Kelly Platt and her partner Mark Bonnell run the Barrie Jeep Club and with almost 500 members, they’re helping out the community in droves.
The Barrie Jeep Club meets at least once a week since its inception in March.
Platt says Bonnell is on his 23rd Jeep and it's all he drives, while she currently owns a 2013 Wrangler.
She says there is something about a Jeep that makes you not want to drive anything else.
“I think you have to own one to understand, it becomes a lifestyle,” Platt told BarrieToday. “Especially in the summertime when you have the doors off and the top down, you can be in the worst mood but you go for a ride and you’ll feel better after.”
Starting the club was a given, being how much passion Platt and Bonnell have for the lifestyle of being a Jeep owner, but it grew fast and now they’re focused on helping the community.
“We have about 450 members and while we enjoy meeting up and enjoying each other’s Jeeps, we wanted to do more and help the community,” Platt says. “We do a number of charity events throughout the year and help people and organizations in our community.”
The club helps organizations and people in Barrie, but members come from all over to support causes in the city.
Some of the more recent fundraisers were in support of Candlelighters, COPE service dogs and, currently, the Barrie Food Bank.
Throughout November, the Barrie Jeep Club will be gathering donations for the Barrie Food Bank. They will be accepting food donations and toiletries as well as selling raffle tickets for a $300 LCBO gift card. Tickets are $20 for one or $50 for three, with 100 per cent of the proceeds will go to the Barrie Food Bank.
“It's our Jam the Jeep fundraiser and we want to fill as many Jeeps as we can for the Barrie Food Bank,” Platt says. “In December, we are making Christmas cards for some nursing homes residents and also doing up our Jeeps with lights and decorations for them to see as we get them their cards.”
There are also unplanned events that the Barrie Jeep Club helps out with.
“We even do things like dog searches for missing pets; I was just on one this morning,” Platt says. “We even responded to something recently where a single woman who was diagnosed with cancer and was having trouble making ends meet. We did a rubber duck race and were able to donate money from that to help her out financially.”
The Jam the Jeep events will take place in three different locations throughout the month of November, including the Georgian Mall parking lot (corner of Bayfield and Livingstone streets) on Thursday, Nov. 4 and Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 7-9 p.m., the Canadian Tire parking lot on Bayfield Street on Wednesday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 22 from 7-9 p.m., and Dunlop Billiards at 445 Dunlop St., W. on Friday, Nov. 12 beginning at 6 p.m.
If you are unable to make it out to one of these events and would like to donate or purchase a raffle ticket, you can contact Platt or Bonnell by email at [email protected] and arrange for pick-up.
