An annual initiative with the aim to engage women of all generations in community philanthropy is benefitting three local organizations.
The Morden Area Foundation’s Power of the Purse filled the Morden Activity Centre Saturday and raised $17,000 for local projects and organizations
The annual Power of the Purse event this past Saturday morning at the Morden Activity Centre was initiated 11 years ago with the goal to raise $10,000 from 100 women with $100 each to donate to causes of their choice, but this year it aimed to boost their numbers with the price bumped to $125.
The hope was that increase, along with an increase in attendance, would boost the overall total. Along with a contribution from the Morden Area Foundation, there was a total of $17,000 raised, with the participants choosing to distribute $6,257 to Genesis House, $5,737 to Morden Caring and Sharing, and $5,006 to the École Discovery Trails parent advisory council.
Sophie Gerbrandt, director of development for Genesis House, spoke on the shelter’s backyard refresh project.
She asked people to think about where they might want to go at the end of a hard day, and she anticipated, for many people, it might be the back yard for a moment of peace.
Gerbrandt said this was “for the women and children who arrive at Genesis House on one of the hardest days of their lives … when women come to our doors, they often arrive with nothing more than the clothes on their back and a small bag. They’re leaving behind not just a home but an entire life that has been flipped upside down.”
Genesis House becomes their refuge, from which they can receive counselling and connect to support groups and gain access to various supports and resources, but the shelter also becomes their temporary home.
“Right now, our backyard is tired,” she said, noting how it has potential “and at Genesis House, we are in the business of seeing potential and building into it.
“Our backyard refresh project will turn this space into a usable restful extension of our shelter,” she said, noting they see a need for things like patio furniture, toys and even fencing. “When you’re rebuilding your life after trauma, these small moments of normalcy matter.
Marilyn Sandercock, representing Morden Caring and Sharing, addressed the need for their school food lunch program.
“In a community like Morden, it’s easy to assume that every child comes to school with a full stomach as well as a plan for lunch, but the truth is hunger is often silent.”
She noted how it has a ripple affect on their ability to focus and learn and the feeling of seeing other kids with nice lunches when you perhaps have little or nothing.
“This is why our school lunch program has become an integral part of our organization. Every school day, we work to ensure that students who need support receive as fresh healthy lunch so that they can focus on what really matters most,” said Sandercock.
Nadine Lam, representing the École Discovery Trails parent advisory council, addressed the value of their playground improvement project, noting that no provincial government funding is provided for things like play structures
“Our goal is to build a fully accessible play space for both early and middle year students for every child,” she said, adding they will be moving forward with development each year as funding allows.
“It’s more than just about the equipment but what happens on it,” she said, noting how some students who perhaps struggle in the classroom can thrive outside when playing.
“This project is also about inclusion … this will be one of the largest accessible playgrounds in Morden designed so that all children, regardless of their ability, can play together,” she said, noting how there will be a benefit as well to the extended community in the area in the northwest corner of Morden.
