Moose Jaw Transition House will receive all the funds raised from this year’s Moose Jaw Co-op Fuel Good Day, with that money going to support the non-profit organization’s programs for girls.
The Fuel Good Day raised $12,006 on Sept. 17, which is higher than last year’s total, when just under $11,000 was raised. Ten cents from every litre sold went into the fund — most of the money came from gasoline sold — while further dollars came from cookie sales and other cash donations.
“This is amazing for us,” said Jenn Angus, executive director of Transition House. “Twelve-thousand dollars means a lot to our organization.”
Everything the shelter does is connected to abuse and violence, which is why its outreach is important, she continued. Therefore, it wants to take a strong position toward violence prevention against young women. This is why the money from its Fuel Good Day will go toward a leadership program for young girls and women.
“What are the reasons violence exists in our community? It’s so multifaceted. It’s so in-depth … ,” Angus said. “How do you create a safer community (in the future)?”
Girls not having a strong self-image can be connected to domestic violence, she explained. They might not have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop into strong women. This is where the leadership program will provide that knowledge.
Transition House intends to start its girls’ leadership program soon. The organization will hold a large event on Thursday, Oct. 10 to celebrate International Day of the Girl. The leadership program then begins Friday, Nov. 1, and finishes in March when the Prism Awards are handed out.
The shelter wants to take the girls to the awards gala to show them female community leaders being recognized.
Angus added that Transition House appreciated how Moose Jaw Co-op chose the organization as this year’s recipient of its Fuel Good Day funding.
“We are very excited about the results of Fuel Good Day,” said Michaela Turner, manager of marketing and community relations with Co-op.
“We are proud of our community for coming out to support the Moose Jaw Co-op, in partnership with Moose Jaw Transition House. And we’re extremely thrilled to present this donation to the Moose Jaw Transition House, which is such a worthwhile cause for our community.”
Last year Moose Jaw Co-op chose Moose Jaw Families for Change as its charity of choice for its Fuel Good initiative.
It is important to fundraise for community groups since the Co-op’s vision and mission align with being a community leader, explained Turner. Not only does the organization want to provide great customer service, but it also wants to be part of the community and give back “to help all these amazing groups.”
Co-op put out a call for applications from non-profit and charity groups in the spring. The number of applications Co-op received actually tripled — to 26 from about nine — since the organization used social media more effectively, Turner said. In fact, her role is fairly new, so she was able to concentrate on social media, community relations, the application process, and inviting submissions, which produced solid results.
“We had so many worthwhile groups, it was a very hard decision to make,” she added.
In the end, it was the company general manager who chose which charity would be the worthy recipient.
