A group of women getting together four times a year to write cheques for charity. The concept is not a complex one, but it is a powerful one.
Thanks to 100+ Women Who Care Victoria, $14,000 was raised for the Umbrella Society in one night.
Denise Grant first came up with the idea for the Victoria group after hearing about it from her friend in Kingston, Ont.
She said she thought it was a brilliant idea, and met with Miriam Byrne to discuss it. The two women are now the co-founders of 100+ Women Who Care Victoria.
Although the group was initally meant to be 100 women, Grant and Byrne had such a good response that their first event at the end of September attracted 140 members to join.
“Some groups it takes them the year to acquire the 100,” said Grant. “We were pleasantly surprised.”
Each woman who joins must commit to one year in the group. Four times a year, each member nominates a local charity, then at the meeting three charities are randomly drawn then voted upon. Each woman then writes a $100 cheque for the winning charity.
The women come from all different backgrounds, but come together with a similar goal in mind,
“We’re 100 women who care and are committed to charitable giving in Victoria,” said Byrne.
Grant added: “In our busy lives and busy world these days, it’s hard to do that. A lot of people don’t understand the power of charitable giving. Everyone feels like they’re part of a bigger movement.”
Byrne said she hopes the group continues to grow, but the concept will always stay the same.
“We would love to be 1,000 plus women,” she said. “We want to give back to our community, to raise funds, to provide money to local registered charities and to keep it very simple.”
Women interested in getting involved can go to 100womenvictoria.com to become a member and nominate a charity of their choice.
The next meeting is on Dec. 3.