- Many fundraisers held for Murchadha House -
by Sylene Argent
Vehicular traffic was slowed down to a crawl in the small hamlet of Cottam on Saturday as treasure hunters and bargain seekers were out in full force during this local community’s annual community-wide yard sale.
Though the annual event provides the perfect opportunity for residents to clean out closets and rehome gently-used items, it is also a great opportunity for some of those residents to take advantage of the high-volume of traffic to raise funds for causes near-and-dear to their hearts.
Several of the fundraisers hosted around Cottam on Saturday were held for Murchadha House. Recently, the ground was broken to ceremoniously begin construction on the home that will house youth with exceptional needs.
This special home is being built on Fox Street in Cottam to provide non-profit residential accommodation for individuals with exceptional needs. The four youth who will live there, once it is built, will be able to live as independently as possible due to special installations.
One of the fundraisers hosted for Murchadha House was held at the Cottam Firehall. This is where the 2nd Cottam Scouts hosted a car wash.
2nd Cottam Scouts Commissioner, Fay Lawn, was impressed with the support and generosity from the community.
Lawn said it is important for Scouts to learn that there are other youths in the world that need help.
For their efforts in helping with the car wash, each of the participating Scouts were presented with a badge that says “Every Child Matters,” which they will be able to stitch onto their blankets. Seeing the badge will remind them of the car wash and the importance of supporting these types of causes.
“These kids are future leaders of society,” Lawn said. “We are trying to instil good values and integrity in them.”
What is neat about Scouting, Lawn added, is that the program is designed to allow youths to progress at their own rate.
During the Cottam Yard Sale, firefighters contributed to Murchadha House by collecting money at the main intersection as vehicles passed by.
Another Murchadha House fundraiser took place at Cottam United Church, where parishioners sold the local organization’s t-shirts. In addition, a barbeque to raise money for the church, was set up.
Sandy Murphy, Murchadha House’s Board of Directors President, was thrilled to see the support. She said Murchadha House was approached by the other organizations that reached out because they wanted to host the fundraisers.
Those who would like to donate or want to learn more about the project, can do so by logging onto murchadhahouse.ca, or visit its Facebook page.
Another fundraiser hosted on Saturday raised money for Operation Christmas Child, which provides a shoe-box full of goodies to youth in need. At this fundraiser, around a dozen volunteers hosted a yard sale and sold homemade beavertail treats to raise funds for the cause.