Kim Burden (middle) presents a cheque to the Parksville-Qualicum branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women during a meeting on Tuesday, June 4. (submitted photo)

By Alex Rawnsley

they give a damn

100+ Oceanside Gentlemen making huge impact through Parksville-Qualicum region

Jun 7, 2024 | 1:28 PM

PARKSVILLE — A growing group in Oceanside is making a real difference in their community, one $100 cheque at a time.

The 100+ Oceanside Gentlemen Who Give A Damn gather quarterly, with the current membership of 146 people each contributing $100 towards a selected, local non-profit agency.

Local founder Kim Burden said it’s an easy way for those new to the community, or lifelong Oceanside residents, to make a tangible impact.

“We’ve helped a number of different groups in a number of different areas. The last donation [in April] to Oceanside Hospice was for them to begin a men’s grieving process, helping men get through the loss of loved ones that’s associated with Hospice.”

Burden said Oceanside Hospice received just over $14,000, while at their quarterly meeting on Tuesday, June 4 the Canadian Federation of University Women of Parksville/Qualicum received $10,000 for their bursary program.

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The money will go towards supporting Oceanside women, often single mothers who are working in low-paying jobs, to obtain higher education and reach training goals.

It’s the latest in a long line of donations, which have included groups like Inclusion Parksville, the SD69 Backpack Program, Society of Organized Services, Cops for Cancer, Island Crisis Care Society and the VI Prostate Centre.

Burden said it’s a broad spectrum of groups, but all have a goal of helping people in the Oceanside region.

To date, 100+ Oceanside Gentlemen Who Give A Damn have distributed $192,500 to organizations working in the region.

The group was started in December 2019 by Burden, after seeing the concept take off in other communities.

A first meeting held in Parksville drew around 65 people, with the number steadily growing since then.

Burden and others were also inspired by the work of a woman-only group in Oceanside, who boast around 350 members.

“One of the things I loved about the 100+ concept is that it takes no effort to raise $10,000 to $15,000, and a group can really do something with that, they can fund a project with that instead of having to do multiple fundraising events, bottle drives…it’s labour-intensive and takes away the real work of the charity.”

A youth group in Oceanside has also recently joined over 700 similar organizations worldwide. Other groups centred out of the Nanaimo and Mid-Island region are also registered.

All donations receive a tax receipt with 100 per cent of the donation going to the selected organization.

More information on 100+ Oceanside Gentlemen is available on their website.

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