PUBLISHED SEPT. 1, 2016
100 Women Who Care reaches milestone membership
By LOIS KINDLE
Four-and-a-half years ago Amber Watt and her mother, Ann Rand, founded the South Shore chapter of 100 Women Who Care. The philanthropic group began with about 30 members who met quarterly to determine a nonprofit recipient for their collective donations.
On Aug. 23 the chapter reached a milestone when its membership reached 112, exceeding its original goal of 100 for the first time.
“It’s a powerful, very impactful group of (mostly) professional women that requires a minimal commitment of time,” said Apollo Beach resident Debbie Van Ore, an original member who now co-leads the group with Charlotte Clark, of Gibsonton. “With all the negativity in the world today, ours is such a positive story, one that gives both help and hope.”
Since February 2012, members of 100 Women Who Care have awarded more than $100,000 to 19 recipients, not including the Aug. 23 award winners. These have included Angels for Foster Kids, its first beneficiary; Kay’s Ministry; Cornerstone Family Ministries; the Bloomingdale Library Attack Survivor; My Warrior’s Place; Firehouse Cultural Center; Mary & Martha House; and Our Lady of Guadalupe Food Pantry. As of its latest meeting, Southeastern Guide Dogs and Home Makers of Hope have been added to the list.
“I get excited before each quarterly meeting, knowing we’re going to make a difference for a person or organization, and sometimes it’s just the right moment to fill a special need,” Clark said. “I get excited again when I leave, because our donation is the collaborative effort of such a wonderful group of women.”
Here’s how 100 Women Who Care works:
Members commit to writing a check for $100 every three months to a charity, nonprofit group or individual in need the entire group decides to support.
At their quarterly meetings, any who want to nominate a recipient places their names in a basket from which three are randomly drawn. Those members or a representative from the organization they’re nominating are each given a total of 10 minutes apiece to pitch their nominees and answer questions from the group.
Then all the members in attendance secretly vote to determine the recipient, and everyone writes a check directly to that organization or individual. Those who can’t attend the meeting can give their checks and proxies to a friend, or mail their checks to member Austine Keller within two or three weeks.
At the Aug. 23 meeting, there were 14 different groups nominated, and the voting ended in a tie for the second time in the group’s history. The three finalists were AMIkids, Southeastern Guide Dogs and Home Makers of Hope.
The latter two split the vote, and representatives from both organizations agreed to share this quarter’s total. As of press time the total donation had not yet been announced.
“100 Women Who Care is the greatest idea ever,” said Pam Stamey, president of Home Makers of Hope, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit group that supplies basic furnishings and essential household items to families experiencing hardship. “These women truly do care. They all have big hearts and it shows.
“We were so surprised to be picked out of the hat,” she continued, noting there are so many charities worthy of consideration. “However we knew if we could just get the chance to tell our story and the stories of our families, we had a real chance of receiving (the group’s) support.”
Stamey said Home Makers of Hope survives solely on private donations, and the money 100 Women Who Care members are providing comes at a time when its “coffers are critically low.” The donation will enable us to deliver (items) to approximately 30 homes over the next two and a half months.”
Watt, associate director of philanthropy for Southeastern Guide Dogs, was equally as pleased.
“We are incredibly grateful to 100 Women Who Care for supporting our scholarship fund,” she said. “The money will help furnish a guide dog to someone who is visually impaired or a veteran suffering from PTSD within the greater Tampa Bay area. (The cost of breeding, training and supporting a guide dog over its life runs into the tens of thousands of dollars.)
“I was thrilled to be able to share the work we’re doing,” she said. “Each year we place 100 or more dogs into homes for (these individuals).”
The next quarterly meeting of 100 Women Who Care is set for 6:30 p.m., Nov. 1, at the MiraBay Clubhouse, 107 Manns Harbor Drive, Apollo Beach. Prospective members are welcome. For more information, email 100wwcsouthshore@gmail.com, or visit 100wwcsouthshore.wixsite.com/tampa.