Men who give a damn raise $7k for YWCA Crisis Shelter

A group of men who ‘give a damn’ came together Monday to donate to a worthy cause in Saskatoon.

Armed with $100 cheques, 70 men participated in the first 100 Men Who Give A Damn Saskatoon meeting.

Co-founder Barry Willick said they knew the new concept would likely have fewer people attend the first meeting but he expect numbers to grow.

The concept involves trying to gather 100 local men on a quarterly basis to each donate $100 to a specific charity. Members nominate local charities and three are chosen to give presentations at a gathering. Members vote which charity to present a $10,000 cheque to.
 
“We specifically favour charities that are local to Saskatoon that will use the money directly in our community,” Willick said. “We’re not interested in our money just going into a great big pot with hundreds of thousands of other dollars. We want to see our money in action.”

At Saskatoon’s first meeting $7,200 was donated to the YWCA Crisis Shelter which provides shelter to women and children in need. The other charities included Aids Saskatoon and The Bridge.
 
“All three chairites were so worthy and I think a lot of people struggled with their vote,” Willick said, adding the upside is all the groups raise awareness for their cause.  

The next meeting will be held in three months.