Hi all,

We are looking forward to our gathering at the Blacksburg Public Library on April 1 at 7:00 p.m.!

There won't be a vote this month as we only had ONE organization put forward this month----which is the Montgomery County Educational Foundation.  

At our meeting we will hear more about this very wonderful organization.  They have raised $65,000 for local grants to schools and teachers since 2012.  Here is one of their success stories:

A school-wide conversation was created at Belview in March 2014 as they celebrated their 2nd Annual One School, One Book, where children at all grade levels (PreK-5th) were afforded the opportunity to read the same book. The Literacy team at Belview selected Charlotte’s Web. Thanks to the MCEF, every student and staff member at Belview received a student received a copy of the book and read it at home throughout the month of March. With the One School, One Book program, BES built a community of readers by having ALL students, parents, teachers, and administrative staff participate. Activities at Belview coordinated, promoted and enriched the shared reading experience. Belview did a variety of things at school to heighten and promote interest in and discussion of the book including school-wide art and writing accomplishments, daily trivia questions on their live morning announcements, a One School, One Book bloghttp://belviewelementary.blogspot.com/, and a school-wide assembly with Farmer Minor and his pig Daisy, where Principal, Tara Grant, kissed the pig!

They have a Benefits Concert coming up on March 28th---all of their funds will go to grants for our schools and teachers.  You can purchase tickets for the concert HERE.

We are proud to extend our donations this quarter to this very important and active local organization headed by some of our own 100+ Women Who Care -NRV women, Sarah Woolsey and Gunin Kiran.  

We also wanted to extend a warm welcome to our new members!  

For all of you who are either members or not yet members, please take a minute to complete this questionnaire.  It will help us determine what direction to move our group and where member interests lie.  You can email (100wwc.nrv@gmail.com) it back or print it and bring it to the meeting.

Thanks!!!


Alexa and Beth
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Please answer the following questions:

1)  Are you currently involved in a women's group in the NRV?

2)  If so, which one(s) are you involved with?

LIST: ___________________________________________________________________

3)  If not, have you thought about joining a women's group?

___  Yes

___  No

___  Possibly

4)  What aspects of a woman's group appeals to you?

___ inspirational speakers/support

___ advocacy

___ business/being an entrepreneur

___ social

___ other ________________________

5) If you are a paying member of 100+ Women Who Care NRV, what do you enjoy about being part of the group?

___  Giving to local charities

___  Hearing more about local charities

___  Working together with women to make a difference

___  How little time it takes to make a difference

___  Other:  ________________________________________________________________

6)  If you are not currently a paid member, what stops you from becoming a paid member of 100+ Women Who Care NRV?

___  Not sure what it is

___  I already donate to charities

___  Don't have the time

___  I have not gotten around to it, but plan to join and pay

___  I haven't really given it much thought

___  I didn't realize you had to pay

___ Other __________________________________________________________________

6) Would you like to learn more about 100+ Women Who Care in the NRV?

___ Yes please

___ No, not really

___ I already understand, but have no plans to participate

___ I already understand and I am a paying member

___ I already understand and I will be joining and paying soon

Alexa and Beth

Alexa Casey & Beth Parker, Co-Founders
100+Women Who Care - NRV
https://www.facebook.com/100womenwhocarenrv
www.100wwcnrv.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/100NRVWomen

I subscribe to some 12 magazines and sometimes I actually find something interesting in them. Reading a recent All You issue, I came across an article on charitable giving I found intriguing.

Are you passionate about something?  Have a hobby or special skill?  Why not turn it into a gift for the less fortunate?

We get ourselves into ruts.  When we decide we want to donate we go on autopilot and either donate time, used articles or money.  However, if you are passionate about knitting, crafting, gardening and more, there are organizations that would be thrilled if you sent your finished product to them.

At Knit-a-Square.com for example, even a beginner can help make blankets, scarves, hats and more for orphans in South Africa.  If you love to garden check out AmpleHarvest.org an organization that connects gardeners with food pantries near them in order to provide more healthy choices to those in need.  Do you have a love of baking?  Why not bake for a child with a life-threatening illness?  icingsmiles.org matches requests from parents with nearby bakers, professionals and amateurs to put a smile on their child's face.

Need more exercise?  Love to walk?  Well then The Charity Miles application (charitymiles.org which is free for Android and Apple users, is for you!  You can earn $.25 for every mile you log.  You select an organization from a list of 30 and the app tracks your distance and donates the money for you.  Personally, I love this idea.  I walk at least 4 miles every Wednesday with a group from a local club I am involved in.  Why not put that walking to more use than just getting caught up with friends and pumping some blood through my veins?!  I've signed on and now feel even better about my efforts.

If you are looking for a cause or way of sharing your talent, go to allforgood.org, a clearinghouse for volunteer projects.

Finally, if you live locally (New River Valley, VA) you can take advantage of some of the giving too!  Virginia Tech's Big Event on April 11, 2015 allows students the opportunity to donate their time and skills.  Give them a hand and find a project around your home for them.  It works both ways!