By Kaitlyn Campbell
A group of women in Clare County gave a total of $53,250 split between four local organizations this year.
100 + Women Who Care in Clare and the Surrounding Areas gives back to the Clare County community through quarterly donations throughout the year.
“We are more than 100 women in Clare County that donate $100 a quarter, equaling $10,000 or more,” Stephanie Graham, founder of 100 Women + Who Care, said. “We nominate organizations that are non-profits, and then we vote on them, and whoever wins gets that gift that quarter.”
100 + Women Who Care donated to Big Brothers/Big Sisters in the first quarter of 2023, Stone Soup Project in the second quarter, Farwell Area Schools Pathways to Potential in the third quarter, and United Way of Clare and Gladwin Counties Project Kids Christmas in the fourth quarter.
“Donations went great,” Graham said. “All the nominations are wonderful. Not everyone wins, it takes longer, like Big Brothers and Big Sisters won the first quarter, and they had been nominated for two years and they finally won. So we encourage everybody to continue to nominate, even if you don’t win.”
The organizations that receive these donations are feeling a bigger impact compared to if they were to receive a grant.
“A lot of organizations get grants, which are wonderful, but there are a lot of strings attached to those,” Graham said. “This is, there’s no strings attached, everyone writes a check directly to the organization and so they get 100 checks, and they can do whatever they want with it. They don’t have to report back.”
Graham hopes that 100 + Women Who Care can keep growing so that they are able to give to more organizations.
“I would love nothing more than to get enough members that we could maybe do two [donations] a quarter, to have enough committed members to make that possible,” she said.
To Graham, being a part of 100 + Women Who Care and being able to give to community is special to her because of the happiness it brings her.
“I try to be very positive all the time and it just brings me so much joy,” Graham said. “I always say that it’s selfish of me because I do it for the joy that it gives me. And I love helping the community. I work for a non-profit, so I understand the need. It’s always just so heartwarming to give a gift. It just feels so good to give.
“We are always welcoming new members,” Graham said. “You can give $400 a year and make a huge impact on local organizations, non-profits.”