Windsor SOUP cooks up a profit

By Danielle Gagnier

Windsor SOUP partnered with St. Clair College and Walkerville Brewery for their micro-funding dinner on Nov. 27.

Windsor SOUP is organized by Enactus Windsor. They hold monthly micro-funding dinners and bring the community together to hear about creative initiatives or projects aiming to make a positive social impact in the Windsor-Essex region.

Public relations students from the St. Clair College MediaPlex were on hand to pitch three not-for-profit organizations in front of an audience of almost 200 people. Ten Friends Diner, We Love Windsor Furniture Bank and the LaSalle Hangout For Youth were being represented.

Guests provided a minimum donation of $5 which gave them soup, salad, dessert and a vote. The funds collected go to the not-for-profit receiving the most votes, with an additional $500 coming from the Libro Credit Union. The P&L Odette Foundation also matches the amount raised and donates it to the winning organization.

Uma Venkataramaiah, a part-time Public Relations professor at the St. Clair College MediaPlex, was happy her students were given the opportunity to take part in the dinner.

“[It’s] an opportunity for young people in our community to leverage their professional skills to help make a difference in our community,” said Venkataramaiah. “I think this is a really great demonstration of what strategic partnership looks like in our community.”

Although students pitching on behalf of the three organizations originally got involved because it was a school assignment, some believed participating was worth more than just a grade.

“This night is a huge opportunity,” said Mikaela Morin, a second year public relations student at the St. Clair College MediaPlex. “I’ve never had this loud of a voice to advocate for something that I believe in.”

The dinner ended up raising over $2,200 for the winning not-for-profit, the LaSalle Hangout For Youth. Rama Kovacsi, Hangout for Youth founder and director, appreciated what Windsor SOUP is doing for the community.

“We need all the support we can get from the community and that’s why we are here today and we are really thankful for being here,” said Kovacsi.