  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!
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  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.
wrym's netletter
May 2024
🍁By Investing in Citizenship Together We Become a
Productive Community🍁
Productive Community🍁
June is Canadian Citizenship Month at the Windsor Residence for Young Men.
This year an anonymous donor has pledged $10,000 to match your donations during the month of June, ending on Canada Day. This means you can double the impact of your donation until Canada Day or until the matching funds are gone!
Our founders established WRYM with a commitment to produce productive citizens from impressionable but homeless young men who might otherwise become desperate 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.
We invest your donations in "our guys" future; but, they have 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 works like a scholarship, 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" must 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.
Note: Existing monthly donations, in-kind, and donations for other purposes, are not eligible for "match". To "match", you can click on the square below or mail your cheques to the residence before July 1st.
This year an anonymous donor has pledged $10,000 to match your donations during the month of June, ending on Canada Day. This means you can double the impact of your donation until Canada Day or until the matching funds are gone!
Our founders established WRYM with a commitment to produce productive citizens from impressionable but homeless young men who might otherwise become desperate 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.
We invest your donations in "our guys" future; but, they have 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 works like a scholarship, 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" must 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.
Note: Existing monthly donations, in-kind, and donations for other purposes, are not eligible for "match". To "match", you can click on the square below or mail your cheques to the residence before July 1st.
 Home Depot Orange Door Starts Soon! We’ve partnered with The Home Depot Canada Foundation to raise funds for youth experiencing homelessness and vulnerable youth in our community. The Division Rd. Home Depot has selected WRYM to be the charitable recipient of all proceeds they raise throughout the campaign. The Orange Door Project fundraising campaign is taking place from Tuesday, June 4th, through Sunday, July 7th! 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. |  Congratulations to our 50/50 winner!!! With 36 purchasers and 748 tickets sold, we are pleased to announce that.....Chris Cecile was the winner of our 2nd annual 50/50 raffle, and is the recipient of $847.50. All proceeds raised are going directly to services with The Windsor Residence for Young Men that assist homeless youth in their effort to build new lives. We hope to see you next year with an even bigger prize pool! Additionally, we would like to thank our amazing volunteers who helped organize and run this event. It is a very small team of volunteers who put our events together, from planning, to graphics, to social media posts, etc.; but they make BIG efforts. |
Leaving Homelessness for University
At WRYM, nothing is more symbolic of someone rebuilding their life than when they leave us for College or University. The contrast between poverty/homelessness and post-secondary education is powerful enough that even our most experienced staff can feel emotional when it happens.
Please see the story below and learn how Roland was able to exit homelessness to become an active citizen in our community.
Roland grew up with divorced parents and lived with his mother all his life. In 2021, when Roland was just 17 years old, his mother tragically passed away. Without another option, Roland moved in with his father and stepmother, where the relationship was already strained.
The loss of his mother and the environment in his new home was more than Roland and his family could manage. These issues combined with Roland's grief and trauma led to a situation where Roland had nowhere to live and was considering sleeping on a bench or if necessary, going to a shelter.
It was at this point Roland got in touch with us and moved into WRYM.
Over 12 months at WRYM, Roland received counselling, structure, life-skills, and support. With those tools, he graduated high school and was accepted to University. We were even able to test Roland's readiness in our semi-independent apartment, where he thrived with increasing independence.
Recently, Roland moved out, into student housing, where he is in University and studying to be an accountant.
You don't need to be an accountant to do this math! Because of your investment and the amazing work of our team, Roland was able to move past the death of his mother and subsequent homelessness and rebuild his life to become a productive/valuable citizen in our community.
Please see the story below and learn how Roland was able to exit homelessness to become an active citizen in our community.
Roland grew up with divorced parents and lived with his mother all his life. In 2021, when Roland was just 17 years old, his mother tragically passed away. Without another option, Roland moved in with his father and stepmother, where the relationship was already strained.
The loss of his mother and the environment in his new home was more than Roland and his family could manage. These issues combined with Roland's grief and trauma led to a situation where Roland had nowhere to live and was considering sleeping on a bench or if necessary, going to a shelter.
It was at this point Roland got in touch with us and moved into WRYM.
Over 12 months at WRYM, Roland received counselling, structure, life-skills, and support. With those tools, he graduated high school and was accepted to University. We were even able to test Roland's readiness in our semi-independent apartment, where he thrived with increasing independence.
Recently, Roland moved out, into student housing, where he is in University and studying to be an accountant.
You don't need to be an accountant to do this math! Because of your investment and the amazing work of our team, Roland was able to move past the death of his mother and subsequent homelessness and rebuild his life to become a productive/valuable citizen in our community.
