Share this Story: Airdrie 100 donate $14,500 to local charities
Airdrie 100 donate $14,500 to local charities
Riley Cassidy
Jul 28, 2021 • July 28, 2021 • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Mike and Lori Reist of Project Jack & Jill were donated $10,000 from 100 Airdrie Men Who Give A Damn on Tuesday, July 20. The Reists help local students find the perfect formal wear to celebrate graduation. Students in need of assistance can reach out on their website at projectjackjill.org. (Photo by Kelsey Yates/Airdrie Echo/Postmedia Network) jpg, AI
In their biggest meeting ever in terms of funds collected, 100 Airdrie Men Who Give A Damn donated a total of $14,500 among local charity organizations on Tuesday, July 20.
The Airdrie 100 meet four times a year, with each member donating $100 at each meeting, and then voting on presenting organizations to decide who to allocate the funds to.
Airdrie 100 donate $14,500 to local charities Back to video
The goal of each meeting is to raise $10,000 for a local charity organization, but this time around the group exceeded their goal by more than ever before, raising an additional $4,500.
The extra funds came from a variety of contributors—110 men donated generating an additional $1,000, Airdrie 100 member Wayne Lodge was successful at nominating the group for a $2,500 donation from the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), and #LiveLocal contributed $500 towards each organization that didn't get the most votes.
The three organizations in the running this time around were the Airdrie Field Turf Project, Airdrie and District Soccer Association, and Project Jack and Jill.
Project Jack and Jill received the most votes at the meeting, earning a $10,000 contribution from the Airdrie 100. The remaining $4,500 was divided evenly between Airdrie and District Soccer Association and the Airdrie Field Turf Project.
Founded in 2018, Project Jack and Jill was started by Mike and Lori Reist to assist graduating students in having their special days.
The organization helps families in need find grad suits and gowns for their graduating children or pay for graduation fees and tickets.
Mike and Lori Reist, founders of Project Jack and Jill, said the funds will help provide Airdrie grads with the graduations they deserve.
"The Project Jack and Jill side of things is those gently-used (suits and gowns) free of charge if they need," said Lori Reist.
"The $10,000 would provide 40 suits through the adopt-a-grad sponsorship, and that's just an example. Depending on the need, it might be 30 suits and $2,500 could be used for grad fees through the high schools," she said.
2021 was a quiet year for the Jack and Jill Project, but Reist said they expect some demand in 2022.
"Given that so many people have been struggling financially, and we see it a lot, we expect that it's going to definitely be a high-need year to put it simply," she said.
Mike Reist said Project Jack and Jill was thankful for the support by the Airdrie 100.
"We're essentially guaranteeing everybody to be able to afford grad," he said.
"We'd like to thank the 100 Airdrie Men Who Give A Damn for listening to our story, and for giving their trust in us to help invest back into the community. We're grateful for that opportunity."
Jack Lumley of the Airdrie 100 said the group was ecstatic to raise the extra funds as every dollar goes back into the community.
"Everything we bring in goes out. There's no administration or overhead (costs). As you can tell, there's lots of need in the community," said Lumley.
"We feel great. It's a feeling of accomplishment. In 16 quarters, we've rolled out $175,000. We're actually one full quarter ahead because of the generosity of the community," he said.