This weekend will mark the 20th year for the Festival of Giving in Chatham-Kent, but its first year with a new beneficiary.
The annual Festival of Giving will take place on Saturday at the Sons of Kent brewery in Chatham in support of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO).
Co-Chair Tim Regan said tickets have sold out ahead of the signature charity event.
“The community support again for this Festival of Giving has always been awesome,” he said. “We knew it would be back when we got out of [lockdown] and we knew the community would support us.”
While the festival has traditionally been a major fundraiser for the Children’s Treatment Centre, organizers announced in March that this year’s event would benefit YWHO, which connects youth aged 12-25 with mental health support, substance use care, primary care, housing, and other community and social services.
“Part of the reason we wanted to get the funds to them, is they’re looking to reach out to more of the communities other than Chatham,” said Regan. “This is going to lead to more activities and supports for teens… They support everything from mental health [to] housing — basically, a one-stop-shop to support our youth.”
The care, services and programs offered by YWHO are free and can be accessed by youth on a walk-in basis at their facility at 140 King St. W in Chatham.
Those who aren’t attending Saturday’s event can still support the organization, with a chance to win prizes, by taking part in the Festival of Giving’s online auction.
The auction runs until June 7 at noon and can be found by clicking here.
