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100 Women pick Homeland Housing

Homeland Housing will use the $11,600 it received from 100 Women Who Care to bring youth and seniors together. Including the Sept.
Recreation therapist Lori Kary (centre) receives $11,600 at the Sept. 21 100 Women Who Care event on behalf of recipient Homeland Housing, flanked by organizers Deneen
Recreation therapist Lori Kary (centre) receives $11,600 at the Sept. 21 100 Women Who Care event on behalf of recipient Homeland Housing, flanked by organizers Deneen Ducharme and Sue Dougans at left and Kourtney Nelson Bernard and Tammy Round at right.

Homeland Housing will use the $11,600 it received from 100 Women Who Care to bring youth and seniors together.

Including the Sept. 20 donation, $43,600 has gone to four community organizations via 100 Women Who Care, which has grown to more than 100 women.

“One of the greatest things over the past four meetings has been to learn so much more about the dedicated people and organizations who strive to make our community stronger, more viable and productive with their ambitious projects,” noted 100 Women Who Care organizer Deneen Ducharme.

Lori Kary, recreation therapist at Pembina Lodge, which is governed by Homeland Housing, said the money would be used for a liaison between the schools and Pembina Lodge to create inter-generational programming.

“The relationship is so important because it restores a sense of community, knowledge of the past and a sense of the future and the partnership would work both ways,” she said.

Homeland Housing is a registered charity and a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide supportive living for seniors and community affordable housing within a respectful and secure social environment.

In her presentation, Kary said one of the priorities of the residents is recreation, and as recreation therapist, it is her job to improve their quality of life through innovative programming.

“Our seniors are an integral part of our society and have so much to offer,” she said.

Although the organization represents more than just Pembina Lodge in Westlock, Kary’s focus for the funding is recreation for Pembina Lodge, but that could also include Smithfield Lodge. The recreation budget for Pembina Lodge this year was $15,000,” she said, and through other means, they raised $12,500 in 2016.

Westlock’s 100 Women Who Care meet quarterly and, following presentations from community organizations, vote on who to donate to. Each woman in the group gives $100 every three months.

After listening to presentations from three local non-profit organizations, the women vote by secret ballot for the organization that receives the money.

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