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These men give a damn, and give money

Currently there are 210 members of the Kelonwa Chapter of 100 Men Who Give A Damn!

The success of the 100 Men Who Give a Damn!, a group of men who want to give back to their community but have limited time, has grown to 210 members and counting.

Earlier this week,more than 140 members of the group had the opportunity to hear pitches from three local charities—Project Literacy, Launch Kelowna and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Each of the three charities made the case for its cause in a five-minute presentation, sharing with the group what the charity is all about and how the money would be spent in the community.

At the end of the brief presentations, a vote was taken and the Canadian Mental Health Association was selected to be the first recipient from the 100 Men Who Give a Damn!

The group is made up of men who donate $100 each to one of three nominated charities four times per year.

Each quarter they attend a one-hour meeting, hear the five-minute pitches and decide which charity should get their money.

The group calls itself a “non-organization”because it has no board, no directors, is not registered, does not have a treasurer or officers or even a bank account.

The members are the donors and they make the decision each quarter about which charity will get the money they donate.

Currently there are 210 members of the Kelonwa Chapter of 100 Men Who Give A Damn!

“The initial gathering of the group was outstanding,” said Kelowna chapter co-founder Brett Millard.

“The pitches from the charities raised awareness for all three organizations and the feeling of giving was alive in the room.”

Chris Wills, another co-founder, said with more than 140 of its 210 members present, the event provided an opportunity to socialize and hear the great work of three local charities are doing.

He said a total of $18,000 was raised for the winning charity—the CMHA.

“The funds CMHA Kelowna received from the event will directly support 30 young people to attend Ready to Rent, a group that helps individuals build the skills and gain knowledge on how to find and maintain rental housing,” said Shelagh Turner, executive director of CMHA Kelowna.

“By being able to offer Ready to Rent in Kelowna, people who haven’t had access to good role models, learn the ins and outs of being a good tenant which really are tools for life. We are so grateful to the 100 Men Who Give a Damn! It’s a brilliant concept. Not only are they changing lives through their generosity, they are building community.”

The next event for the donors will be held on Nov. 4 at Bottega Inn & Studio.

Three new charities will be randomly selected from a pool of all nominated charities 30 days in advance of the meeting.

The selected charities must meet the group’s three basic criteria; they must be CRA registered, must have been in existence for at least one year and the money raised must be injected back into the local community.

100 Men Who Give A Damn! was founded in Halifax, NS. The first meeting was held in February 2014 by the original group of men who gave a damn.

The founding chapter has grown to more than 350 members, and more than 25 new chapters have sprung up across North America since then.

Any man who wants to join the local chapter can find the registration page at www.100menkelowna.com/join.