This past Wednesday, a whole bunch of Penticton dudes put the pandemic aside, got together virtually via Zoom, and did what comes naturally - renew acquaintances, tell a few jokes, and proceed to give away nearly $6,000.
It was the third time this year the group, which calls itself 100 Men Who Care Penticton, has written humungous cheques, out of their own pockets, for worthy charities in the South Okanagan.
Indeed, giving away gobs of bucks is the chief reason the organization exists. Since its formation in the spring of 2016, 100 Men, through its quarterly meetings, has donated nearly $114,000 to local folks who really need it.
Wednesday night, Summerland-based Critteraid, which rescues and shelters animals and works to educate people on the same, got the bulk of the money. 100 Men wrote a cheque for $3,540 so Critteraid could develop a new program for "human/animal interaction leading to healing."
The Osoyoos Museum, which just moved to a new spot and needs to expand its exhibits and its educational programs, walked away with $1,180.
The South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society landed another $1,180 to help its recreation programs and provide more accessible facilities.
Bruce Tawse is part of 100 Men's three-person steering committee, and he gave us the lowdown.
"There's 120-plus charities in the Okanagan-Similkameen region," he said. "We have four meetings a year, and at every meeting we select three of those charities using a random numbering system."
"We invite them to come and present to the membership. They tell us about their organization -- what they do and who they'd serve if they were to receive funds."
According to Tawse, who's happily retired these days, each charity gets five minutes to make their pitch. The members then vote for their favourite, and the charity with the most votes at each meeting winds up with 60% of the total. The other two get 20% each.
The donation totals are as high as they are because each 100 Men member is asked to cough up $100 at each meeting. Every cent goes directly to the charities.
The big issue in 2020, of course, has been COVID. In fact, the regular May meeting was canceled completely because of it.
But that didn't stop this group of gentlemanly givers, who ended up donating $5,800 to the Community Response Fund, a pandemic-specific "rapid response funding stream" set up by Penticton's Community Foundation of the South Okanagan/Similkameen.
Given that the May meeting was canceled, Wednesday night was 100 Men's first get-together since COVID hit. That it was conducted electronically was merely a function of the times.
But, said Tawse, it was a necessity.
"With COVID now, a lot of the charities are really struggling. They're not able to do their fundraising as they normally would. So while they're struggling, we're there to help them out."
"The (Internet) connection was great and the three presenters felt very comfortable. We had a confidential voting tool that we posted through a link, and each of the members cast their vote. And then we announced the winners."
Past donation winners are a diverse lot, including the Penticton & Area Access Society, Summerland Food Bank, Okanagan Boys & Girls Club, Discovery House, and the South Okanagan Raptor Rehab Society.
It all got started, said Tawse, "because there was already a 100 Women Who Care operation in Penticton. So we got together over coffee and decided it was time to have a 100 Men version."
"It's a way -- a very simple way --- to encourage folks to give back to their community. It's a 'giving circle.' For me, the big thing is that our members get a chance to see what people are doing and get an understanding of the things that make our communities tick."
Prospective members, said Tawse, should bring with them "a willingness to come to meetings and learn about the charities and the good work they do." And a preparedness to donate $100 at each quarterly meeting and hand over a one-time $100 "commitment fee" that's earmarked for an endowment fund.
To join or learn more about 100 Men Who Care Penticton, click here.
