The organizer: Paul Huyer
The pitch: Raising $31,000
The cause: Shelter Movers
After more than two decades working in finance at TD Bank, Paul Huyer retired in 2011 and took up a new interest: volunteering.
Mr. Huyer got involved with several charitable causes but he felt especially passionate about programs that address violence against women. “I just really wanted to draw attention to the problem and that men really need to be a part of the solution,” Mr. Huyer, 64, said from his home in Toronto.
He and his wife, Judy, got involved with Yorktown Family Services which operates a shelter as well as other programs for women and children. A couple of years ago Mr. Huyer left the board of Yorktown and began volunteering with Shelter Movers, a national charity that provides free moving and storage services for women and children fleeing abuse. He eventually transitioned from helping load and unload trucks to co-ordinating moves. He has organized 50 so far and the charity has helped move more than 5,000 families across the country since its founding in 2016.
Last fall, Mr. Huyer also put his long-time interest in triathlons to work for the charity. He participated in two events – a Half Ironman, which consists of a 1.9-kilometre swim, 90-kilometre bike ride and 21.1-kilometre run; as well as a full Ironman, which is twice the distance for each event. The races were three weeks apart and Mr. Huyer decided to use them as fundraising opportunities for Shelter Movers.
He raised $31,000 which he said will be enough to complete more than 150 moves by the charity. “I think the combination of me doing an Ironman and the work of Shelter Movers really resonated,” he said.
He hopes to raise more money for the charity this year and stay involved in other non-profit organizations. “It’s exceeded my expectations,” he said about his decision to retire and become a full-time volunteer. “I’ve just really enjoyed it. At some point I’m going to have to retire from my retirement.”
Paul Waldie