These guys give a damn

Feb 28, 2020 | 9:10 AM

It has been a record-setting few months for Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn.

On Wednesday night at the Marten Brew Pub, co-founder Andrew Thompson told a packed room of members the money raised from the previous meeting set a new record for the organization.

More than $14,000 was raised for the Alexis Park Elementary Breakfast Program — a program designed to provide a healthy breakfast and other snacks, to its students who might not otherwise have that opportunity at home.

“The last meeting was our all-time low for physical attendance but we sent out a message to our members. We told them that there are hundreds of kids in our community who go without breakfast and our members responded,” he explained.

It was a call to action and Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn answered that call.

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“We went from having the lowest meeting attendance to date, to crushing the previous record for most cash donated in one meeting,” Thompson said.

“This is what it is all about. Let’s get a bunch of dudes in here, clank glasses, give a damn, drop some cash and do some good.” — co-founder Andrew Thompson. (submitted photo)

For nearly four years, men from around the North Okanagan have gathered to raise a pint while raising funds for local charities and organizations.

In that time, Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn have raised more than $151,950 for 15 local organizations.

That total doesn’t include money raised on Wednesday night, which is expected to exceed $10,500, thanks to the 105 members in attendance — also a record — 24 of which were new signees at the door.

The organization is now close to 200 registered members.

“It’s absolutely insane,” Thompson said with a smile. “This is what it is all about. Let’s get a bunch of guys in here, clank glasses, Give a Damn, drop some cash and do some good.”

“People care about their neighbours. We want to protect this place. There are 167 charitable organizations in Vernon. It kind of blows your mind.” — co-founder, Lyle Doucette. (submitted photo)

How it works:

Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn is a non-profit organization.

It doesn’t collect, spend or donate anything — its members make the donations.

Each member of the Vernon 100 Men Who Give a Damn who attends a meeting is asked to give $100 directly to one of three nominated charities, this happens four times per year.

At the quarterly meetings, each nominated charity is given five minutes to present to members.

At the end of the brief presentations, members vote to determine, by a majority, which charity will take home the donations.

On Wednesday, it was Vernon BMX.

Vernon BMX president Shylo Orchard said the money will go toward retrofitting the aging facility.

“We are a world-class track. We are ranked number two in Canada and number 18 in North America, but our facility is old. It was built in the 1980s. We need the money to bring our building into the year 2000, and we are in 2020.”

(submitted photo)

From quarter to quarter, meeting to meeting the landscape can change. The charitable organizations pitching to the members change. Even the members in attendance change, but at its heart, there is one constant with Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn:

“What is important about this group, what is important about this community is giving back to Vernon,” Lyle Doucette, Thompson’s counterpart in the organization, explained.

Organizations in the past that have benefited from Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn range from the Upper Room Mission to the Okanagan Rail Trail, even the North Okanagan Gleaners and Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake.

In order to be considered at a meeting, an organization must be local, based in and serve the Vernon region and it must be a registered, not-for-profit or charitable organization able to provide tax receipts for donations.

“There have been highs and lows,” Doucette said of the past four years. “But everyone just wants to make a bit of a difference, and everybody is wanting to have a good time.”

More information on Vernon’s 100 Men Who Give a Damn can be found on its website.

by Josh Winquist

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