WRYM's May 2024 Netletter

wrym's netletter

May 2024

🍁By Investing in Citizenship Together We Become a
​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.

INVEST IN CITIZENSHIP

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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.
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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.

READ MORE

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.

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE

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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.
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