Sault Ste. Marie's SOYA ramping up fundraising
A group in Sault Ste. Marie that's working to address the ongoing opioid crisis is getting its fundraising activities back into full-swing. Saving Our Young Adults - or SOYA - had to halt its usual fundraising initiatives when COVID-19 hit.
SOYA is partnering with Youth Homes on a yard sale fundraiser, which is to be held Saturday and Sunday. The first day was going well - until it started raining.
"Mother Nature didn't cooperate," says SOYA founder Connie Raynor-Elliott. "We'll be back tomorrow from 8:00 to 2:00 on Sunday for the SOYA Youth Homes event."
The founder of Youth Homes, which helps at risk youth find a place to live and learn life skills, says they were planning a basement sale fundraiser just before the pandemic hit.
So since we opened up we decided to get things out of that basement and create a yard sale," says Denis Beaulieu. "So I partnered with SOYA so that we could join together and raise funds for both our initiatives."
Despite the wet weather on opening day, Raynor-Elliott says the yard sale is off to a good start.
"Our community stepped up, we worked at the depot here for nine hours just sorting out stuff," she says. "More donations kept coming in. This morning everybody came in, set up. Lots of people were coming in."
Raynor-Elliott points out that SOYA is a not-for-profit that depends on fundraisers, such as this weekend's yard sale, and she's hoping people will come out for day-two - and that the weather will be more accommodating.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.