Women care about so many things — family, friends, work, community.
100 Women Who Care is an organization which provides a way for women who don’t have the time to put in volunteer hours for non-profits to help support their valuable work in the community.
There are four one-hour-long meetings each year with each member paying $50 and putting forward the name of a local non-profit she would like to benefit. Three names are drawn and the organizations present information about their programs. One receives the total amount the members have donated.
With close to 200 members, it is not necessary to attend meetings to take part, and each non-profit receives a sizeable amount each time.
“This is empowering, a way of being involved in the community that can make a difference in a short period of time,” said Jamee Moffat, a busy mother of three who owns Nicholas Alexander Landscaping with her husband.
“It has been educational learning about all the different organizations and what they do and I feel I can make an impact in the community even though I do not have much spare time now.”
AJ Jaeger, a local mixed-media artist, brought 100 Women Who Care to Vernon after hearing about it from a member of the Kelowna chapter.
“Women like the idea that this is all local,” she said. “We have a list of criteria for the charities that can apply and they must have a charitable number. This is accessible for women and an opportunity for the charities to raise awareness about their work.”
About 80 members attend each meeting and enjoy the opportunity to connect. Sometimes the organizations which received the donations come back and talk about how the money was used.
Last year, 100 Women Who Care Vernon raised $35,750. Habitat for Humanity received: $8,050, Vernon Family Resource Centre $9,200, North Okanagan Therapeutic Riding Association $9,500 and Mental Illness Family Support Centre $9,000.
100 Women Who Care has 350 chapters worldwide, with 73 in Canada. The other women involved in organizing the Vernon chapter are Judy Rose, Noelle Crombie and Loreen Ruault.
The next meeting is Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Kalview Café at Okanagan College Kalamalka Campus. For more information, email 100womenvernon@gmail.com.