Credit union names first Community Champion
A local woman's desire to help keep the homeless warm ballooned into a project that has garnered her a local award
Each of us likely knows someone within our communities or whose path we've crossed in our day to day life who we've come to realize is a hero. It doesn't take rushing into a burning building, or risking your life in some fashion to be a hero, but rather a passion and an interest in doing some good in this world.
On April 22nd, our community recognized the efforts of one such person as Monique LeBlanc Gough was named the Advance Savings Credit Union's Community Champion for her efforts with the Blankets for the Metro Moncton Homeless Program - a program which Monique also credits her 4 year old daughter Amber in helping to create.
"Basically I was home on maternity leave and I had been hearing C103 advertising about the Coats for Kids program and my daughter and I decided to clean the closets out and see what we could find," says Monique. "Once we were finished and dropped off our donations, I asked her 'What else do you think that we can do?'"
Once the question was asked, the brainstorming began and it didn't take long for an idea to take root.
"We thought about all of the people who live on the streets or who can't really heat their homes and we decided to try and collect blankets and coats and warm clothes for them - it was really a joint idea," says Monique.
Not intending it to become anything other than another way to make a small difference, Monique set up a Facebook group and starting letting close friends and family know about the project.
"I was actually really shocked to see how quickly the idea took off," says Monique. "I had planned on just mentioning it to a few friends when I set up the group on Facebook. My friends sent it to their friends and so on and it just ballooned from there."
Only created in the fall, the online group has grown to over 160 members, initially by word of mouth and eventually with some publicity by C103. As more and more people contacted Monique about donations or dropping off items at her house, Monique knew that she was definitely onto a popular idea.
"We've had someone donate storage space this year which will be a great help, because last year I ended up using my daughter's playroom after the donations outgrew the little corner of my house I had originally used to place whatever I got," laughs Monique.
In it's initial year, the program collected over 500 items which were then donated to the YMCA Reconnect Program or the House of Nazareth. Although she has been surprised by the amount of attention her project has garnered, Monique is still able to enjoy some benefits to her work.
"I think the most rewarding part for me so far was when my father and I took all of the bags of donations and drove them down to the YMCA Reconnect Program," says Monique. It was really good to see how appreciated these things were by the people who were going to get these things and be able to use them."
As for the recognition she is receiving, it has taken some getting used to as well.
"I feel very honoured that I was nominated and that I received this award," says Monique. "I know that it will also help the YMCA Reconnect Intervention Street Program. I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed by it, because I didn't do it to get any recognition. It was just something that I really wanted to do to help out however I could."
There is also the extra benefit of her "co-creator" getting to see how one or two people can really make a difference if they try.
"My daughter thinks it's really cool," says Monique. "She's always thinking about how she can help other people or wanting to give away things that she doesn't need. It feels good to see her want to do those things for other people. It's really good for her to see me doing these things, but it's even better that she gets excited about them as well."
To find out more about the Blankets for Metro Moncton Homeless program, you can visit the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5870716247.
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