let’s come together to make this a Season of Giving to remember. Your generosity can change lives. Don’t miss out—donate between December 4th and 31st and DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT!  Photo (left to right): Martin Hoftgardner - Marketing & Operations Specialist, MCCCU; Sonia Lenhardt - Manager, MCCCU; Colin Lewis - Regional Director Credit Union Services, Equitable Bank and Concentra; Ian MacIsaac, Vice President, The Windsor Residence for Young Men; Jason Weinberg - Executive Director, The Windsor Residence for Young Men; and, Robert Griffith, CEO, MCCCU We Won 1 of 10 Canada-Wide Grants from Equitable Bank and Concentra! Thanks to Motor City Community Credit Union, who championed WRYM with an application to Equitable Bank and Concentra's national "Empowering Your Community" grant stream, we are proud to announce that we have received $10,000 of funding for our Youth Independence Program! This means we can provide 6 months (or 2 semesters) worth of life-skill teaching to youth experiencing homelessness, in our nationally recognized Youth Independence Program! We cannot emphasize enough what it means to have local institutions like Motor City Community Credit Union advocate for WRYM with national partners like Equitable Bank and Concentra, and how important these lessons are to the youth we assist. Check out more information below from Biz X Magazine!
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  Hear Directly From One of Our Youth On CTV Windsor In September, we hosted a media event at our facility to report on the results of $152,800 of grant funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Not only were we able to share about the 62 youth who were supported and the 10,000+ life-skills that were taught through this project, but one of our residents chose to speak directly to CTV Windsor to discuss his experience and try to inspire other youth who may be in need. This young person's story is a powerful one. Please click the link below to see the article and watch the video so you can see how we are changing lives.
 Join Us for Our Fall 50/50 Raffle! As the leaves changes and autumn sets in, The Windsor Residence for Young Men is excited to announce our Fall 50/50 Raffle, beginning on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, and sales end Tuesday, October 29, 2024! This initiative aims to raise critical funds to support our ongoing mission of ending homelessness among youth in our community. How It Works: Half of the total sales will go to one lucky winner, while the other half will support our essential programs that provide shelter and resources for young men ages 16 to 24. Our last winner took home $847.50!!! Why Participate? Your ticket purchase not only gives you a chance to win but also helps us provide vital services, including housing, food, life-skills training and educational support, to those in need. Raffle Draw Date: Thursday, October 31, 2024 @ 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available online at https://www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/wrym-fallraffle. Let's come together this season to support youth! Thank you for your generosity and good luck!   Back to School Donation Drive One phrase that can stir up nostalgia quickly is "back to school". For most of us, we can remember wondering who our teachers were going to be, what friends may be in our classes, or if people will like our outfit. This is because most of us could rely on parents, family, and/or providers to make sure we had a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and school supplies to be successful. For the youth WRYM helps, September is back to school too, but no family member is making sure they have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, nor supplies to be successful. "Our guys" go back to school in a bed WRYM provides, eating the food we can afford to offer, and using supplies that get donated. Please help us keep the dream of education alive for a young person going back to school by donating to WRYM (link below), OR, by donating school supplies that youth need, such as lunch snacks, backpacks, notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, etc. Homelessness doesn't need to result in hopelessness. With your help we can give a youth hope and the ability to be successful with school and continue their life.
 wrym's 5th annual charity golf tournament is less than |
 Could It Become Illegal to Be Homeless in Canada? On June 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal to be homeless. Alarmingly, we are already seeing this trend taking hold in Canada as communities grapple with the homelessness and housing crises. But it's all a distraction from the real issue. We need to invest in permanent solutions to homelessness: housing and the programs that achieve results. Click the link below to read the article from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. |  Art Therapy Starting for Past-Residents In partnership with the Toronto Art Therapy Institute, WRYM is offering a 6 week Art Therapy program to past-residents at no cost to our organization or the youth participating. This program was designed by our staff member Emily Robinson and one of her peers, who will be facilitating the sessions voluntarily in order to gain their practicum hours for their Master's Degree. Art Therapy is proven to have tremendous benefits with helping youth overcome trauma, increase their resiliency, and find connection with themselves through expression. The link below shares exciting information about the value of art therapy with young men. |
WRYM's 5th Annual Golf Tournament
is less than 2 months away!
Warm up your clubs and join us for an afternoon of golf followed by a banquet at Rochester's own Parkside Grille.
Exciting sponsorship packages are still available.
Golfers can register as a team or individually.
There will be contests to play and prizes to win!
To become a sponsor or to register to play golf, please either visit www.wrym.ca
or contact Sue at [email protected].
The last day for sponsorship registration is Thursday, August 15, 2024, and the last day for golfer registration is Thursday, August 22, 2024.
SO DON'T DELAY, SIGN UP TODAY!
Exciting sponsorship packages are still available.
Golfers can register as a team or individually.
There will be contests to play and prizes to win!
To become a sponsor or to register to play golf, please either visit www.wrym.ca
or contact Sue at [email protected].
The last day for sponsorship registration is Thursday, August 15, 2024, and the last day for golfer registration is Thursday, August 22, 2024.
SO DON'T DELAY, SIGN UP TODAY!
LAST CHANCE to Have Your Investment DOUBLED!
Our Invest in Citizenship Campaign ends on Canada Day! To date, we have matched $8,209 of the $10,000 pledge, bringing the total amount of funds raised to $16,418.
"True patriot love, in all of us command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise", are words we often sing, but do not always examine. To us, these words mean that there is a responsibility upon each individual to build a community where all citizens can thrive. Only then can we rise as a community.
Help us turn impressionable youth into active citizens that contribute to our community by making your donation before July 2nd, 2024.
Don't miss a chance for your donation to be doubled!
To "match", simply click on the button below or mail your cheques to the residence before
July 1st, 2024.
Please note: In-kind donations for other purposes are not eligible for "match".
"True patriot love, in all of us command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise", are words we often sing, but do not always examine. To us, these words mean that there is a responsibility upon each individual to build a community where all citizens can thrive. Only then can we rise as a community.
Help us turn impressionable youth into active citizens that contribute to our community by making your donation before July 2nd, 2024.
Don't miss a chance for your donation to be doubled!
To "match", simply click on the button below or mail your cheques to the residence before
July 1st, 2024.
Please note: In-kind donations for other purposes are not eligible for "match".
 Evicted, Broke, and Alone - What Next? When Ryan dropped out of College, his connection to his family was severed. Although Ryan was able to find housing after being kicked out, issues with his landlord and roommates. resulted in Ryan checking into an "Air BnB" with his remaining money. With funds running out and nowhere to go, Ryan reached out to WRYM, desperate and alone. It took almost 7 months of support. Each day, staff guided, taught, and helped Ryan rebuild his life. He received counselling from our Family Violence Recovery Project; life-skills from our Youth Independence Program; and system navigation to address the other challenges in his life. While in WRYM, Ryan started a journey of self-discovery, which began with him openly identifying as a gay man, and ended with him moving into his own housing from the private market. Today, Ryan is working on rebuilding the relationship with his family, and actively continuing involvement in this community through school and work. |  Disconnection to Collective Action Canada Helps, a leading charitable organization in the country which provides affordable donation platforms to other non-profits and charities like WRYM, release a "Giving Report" each year, which analyzes Canadian trends relating to donations (among other things). The 2024 Canada Helps Giving Report contains some disturbing news - it found that for the eleventh year running, the number of Canadians making donations to charities has declined. According to the report, this alarming downward trend in donations seems to transcend economic circumstances - in other words, data shows that it is not solely caused by a recession, the pandemic or inflationary spikes. At WRYM, where we do not receive core/ongoing government funding, and rely heavily upon the donations of our community, we share this information to inspire and appreciate those of you who are breaking this trend and who continue to donate regularly/significantly. If you would like to learn more, please click the link below and check out the podcast by Charity Village. |
Home Depot Orange Door Campaign Ends July 7th!
The Home Depot Orange Door Project fundraising campaign is taking place until
Sunday, July 7th, 2024!
The Division Rd. Home Depot has selected WRYM to be the charitable recipient of all proceeds they raise throughout the campaign.
We will be present from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each Saturday left in the campaign to share about WRYM and this amazing partnership! Come look for us by the main checkouts at the Division Rd. store, and you can be entered into a draw to win a brand new "shop vac",
simply for stopping by.
To make a secure, online donation head over to http://orangedoorproject.ca/ or make a donation of $2, $5, or $10 in-store at the checkout of the Division Rd. Home Depot store and give homeless youth in your community the housing, support, and hope they need to live safe, healthy, and productive lives.
Sunday, July 7th, 2024!
The Division Rd. Home Depot has selected WRYM to be the charitable recipient of all proceeds they raise throughout the campaign.
We will be present from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each Saturday left in the campaign to share about WRYM and this amazing partnership! Come look for us by the main checkouts at the Division Rd. store, and you can be entered into a draw to win a brand new "shop vac",
simply for stopping by.
To make a secure, online donation head over to http://orangedoorproject.ca/ or make a donation of $2, $5, or $10 in-store at the checkout of the Division Rd. Home Depot store and give homeless youth in your community the housing, support, and hope they need to live safe, healthy, and productive lives.
