OREIO delivers much needed items

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by the Ottawa Real Estate Investors Organization. This was the third time this month I had a chance to be with them.

Last week, we were on CTV Morning Live to talk about their food and clothing drive this winter. OREIO is a strong believer in Shepherds of Good Hope. They know a lot of people like to help the homeless in the months leading up to Christmas. They wanted to ensure there was no drop-off once the blah months came along.

So last night they held an event where I had a chance to address the crowd to talk about how Shepherds of Good Hope helps some of the most vulnerable men and women in Ottawa.

It was a good thing I took the van with me. I was impressed with how much they collected in such a short period of time.

Thank you so much to Victor Menasce, Managing Partner of US Real Estate Partners, for his work in making all of this happen.

On behalf of everyone at Shepherds of Good Hope, we appreciate the hard work and the fundraising and we look forward to more donations over the coming weeks.

New Year's resolutions

We're almost two weeks into 2016 and you've either already dropped your New Year's resolutions or you're on your way to forming some new habits.

I hope one of those habits is to become more involved in charitable giving. We have a lot to be thankful for in the nation's capital. But there are people who are hurting every day. They have great potential but they are struggling at this point in their lives.

We see them every day. They are some of Ottawa's most vulnerable men and women. They rely on us for food, shelter and clothing. Over the years, Shepherds of Good Hope has implemented many innovative programs and developed others with partners. The goal of each and every one is to address the specific needs of the homeless population so that we can find housing more quickly for them.

So how can you help with a New Year's resolution? Here are some ideas. I'd love to hear some of yours.

Coffee drinkers: Skip one coffee a week. At the end of the month, you have $10 that you can donate. Yes, your monthly donation can be $10 a month.

Make it a team effort: A lot of people will join fundraising campaigns at their workplace. The most common type of fundraiser is a casual dress day on Fridays. Workers pay $1 or $2 to wear jeans on a Friday. Depending on the size of your workplace, you might have hundreds of dollars to donate at the end of the month.

Make it a family affair: Teaching your kids the importance of helping those less fortunate is important and sets them up to be charitable in the future. Go through your closets and donate clothes that you know you're not going to wear any more. Collect change in a jar and donate it monthly.

Volunteer: There are many ways to give. As a fundraiser, of course, I'm a big supporter of financial donations. We make your dollar do a lot here at Shepherds of Good Hope. But volunteering is also very important to us. We have more than 400 volunteers helping us deliver programs and services, We couldn't do what we without them. As a volunteer, you can see the impact you are having on people.

Take a tour: I've always said that taking a tour of our facilities is the best way to see first hand the impact your donation has on so many people. Once people see the work we do, that we are more than a soup kitchen, many are inspired to give.

If you would like to talk more about how you can help Ottawa's homeless population, please don't hesitate to contact me. Phone: 613-789-8210, ext. 247. Email: asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com

To make a donation, click here.
For volunteer opportunities, click here.

IODE Walter Baker delivers funding

I had the pleasure this morning of welcoming a special group of ladies from the IODE Walter Baker Chapter. In November, they held their annual fundraiser dinner, fashion show and silent auction Couture for a Cause.

This year they selected the Shepherds of Good Hope women's special care unit as their charity to support. The women's special care unit is a 16-bed unit at Shepherds of Good Hope for women who are homeless and dealing with complex health issues and/or addiction challenges. Care includes counselling, support and life skills training.

The IODE Walter Baker Chapter raised $7,500 which will help us refurbish and redecorate the common lounge. We're also looking at purchasing some medical privacy screens.

Thank you to everyone! I was at the fall fundraiser and it was a fun time.

Canadian Police College fundraiser

I've blogged often over the year about workplaces that hold fundraisers along with having some fun. The latest example is the Canadian Police College. By holding a jeans day and "charging" people for it, they managed to raise several hundred dollars for Shepherds of Good Hope.

A jeans day is probably one of the more popular fundraisers that workplaces have. I've also seen schools do it but with a twist. Since students wear jeans most days, they charge students a loonie to wear their hat or to dress up goofy on one day a week, usually a Friday. One class even had a pajamas day. That's a little more difficult to do in a workplace, especially if a lot of your staff is having to deal with the public.

But these types of campaigns are very simple to run. And over time, you'd be surprised with how much you can raise in a short period of time.

Thank you to Ross, left, and Jeff from the Canadian Police College for their donation to Shepherds of Good Hope.

Couture for a Cause

I had the wonderful pleasure last night of attending and speaking at Couture for a Cause, a fundraiser for Shepherds of Good Hope.

The focus was on women's special care unit. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them we are the only homeless shelter that houses both men and women. Every program and service we offer -- managed alcohol program, worker program, transitional emergency shelter program, enhanced support program, soup kitchen, clothing program, etc., -- are offered equally to both men and women. The second thing that often surprises people is the depth and breadth of programs and services we offer. We're best known for the shelter and the soup kitchen but we do so much more.

We have one program that is geared to women only. The women's special care unit provides 16 beds to women who are dealing with complex health issues and/or addition issues. We help them with those challenges and case workers work with them to help develop life skills that will serve them well when they leave the shelter.

We also have 60 beds in the shelter for women and Brigid's Place, a housing first facility, has 11 rooms for women.

Last night's event was an opportunity to talk about the programs and services we offer to women in our care. Thank you to everyone who organized the event which included dinner, a fashion show and a silent auction.

Your support helps us ensure no women is turned away. It allows us to help them build a life of dignity. Thank you.

If you would like to know more about the services we offer to women, please click here. To help women who are homeless, please click here.