Ottawa group uses unique fundraising method
For more than 20 years, a refugee support group at Ottawa Mennonite Church has used an unusual fundraising method that has allowed it to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent subsidy to newcomers. The rising cost of living has made this support all the more important. Since 1979, the church has sponsored, or…
Meeting on the common ground of God’s love
Do Mennonites believe there is something intrinsically, inherently important about our denominational institutions? If you think not, then you can skip this article and pick up another article instead. I believe that there is something important here—within the pages of Canadian Mennonite, within Mennonite schools, our sending bodies, and our relief and development agencies. I…
Fundraising and systemic injustice
Imagine a healthcare charity. Picture the CEO. I saw one on TV recently—it was a white man. Now picture the person who cleans the floors. Did you picture a racialized woman? What’s the difference in their wages? Now imagine fundraising for such a charity. Fundraisers want to make the world a better place, I’m convinced…
MEDA supporters across North America plan August move-a-thons
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) supporters, whose efforts to create business solutions to poverty, enjoy getting together. In normal years, groups across North America have regular meetings throughout the year, and annual barbecues in the summer to raise funds for MEDA projects. With the COVID-19 pandemic making such gatherings impossible, many MEDA hubs are planning…
Albertans raise money in creative ways for MCC
No soup and pie fundraiser in Rosemary. No Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta relief sale in Sherwood Park. No golf fundraisers with barbecued lunches. In other words, no fun—and no money being raised through MCC for all the vulnerable people living in more than 50 countries in the developing world. This year, according to Robin…
Coins count, and so do bottles
Every Saturday in May, Rosthern Mennonite Church members drove the streets of Rosthern, picking up bottles and other refundable beverage containers. The church’s Christian education committee normally collects $700 to $800 in loose change each May for Mennonite Central Committee’s My Coins Count project. Since the church wasn’t able to collect coins at church on Sunday…
Money for missions
In 1989, a group of women from St. Catharines United Mennonite Church decided to sell their crafts and baking to raise money for missions. This “making and baking” was something the women did well, and their efforts became known as the Mennonite Food and Craft Bazaar. It took place in November, early enough for some…
Mixing friendship with fundraising
The Waterloo Region chapter of Women Empowering Women (WEW) meets quarterly to nurture connections and friendships, to be inspired and to raise funds that support women in developing economies. As an auxiliary group of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), it supports MEDA’s international work of “helping women move into more valued and equitable roles in…
Squeah paddle-a-thon switches to fall
For the first time in more than two decades, participants in the annual Camp Squeah paddle-a-thon will be navigating the Fraser River in the fall instead of the spring. “Whereas, traditionally the paddle-a-thon has been a pre-summer event, typically taking place in early spring, when the weather is often wet and cold, and the river temperatures…
RJC and MCC Saskatchewan celebrate collaborative relationship
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Saskatchewan and Rosthern Junior College (RCJ) joined forces to host a unique fundraising concert. Held on Feb. 10, 2019, at Grace Westminster United Church in Saskatoon, Global Songs and Sweets featured music and musicians from around the globe. Interspersed between the songs were times of sharing. RJC teacher Zac Schellenberg and…
