After reaching their $50,000 fundraising goal, Creemore’s “Mad and Noisy Grannies” are disbanding.
“All good things have to come to an end,” explained Jill Stevenson, who co-founded the group with Carolyn Smith six years ago.
The two women started Mad and Noisy Grannies after noticing many grandmothers in the area who felt they could “give back” to other people in the world.
The group of 15 “grannies” raised money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s “Grandmother to Grandmother” campaign.
The campaign supports grandmothers in Africa who are raising grandchildren because their parents have died from AIDS.
Every year for the past six years, the Mad and Noisy Grannies hosted a bridge luncheon at a different private country home.
Stevenson says the function was “simple to put on.” She attributed its success to two things women really like: party sandwiches and the chance to visit other people’s homes.
Guests donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation and received lunch made by the grannies. Afterward came bridge with the other guests.
After raising $5,000 at the first bridge luncheon, the grannies realized they were on to something.
They started out with 60 guests, but that number increased to 80 over the years.
“People came from all over – Toronto, Collingwood, Thornbury,” said Stevenson.
When it came to fundraising, these grannies were peristent. This year, Stevenson baked more than 90 chocolate chip cookies for the luncheon. Afterward, she sold the leftovers in bags of 10 for $10. Then, she offered to sell the recipe for $20.
“The “Granny to Granny” campaign in Canada has been very successful and we feel proud to have been a contributor,” Stevenson said. “We could not have achieved our goal without the generous donations of many ladies over the last six years…We thank you all for supporting such a worthwhile cause.”