PHOTOS: The Red Shoe Society Kickoff In The Courtyard

Thursday July 6th, 2017, 8:26pm

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Sara Grace Donally, President and Chair of The Red Shoe Society of Windsor-Essex

Tonight The Ivy Courtyard at The Water’s Edge Event Centre hosted the inaugural event of The Red Shoe Society of Windsor-Essex, called Kickoff In the Courtyard.

“We are a group of young professionals that support the Ronald McDonald House,” explains chair and president of the local chapter Sara Grace Donally. The organization aims to raise funds and awareness for the newly established Ronald McDonald House at Windsor Regional Hospital.

Community Relations Associate with The Ronald McDonald House Pamela Sahli describes The House as a place that “provides families with a home away from home when they have a seriously ill or injured child that’s staying in the hospital. It gives them a place to be.”

The goal of tonight’s event is to educate attendees on The Ronald McDonald House and The Red Shoe Society, and to hopefully attract new members.

“A young, community-minded person: that’s kind of who we’re looking for, and who we want to have join our group,” Donally says of their ideal member.

“The demographic is a poignant piece to the red shoe society, and it’s really because we came to support each other,” she continues, noting that most of their members are between twenty and forty years of age, as these are the people utilizing The House’s services the most. “Being a member and supporting The Red Shoe Society is also supporting maybe your neighbour, it might be supporting your coworker, it could be supporting yourself at some point.”

The current Society members are dedicated to the cause, having decorated The Ronald McDonald House for Christmas before they even had a board of directors established, according to Sahli.

While new to the area, The Red Shoe Society exists across North America. “Typically where you find a Ronald McDonald House, you’ll also find a Red Shoe Society,” says Donally .