The Importance of Giving
26 OCT 2020
Last week I had the privilege of joining Dan Colagicomo, Gary Dobbie and Gary’s wife Deb to visit two of the charities to drop off cheques for the money that was raised during our Men’s Night Charity Day. We went to Halton Food 4 Kids and Lighthouse for Grieving Children. Together between our Senior’s League and Men’s Night our Charity Committee raised $110,000 to donate to 13 local charities, as well as an additional $10,000 which was raise by the Ladies Section in our Golf Fore the Cure Event. Thank you to everyone involved, especially those who were instrumental in achieving this amazing amount during these difficult times.
When Gary invited me to come with him and Dan, I thought it would be nice to have some representation from RattleSnake in the photo. I thought it would consist of taking a photo outside and then onto the next one. However, I was wrong as this afternoon had an impact on me that I will never forget.
The staff at both charities took the time to let us tour their facilities while telling us all about what they do, the impact it has on the people and families they support, some of the challenges they have faced during COVID and the things they have done to ensure the people that need their support are getting it.
We started the afternoon at Halton Food 4 Kids, which for me was an eye opening experience to find out they provide meals to over 700 families. I guess sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have grown up always having food on the table, lunches packed and snacks whenever I needed them. I can’t imagine how hard it would be for the parents and the kids to not have these things. The staff and volunteers at Food 4 Kids changes this for all these kids and their families, packing and providing bags each week to those kids who need them. The money the RattleSnake Charity raised provides the funds to do this and it was very heartwarming to hear all about the stories of giving and the difference it makes to these kids.
Next we made the short trip from Burlington to Oakville to visit Lighthouse for Grieving Children. To hear the stories of what the staff and volunteers do for young children from 3 years old all the way up to teens was very eye opening. I can’t imagine what these kids are going through from having lost someone in their lives such as a parent or a sibling. Lighthouse gives them a place to come and be themselves, to tell their stories, to blow off steam and release anger, and to play and to meet others that are going through a similar thing. The impact this must have on a child and their parent would be an unliftable weight on them every single day. Lighthouse helps these families through the hardest time they will ever face. Due to COVID, Lighthouse has moved to a virtual platform but hopefully soon they can start to have their families come back to the house.
This day had a huge impact on me to see what our members have done within our community by giving to those who are less fortunate and understanding what a big difference these donations will make for each of these charities.
Thank you to the following Members who made this possible:
Gary Dobbie, Dan Colagiacomo, Greg Bright, Dave Thorman, James Forte, Otto Trozzolo, Marilyn McNevitts, Heather Dopfer-Pedersen, Louise Smith, Andrea Wagner and to all of our members for their generous donations.