Jamie Cann was able to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday with 10,000 unexpected gifts.
You see, the night before, Cann (pictured at left), who is the executive director at Fresh Start Support Services in St. Thomas, heard her name called out as the winning charity in the 100-plus People Who Care event.
The promotion is run by the Elgin-St. Thomas Community Foundation, with a $10,000 grand prize as voted upon by those who contributed $100.
Cann admits she was completely taken aback when the Fresh Start name was announced.
It was the 10th anniversary of rallying the community to pool over $10,000 on Giving Tuesday to support a worthy local cause.
Cann explains the money will be used to support their House of Homes now under construction on Centre Street, one of nine Early Childhood Development Hubs to be established across the province.
The initiative aimed to improve early outcomes for babies born to at risk families across the province by supporting the early development needs of underserved, vulnerable children of young mothers.
Additionally, a portion of the funds will go toward a computer work area.
Cann stressed that the $10,000 is a fantastic addition to help with the almost $200,000 needed to furnish the House of Homes.
The other four groups vying for the funding were: The Nameless, Christmas Care, JA South Western Ontario and Progressive Animal Welfare Services.
Written by Ian McCallum
