A vital community service in Prince George will be able to grow thanks to a local initiative.
The 100 Heroes Prince George program held its third event of the year on Monday (Nov. 18), which saw the local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association receive nearly $13,000 to go towards the reconstruction of the Connections Clubhouse, which burned to the ground in August 2018.
"I think it was a bit of mixed emotions," Mary-Lu Spagurd, Manager of Education and Products at the Prince George CMHA Branch told PrinceGeorgeMatters.
"I was nervous because this is such an important project to us and I didn't want to let the people down that we serve. [...] It was exciting to see how this grassroots movement has really taken off. When they first started, Colin [Breadner] said he was hoping for 50 people and now they've surpassed 200."
The 100 Heroes Prince George initiative isn't an easy process.
For those not quite sure what the program is, the group meets four times a year based on the following agenda:
- Nominated charities are put into a hat, three of which are pulled out
- Rent a small space on a weeknight
- The three nominated charities each tell a five-minute story
- Heroes vote anonymously for which one should receive the money
- Each member of 100 Heroes Prince George donates $100
- Votes are tallied and the winner is handed a check for the whole amount of $10,000 or more
As Spagurd explains, she believes a five-minute testimony to a room of more than 100 people isn't long enough.
"I have so much to say because we do so much," she added. "And I think that's why we looked at focusing on Connections Clubhouse because it is our biggest project we have right now and our biggest need is getting our clubhouse rebuilt. So being able to focus on that."
The CMHA Prince George Branch's Connections Clubhouse burnt down in August of 2018. (via CMHA Prince George Branch)The Connections Clubhouse was a drop-in centre that provided services and courses centered around social recreational programming and employment skills for people wanting to return to the workforce.
"Those are the things [funding] that are going to allow us to do those extra things at Connections that will allow us to upgrade a few things," Spagurd said, adding they want to add an extra room and a patio to the building.
"We have the money for the bare-bones basic structure, but this is where it's going to allow us to make Connections a home again."
When she continued her speech, she understood even if they weren't the chosen charity, another in the community would be able to perform services to help those in Prince George.
"We went into this and if we had not won, we're no further ahead but we're no further behind," she continued. "But someone else would benefit and people in the community would benefit, so everybody would be a winner."
The other charities up for the funding were the Prince George Brain Injured Group Society and AiMHi.
