Neighbours helping neighbours. Community caring for community.

For more than 25 years I've been fortunate to build a successful mortgage and real estate career serving families throughout Stratford and Southwestern Ontario. Thanks to the incredible support of my clients and the fact that my business is now built almost entirely on referrals, I've reached a point in my career where I have the time to give back to the community that has given so much to me.

Over the years, I've had the privilege of serving on several community and charitable boards, organizing fundraising initiatives, and founding Hearts4Paws Senior Cat Rescue. One of the projects I'm most proud of is creating 100 Feline Friends Who Care, an annual fundraising campaign that has helped provide ongoing support for cats in need. Seeing how a simple idea could bring people together year after year inspired me to ask an important question:

What if we could do the same for the people in our own community who need us most?

As I became more involved in local homelessness advocacy and met the many organizations, volunteers, and frontline workers making a difference every day, I also saw the growing challenges they face. Stratford is filled with compassionate people who genuinely want to help, but many simply don't know where to start or how to make the greatest impact.

That realization led to the creation of Stratford Cares 100.

The vision is simple: bring together at least 100 caring people who each commit to donating $100 annually. By pooling those donations, we can create meaningful, sustainable funding that supports local organizations and initiatives helping our unhoused and vulnerable neighbours. Working through a charitable partner allows donors to receive tax receipts while ensuring the funds are distributed where they are needed most.

As conversations about Stratford Cares 100 continued, something unexpected happened. Community members from many different backgrounds began reaching out, wanting to contribute not only financially but also with their ideas, experience, and leadership. Those conversations naturally evolved into what is now the Stratford Cares Citizens Council.

The Citizens Council is a volunteer group of community-minded individuals committed to listening, collaborating, and working alongside local organizations, businesses, service providers, and residents. Together, we hope to identify needs, encourage innovative solutions, support existing programs, and strengthen the partnerships that make Stratford such a caring community.

When a community comes together with compassion, respect, and a shared purpose, small acts of kindness can create lasting change.

Thank you for being here. Whether you choose to donate, volunteer, share our message, or simply learn more about the challenges facing our community, you are already part of the solution.

Together, we can make a difference—one act of kindness, one conversation, and one neighbour at a time.