How 100 Women Are Making a Difference in Your Community

This has been excerpted from Northwestern Mutual Voice.
Written by Amanda Reaume

"You might not have heard about them, but it’s likely there are 100 women who are making a difference in your community through the power of collective philanthropy. And while they’re providing crucial help to local charities, they’re also having a lot of fun.

In November 2006, Karen Dunigan, former mayor of Jackson, Michigan, and a real estate agent, started the first 100 Women Who Care group. The concept was simple: One hundred women who cared about their community would meet four times a year. At each meeting, they would learn about three local charities, vote on which one to support, and every member would then donate $100 to the winning organization. The other charities could be nominated again at another meeting. At the end of the year, they would have raised at least $40,000 for their communities.

In the past nine years, the impact of Dunigan’s idea has spread far beyond the Jackson community. More than 350 chapters of 100 Women Who Care are in operation around the world, including chapters in almost every major U.S. city.

It’s a legacy that has been touched by tragedy. Dunigan died of cancer in 2014, and her sisters, Jane Uhila and Patty Sete, wish she was here to witness the phenomenal growth of the last year.

“Karen showed us that action and caring for others goes hand in hand,” said Uhila. “It makes us so proud that so many people have taken her idea and share the joy of 100 Women Who Care in their communities.”

Making a Big Difference
Laurie Richter, a steering committee member of the alliance that connects the chapters, believes the clubs are successful because they focus on making significant local changes, so members can see the impact.

“There is so much good that happens under the radar screen in our communities, and the charities all need help,” she said.

Because the pooled resources turn into large donations, charity recipients are able to initiate more ambitious projects than would be possible with fewer funds. In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes Chapter of 100 Women Who Care recently gave a donation to the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is in an early stage of development.

Chapter member Margaret McCaffery recommended the organization. When her 14-year-old son, Patrick, was battling thyroid cancer, she saw a serious gap in services and treatment offered to teenagers.

“There isn’t a place for people that age in hospitals,” said McCaffery. “The activities on the children’s ward are geared more toward little kids.”

That’s why it meant so much for her to have her fellow members support the project. “I was crying after the chapter voted to support the AYA program because I was so touched by the contribution,” she said. “We’re lucky to live in a community where we have people who want to make a difference in this way.”

The support of 100 Women Who Care was crucial, said Sarah Russett, executive director of development at the Cancer Center. The donation will allow the organization to evaluate adolescent cancer programs around the country in order to design one that would be a good fit for their community.

The AYA program will provide a place where children over age 13 can go to play video games or spend time with other cancer patients their own age.

“They’ll be able to be together without feeling like they’re out of place,” said McCaffery.

Tailored to Busy Professional Women
The 100 Women concept is both fun and meaningful. It allows women to network with other professionals, learn about great things happening in their local communities, and feel like they’re making a difference.

“For many of us, a big part of the meetings is social,” said Richter. Women tend to arrive early and stay late to socialize. “Our meetings are modestly disguised girls’ nights out.”

Richter also believes that 100 Women Who Care clubs are ideal for busy professionals since “most people want to give back but don’t know which charity to donate to and don’t have the time to put a lot of effort into it,” she said. The meetings last only 60 minutes, and although some stay later, those who have to get home can do so."

What's your passion?
Is it children, health, the arts?  Or, is it just helping to improve the community in which you live? Whatever it is, becoming a part of the 100+ Women Who Care NRV group is the best way I know to pitch your passion to others, get them to rally behind you, and donate big money to help your cause. Join our group today, convince your friends to do the same, and we can all, together, be the 100 Women in our community making a difference.

I deliver food to a local elementary school on behalf of Micah's backpack twice each month.  It's exciting when I see the number of bags decrease and troubling when it goes up.  It's hard to fathom that so close to home, there are children going hungry.

That got me to thinking, if so many children are hungry, what other issues co-exist with that.  Mental illness, joblessness, homelessness, disaster, abuse, and more.  So, I tried to research it.  Finding statistics on the 'needy' population in the NRV has proved difficult.  But, what I did find was that there are over 300 agencies in the area providing help to our community in different ways.  From A   to Z organizations such as Beans and Rice, New River Community Action, and Women's Resource Center are working every day to make a difference.

From improving the economic well-being of low income families, to providing pre-hospital emergency care to the sick and injured, providing crisis intervention and support services to victims of domestic violence and their families, and promoting responsible animal ownership and treatment. These are just a small sampling of what the charitable organizations in our community do.

Each one of these organizations exist because there is a need.  Many of us are in the fortunate position of not having to rely on the kindness of others.  It is possible though, that a neighbor, or your child's friend, or the woman at the grocery store working in the produce aisle, must.  Imagine for a moment what it might feel like if you were that person.  Wouldn't you want to know that help was just a phone call away?  It's not easy for anyone to accept a hand out but if it's the thing that gets you back on the road to prosperity, sanity, wholeness, then thank goodness there are those out there offering that hand.

I truly believe that what goes around comes around.  When I give of my time, my shoulder, or from my wallet it relieves me to know that if ever I should be in need, there will be someone there wanting to do the same.  Won't you join our mission to reach out and help our community by being one of the 100 or more women pledging to each contribute $100 on a quarterly basis to a local charity?  Imagine what $10,000 in unsolicited funds can do!

All charities and organizations up for consideration must be in the NRV area serving local needs, be a non-profit 501(c)3 and non-controversial. The goal is to keep it local and have an impact that WE CAN SEE in our community!

Membership Commitment Form

Local Organizations Reflect Need in the NRV

I happened to stumble upon Blacksburg Electronic Village (http://www.bev.net/) which is "an outreach initiative of Network Infrastructure & Service, part of Information Technology at Virginia Tech."  On this website there is a page containing a listing of organizations.   When I searched for "volunteer" organizations specifically, I found 41 listed.  That got me to wondering just how many organizations there are out there set up to help those in need here in our community.

In my further search, I came across VolunteerNRV (https://volunteer.truist.com).  They are "a collaborative program of the United Way of Montgomery, Radford & Floyd that is advised by the VolunteerNRV Collaborative, a consortium of NRV organizations and agencies that recruit or use volunteers in the New River Valley."  On their list of agencies there are approximately 300 organizations in search of volunteers and donations.

This got me to thinking just how much people donate.  This is what I found:

According to Money (http://time.com/money/2792145/the-right-amount-to-donate-to-charity/) you can find out just how much people with income similar to yours give at the Chronicle of Philanthropy website.

"With just a few clicks in the How America Gives section of the site, you'll quickly see that Americans with adjusted gross income between $100,000 and $200,000 contributed just under $3,400, or 4.2% of their discretionary income, which is the amount they have to spend after paying taxes and various household expenses.

Those who earned $50,000 to $100,000, by contrast, contributed about $2,000, or 6% of discretionary income, while people who earned more than $200,000 gave roughly $14,000, or just over 4%.

But you can also drill down deeper and come up with figures broken down by state, metro area, town and even zip code."

From poverty to illness, education to homelessness, abuse to rescue, there is an organization out there to help humans and animals at their time of need.  Unfortunately, it's all here in the New River Valley and there are organizations asking for both your time and money.  But just how do you make a sizable impact?

We think one way to do so is to make a commitment to giving with 100(+) Women Who Care - NRV.

100+ Women Who Care - New River Valley is asking you to give just $400 annually.  Just $100 per quarter.  But, that $100 when combined with the $100 from 99 other women quickly becomes $10,000.  Imagine how hard an organization has to work, how much time and money has to be invested in trying to collect $10,000.  The volunteer hours to make phone calls, write letters, advertise, and more.  With your participation and commitment, in no more than one hour we can raise this amount every quarter, year after year, after year.  And, all that money stays here in the New River Valley to affect the lives of those in need with positive, powerful changes. Wouldn't it make you feel great to be part of this movement?  We invite you to join 100+ Women Who Care New River Valley today.

Please take a few minutes to complete our commitment form on our website and become a member today!

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
==============================================================

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!

LISTENING AND TAKING ACTION Together...

We are very good listeners, but even more important we are a powerful group of women who aim to make our community a better place to live.  One organization at a time.

We listened to four very informative  presentations on Wednesday night at the Blacksburg Library from 6- 7 p.m.  We learned about the following organizations:

1) Montgomery County Humane Society

2) Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program

3) Stadium Woods

4) Montgomery County Christmas Store

Although only one organization can receive the funds---it was Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program this time, everyone at the meeting felt great about what we were doing.  Everyone felt like a WINNER!

It's been a joy to be part of these meetings.....so much to learn about and so empowering to come together with other women and very quickly donate over $1000.

We want YOU to be a part of our group too!  Our goal is to provide 10K each quarter (March, June, September and December)  to LOCAL organizations who are in need.

JOIN us today and be a part of a growing movement that makes a difference---quickly and without taking too much time to do so (a definite plus).

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Alexa and Beth
Co-founders of 100+ Women Who Care

Email address:  100wwc.nrv@gmail.com
Blog site:  www.100wwcnrv.blogspot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/100womenwhocarenrv
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/100NRVWomen

SHAZAM!

Our first quarterly meeting of the 100+ Women Who Care in the NRV resulted in $1000.00 for the Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry.  Lisa Machi, pictured here, is a member of the 100+ Women Who Care who nominated the organization.

The Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry offers basic food supplies, once a month, to low-income Blacksburg residents or those in emergency situations, including homeless individuals and families. 

Currently the Interfaith Food Pantry is able to provide groceries each month valued at approximately $100 to $200 depending on family size and food availability. The Interfaith Food Pantry is currently serving 700 or more individuals each month. Potential recipients are screened for eligibility by New River Community Action in Christiansburg. 

We've given enough to feed about 10 families for a month through the Food Pantry.  Hopefully you feel good about your contribution.  If you aren't currently a member, but are considering it, please join us.  We can make long-lasting changes in our community with your help.

While the majority of the Interfaith Food Pantry’s clients work, minimum wage jobs do not always enable recipients to feed their families.  

We are thrilled to be able to join together as a local group of women--relatively small group currently--in order to provide such a substantial donation to our local charity.  We meet quarterly and pool money together in order to support our local charities.  Your help is much needed and appreciated.

Our next meeting is in a couple weeks, Wednesday December 10th at 6 p.m. at the Blacksburg Library.

The groups for our Second Quarterly meeting include the following:

1)  Montgomery Emergency Assistance Program

2)  Mongomery County Christmas Store

3)  Montgomery County Humane Society

4)  Save Stadium Woods

Please become a donating member and hopefully each quarter we can continue to grow until we reach $10,000 per quarter.  $10,000 is our ultimate goal--Imagine what our local charities can do with $10,000!

We need your support to help us reach this goal.  We also look forward to your input regarding nominations too...so imagine giving to YOUR favorite charities along with 100+ other woman.

Members are able to nominate their favorite charity....what organization would you like to donate over $1000 to in our community?

Join Us!  We can all make a difference!  We aren't stopping until we reach $10,000.00 each quarter.  Many other groups have done it, we can do it too!

We are also putting names into a drawing to win a FREE massage from Patsy Jansons.  Sign up now and become part of our local NRV group!

Please feel free to email us at www.100wwc.nrv@gmail.com if you have any questions or need more information.

In community,
Alexa and Beth