Esther Froese recently invited some friends over for coffee: 20, in fact – neighbours, fellow volunteers and friends from church the local thrift shop. Starbucks showed up with hot coffee and a tray of goodies.
And when it was all over, the gathering raised more than $1,000 for Matthew’s House.
“I was really pleased,” Esther says.
Matthew’s House supports families by providing quality care in a homelike environment to children with complex care needs.
Froese has a special connection to Matthew’s House – she is the grandmother of Matthew, after whom this respite home is named. Complications during his birth left Matthew completely dependent on others for every aspect of daily living.
His parents, Doug and Andrea sought to honour that legacy of love by supporting other families like theirs.
Matthew’s House opened its doors in November 2013, providing respite care for families and giving parents an opportunity for rest.
It costs nearly $1 million annually to keep Matthew’s House open, most of which comes from donations. Several Coffee Mornings for Matthew’s House were held in April. They are simple events. People are invited for coffee and goodies and asked for a donation to Matthew’s House. More than 20 Coffee Morning events were held this year in board rooms, school gyms and private homes.
At Cascade Aerospace, hundreds of employees attended their second annual Coffee Morning. One of their employees has a daughter who visits Matthew’s House. Having this personal connection made the opportunity to support this resource much more meaningful.
“Our employees responded very well to our event,” said Lorna Hart, director of marketing for Cascade Aerospace. “Matthew’s House was selected as a preferred charity by our employees and they came prepared to make their donations.”
Donations from Coffee Morning are still being tallied but the events have surpassed last year’s totals, with nearly $7,000 already gathered. Alan Cavin, the resource development co-ordinator for Matthew`s House, is thrilled with this year’s results.
“We are so pleased with how this event is supported in the community,” he said. “We’re looking forward to how Coffee Morning will grow next year.”
For more information, visit mattshouse.ca