Local group offers the chance to show you care

By Cecilia Nasmith

A local group called 100+ Women Who Care is part of an international string of such organizations, offering the opportunity not only to make a difference but also to watch the difference being made.

The first such group was organized in Michigan in 2006, when Karen Dunigan saw that the Centre For Family Health in her community needed baby cribs for new moms. She took the initiative to call potential donors who might be able to make a meaningful contribution and scheduled a meeting. The result was a bevy of donations totalling $12,800, which more than covered the gap.

Fourteen years later, more than 900 chapters around the world have been spun off, some of them for men, kids and teens – and, of course, the one organized by Cobourg Councillor Nicole Beatty in 2016 after she heard about the organization while living in Australia.

Each quarter, members pledge $50 and gather to listen to three nominated local charities describe their impact on the community, their needs, and how a grant might further their work. A vote is held, and the winning charity is announced.

The grant is meaningful to the charity, and empowering to the women who made the pledge. Together, they make a difference.

Grant recipients in 2019 included SONG (Sounds Of the Next Generation), who received $5,500 in April, Hamilton Township's Community Works, who received $5,600 in June, the Transition House emergency shelter, who received $5,500 in September, and Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre, who received $5,700 in November.

For Marsha Jones, Transition House board chair, the funds came at a very important time of year.

“As the weather turns colder, we see an increase in the demands for service,” Jones said in the press release.

“Transition House is Northumberland County's only emergency shelter for community members who are experiencing homelessness. Over the past year, Transition House has been steadily at full occupancy, providing emergency shelter to over 200 unique clients.”

100+ Women truly subscribe to that old maxim that it takes a village. If you are interested in being part of that work, the first meeting of the year is on March 3 at the Cobourg Lions' Centre. Following social hour from 6 to 7 p.m., nominees will have the opportunity to make presentations about their work Members will then vote and announce the grant recipient.
For more information, visit www.100womennorthumberland.ca.