Philanthropy according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, “the practice of giving of money and time to help make life better for other people. Wikipedia’s definition is it literally means “love of humanity”, that it develops and enhances what it is to be human, on both the giver and receivers part. I would call that a win/win situation.
When I first came to West liberty 2 years ago, I volunteered on a project so that I could meet people and start to form friendships in my new town. At that time, I met several women who welcomed me and made me feel a part of the community. As we worked on a mailing for the project that we all were volunteering for, one of them asked me if I had ever heard of 100 Women. She briefly explained the concept and I thought it was a really good idea. That woman was Chris Martin. Chris and friend, Jody Dvorak, continued to talk about that concept and this year, along with some brainstorming and planning with Lori Leggins, the 100+ Women Comet Chapter was born. Several other local women joined in and filled out the board (Amber Minton Cardona, Shannon O’ Boyle McNaul, Lee Gertz and Melody Russell). All the women on the board have shared responsibility, there are no officers.
This is how it works: the goal is to get 100 plus women to commit to a one year of 4 meetings every 3 months. There is a social time before getting down to business where you can meet other women in the area. At each meeting, every member writes a charity of their choice on a piece of paper and it gets tossed in a basket. The charity, or not for profit cause, has to provide services in the West Liberty, Atalissa or Nichols area. Once all the suggestions are in the basket, 3 are drawn out. The woman whose cause is drawn, says a few words about it and why she feels it is deserving. After all three are presented, every woman votes by ballot on the cause of their choice. The votes are tallied and the winner announced. Then, all the women write a check for $100.00 to the organization with the most votes. It is a simple concept, the checks are written to the charity directly and then, that charity is responsible for providing documentation of the donation back to the donor. 100 % of the proceeds go to charity. At the first meeting in May, 60 women attended, raising $6000.00 that was awarded to the West Liberty Ministerial Association.
When the founding members and the board first put the word out to women in these communities to join in, they did it the good old fashioned way, they went through the phone book looking for names and addresses. They also used social media. It was a good start, but they really want more members who reflect the wonderful diversity of the women in our communities.
This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a great group of dedicated women from all walks of life. They all bring something valuable to the table besides their donation. They bring the love of community, the desire to help those in need, and they empower each other. All of the women in our community are invited to join. The next meeting is August 5 from 6:30 PM to 8 PM at Local Grounds Cafe’ and Wine Bar. Hors d’oeuvres will be provided and beverages will be available for purchase. This is a great organization of women from our communities giving to our communities. It is a simple concept that yields bountiful results. I love simple, I hope to see you there!
For more information visit Facebook at 100+ Women who care: Comet Chapter or email [email protected] . You may contact the author at [email protected]
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