When Nanaimo residents Andrew de Groot and Wes Richardson first went off to Trinity Western University in the fall of 2014, they both came to the same conclusion about their hometown.
“When we left to go to university, it kind of made us realize how grateful we are to have Nanaimo as a community,” de Groot said.
In an effort to give back to the community they love, de Groot and Richardson co-founded Takes A Dollar, an ongoing annual fundraiser created in 2015 to help raise $10,000 per year for various charities in the city.
This year, Takes A Dollar is raising money for five local charities: Nanaimo Community Kitchens, Vancouver Island Mental Health Society, Haven House, Vancouver Island Crisis Society and Nanaimo Unique Kids Organization.
“We are going to switch them up every year to help raise awareness about all the needs in Nanaimo,” de Groot said. “We try to have a broad spectrum of needs, so not necessarily sticking to one need.”
In order to contribute to the ongoing fundraiser, individuals can donate online at the Takes A Dollar website, where they are required to select one of the five charities they wish to donate to as no general fund has been established yet.
“If you donate currently you have to choose a charity online,” de Groot said. “We are working towards creating a general fund but have to figure out some more logistical stuff.”
So far, Takes A Dollar has managed to raise $9,370 for 2016 and is hoping to raise another $10,630 by the end of August. De Groot said they are looking for individuals to register as monthly donors.
“We started trying to collect monthly donors, who will donate $8.55 a month so that it adds up to $100 a year,” de Groot said. “Our personal goal is getting 100 donors donating a $100 a year. That money would be equally distributed to all the charities.”
In addition to online donations, Takes A Dollar will be hosting a Beer and Burger at the Old City Station Pub on July 22 beginning at 6 p.m. Money raised from the beer and burger will be divided evenly among the five charities, according to de Groot.
Although Takes A Dollar is a year-round fundraiser, it isn’t all about raising money. It’s also about raising awareness about the five charities, according to de Groot, who said Takes A Dollar also produces short promotional videos for each charity it selects.
“If more people knew about what is going on in their own community more people would care and more people do something about it because there is a lot of need in Nanaimo,” de Groot said.
He said the biggest reward is knowing that they’re making a difference in their community.
To donate, please visit www.takesadollar.org.