Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox will be “kidnapped” on Aug. 1 in an effort to raise money to help people get out of poverty through the Wellington County Learning Centre (WCLC).
Director Elizabeth Debergh said it will be like a medieval capture, where the community takes an official for ransom.
“In medieval times, when the poor were struggling … they would kidnap a king or an official and ask for a ransom so they get money,” Debergh stated.
The ransom for Lennox’s return is set at $10,000 – to be raised by Aug. 19.
People can register as a modern-day Robin Hood or as a team for $25.
From there, WCLC will share clues via email and a private Facebook group. The first person to find where Lennox is being held will win $250. WCLC will raise the reward by $3 for every participant.
The money is being raised for Circles Guelph-Wellington, a program that helps families get out of poverty by matching them with successful allies in the community, allowing people to get the education they need to succeed and breaking down barriers for employment, explained Debergh.
“People will cycle through jobs … because there are too many barriers in the way,” she said.
On Aug. 19, the mayor will be released during a dinner at which business people in Wellington County can get together for networking.
“The goal of the networking dinner is to have businesses come together, have an opportunity to network and also see our keynote speaker, who is Dave Barrett from Cascade Engineering in Michigan,” said Debergh.
She explained Barrett has used the bridges out of poverty model to change the way he manages his employees, gaining economic diversity and improved retention.
Debergh says the networking dinner will be a way to for WCLC to connect to the businesses in the area.
“The more we know about what a company does and how they do it, what types of employees they’re looking for, the more we can help these individuals in poverty get ahead and be successful,” she said.
The dinner will be held at the Belwood Community Hall. Large businesses are asked to donate $500 for two tickets and small businesses can get a ticket for $250.
To find out more about the WCLC, the dinner and how to register, visit www.thewclc.ca.
