JASON SETNYK
100 men gathered at the Royal Canadian Legion in Cornwall for the inaugural 100 Men Who Care Cornwall fundraiser, raising $10,000 in support of Beyond 21 and its Room to Grow capital expansion campaign.
The grassroots initiative brought community members together for an evening of collective giving, with participants each contributing $100 toward the selected local charity. Funds raised will help Beyond 21 expand programming space and services for adults with developmental disabilities across Cornwall, SDG, and Akwesasne.
Organizers Jim Malyon, Troy Malyon, Josh Ricketts, and Rick Shaver coordinated the fundraiser, which also received support from local sponsors including De Saulniers Construction Ltd. and Cardinal Meats.
“It was an absolute honour for Beyond 21 to be the first recipient of the 100 Men Who Care Cornwall initiative,” said Amy Malyon, Executive Director of the organization. “The amount of work the committee put in to pull this all together was nothing short of amazing. We are so grateful to receive the $10,000 towards our Room to Grow Campaign for our much needed expansion that will allow us to welcome an additional 30 participants each week,” she said.
Shaver described the evening as a major success. “We did it! We gathered 100 men together who made a huge contribution to our community. To have so many smiling faces and laughs throughout the hall was fantastic.”
Former Cornwall mayor Glen Grant said he was pleased to support both the initiative and the charity. “Jim Malyon is a good man, and it’s a good charity,” said Grant. “Beyond 21 is such a critical charity in our community, and it’s great to see someone doing something like this to raise $10,000 that they can put to use right away.”
Matthew LeDrew, President of the Kinsmen Club of Cornwall, said the fundraiser reflected a broader community spirit. “We’re community-minded, and here we are helping the community,” said LeDrew. “It doesn’t have to be a Kinsmen thing. It can be anyone, any group of people from all sorts of clubs and interests. I think it’s a really good step for the community, and I’m sure it will be very successful.”
Logan Stanley said he was inspired to attend after hearing positive feedback about similar fundraising models. “A couple years ago, I was working for Habitat for Humanity, and the women in the office there went to 100 Women Who Care and had rave reviews about it,” said Stanley. “When I heard about this event, I got quite excited and really wanted to participate.” Stanley also praised Beyond 21 for its ongoing work supporting people with developmental disabilities and autism in the community.
Business owner Mark Baker said he hopes the initiative continues to grow in the future. “It’s a great initiative that women started,” said Baker. “Hopefully, we’ll have way more than 100 men.”
Jim Malyon said the idea came after attending a similar initiative. “After being at a 100 Women Who Care, it just inspired me,” he said. “I said, well, there’s got to be 100 men out there who really care too.”
The successful launch marked what organizers hope will become an ongoing fundraising effort supporting local charities through collective philanthropy in Cornwall.
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