Rümi's monthly volunteer dates at the Women in Need Society (WINS) are a hot commodity among Rümineers. The 3-hour monthly shifts are quickly snatched up as a chance to connect with team members and support a cause that is so prevalent in our city.
Community investment in alignment with our values
It all began in 2022 when Rümi selected partners for our ügive, community investment program. As an organization guided by our values of Caring, Collaboration, Agility, Integrity, and Safety, Rümi exists to make people happy in the places they live. We believe in the power of partnership and are dedicated to supporting organizations that align with our mission of creating happiness and helping people build their "happy place." WINS has been a remarkable partner in this journey.
WINS provides essential resources, programming, and services to support women and their families facing adversity in Calgary. Through their thrift stores, resources and educational programs, WINS empowers individuals and supports self-sufficiency to help women get back on their feet.
When organizations like Rümi and WINS combine forces, the impacts they can have on a charity's operations and visibility are monumental, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen with Rümi & WINS.
As part of Rümi's commitment to its community partners and employees’ engagement, Rümineers get 1 full workday (or 2 half days) a year to volunteer. In 2023, Rümineers along with some of their fellow ATCO employees, contributed over 93 volunteer hours for WINS. These hours translate to sorting approximately 3.5 tons of clothing, a value of $24,000! Pretty outstanding.
What does this all mean for WINS?
Kevan Eldridge, WINS Fund Development Coordinator, says it best, “We couldn't have done what we did last year without the help of our volunteers, especially last year.”
2023 brought soaring inflation rates and a large influx of people into Calgary. Women turned to WINS for support more than ever before, and it’s because of the commitment from volunteers and donors like Rümi that WINS could rise to the challenge.
To fully understand how the need increased in 2022, let’s look at the numbers. Each year, WINS expands its house-to-home program, which offers basic necessities to its clients. In 2022, the program provided $560,000 worth of support. Fast forward to 2023, WINS had surpassed $500,000 worth of support given away by July. In 2023, WINS nearly doubled its basic needs giveaways. As Kevan explains, this dramatic increase was unprecedented, and without extra hands-on deck from volunteers like Rümi, WINS would not have pushed these new limits in demand.
"Rümi's dedication and support go beyond mere thanks. We hope when Rümineers come to our facilities and see first-hand the impact of your efforts, the million dollars given away and the staggering five million pounds of goods saved from the landfill, you understand it’s your contributions that make our work possible.” - Kevan Eldridge, WINS Fund Development Coordinator
But for Rümineers, no thank you is necessary. From connecting with team members on a volunteer shift to rallying together for donation drives and then seeing the tangible results of our efforts, it’s truly been a win-win when getting to partner with WINS. At Rümi, we work hard to live our values every day, and doing our part to support WINS in empowering women when they need extra support is very important to us.
National Volunteer Week is here!
National Volunteer Week serves as a powerful reminder of achievements that are possible when organizations like Rümi and WINS come together with a shared vision of making a positive difference in the community. Rümi is honoured to be a part of WINS' journey, and we are excited for what the future holds as we continue to amplify our impacts with this partnership.
Thank you to our Rümineers for exemplifying our value of caring and to WINS for their extraordinary contributions towards enhancing the well-being of our community.
