Eagle Grove’s 100+ Women Who Care chapter met for their Winter meeting on Wednesday, January 26th, at the event center at Rails. The group, which despite its name currently stands at 37 members, is working to grow it’s membership to match it’s name. But even at about a third it’s target membership, the group has made a big positive impact.
In July of 2021 the group made its first award to Leigha McKenzie and her baby to help cover the travel expenses so the child could receive desperately needed treatment for a rare condition. Today McKenzie is herself a member of the group, working to help others in need.
In October of 2021 the group made an award to Marilyn Jensen, whose daughter Chris had succumbed to cancer, to help with expenses, and college funds for her Chris’ children.
Now the group has made its third award, to Gayle Morgan. Known as a major ambassador of Eagle Grove as a community, who is a regular at the sporting events and other activities taking place. And the group, with this award, aimed to give back to someone who has given a lot to the community.
In an email sent to members by the group’s steering committee, comprised of Ann Sampson, Amanda Friedl and Angie Anderson wrote, “this group is about taking one idea, gathering it with many amazing women and changing a family’s life and our community. It’s about pulling our community together. It’s about reaching your hand out-holding someone else’s hand and helping them rise above the situation they are in.”
In each of the group’s awards so far, they have been able to give thousands of dollars to their recipients. And with increased membership, the group will be able to make an even larger impact.
Members of the group commit to donations of $100 per quarter as single members, or $50 per quarter as a team of two. The funds are largely given to recipients in need. And the math is staggering. $100 works out to about $1 a day. “Less than a cup of coffee,” as group member Tiara Paul, a local entrepreneur, put it. And yet it is helping people deal with crises in their own lives, so they can go on to helping others. And the more the group’s membership grows, the greater the impact it will be able to have.
“Our numbers are growing every time we vote and every time we get together,” Paul said, “so as we continue to grow and more and more members continue to join, the impact will just be even more. And that’s the goal.”
“Right now we’re talking thirty-seven hundred to four thousand dollars” per award, steering committee member Ann Sampson explained, adding up what the group is raising quarterly with its current membership.
“Imagine just being gifted a check,” when facing a major life crisis, Paul said, “like, ‘here you go, here’s four thousand dollars.’ It’s amazing!”
As the steering committee’s email put it, “each one of these recipients were moved to TEARS when they found out they were the recipient of THOUSANDS of dollars because of this group! For about $1 per day, we can make a difference in the upcoming recipient’s lives.”
Members nominate potential recipients, and then vote on the nominees to determine the recipient of each quarterly award. There’s no limit to how many times a given recipient can receive help, if the group decides later to help them again. In the end, the goal is “making our community so much stronger”, as Paul put it, one season at a time.
The group meets seasonally, four times a year, spring, summer, fall and winter. Meetings are typically held at the Rails Event Center, and the leaders make a point of keeping the meetings informal, and quick. “We are all busy and we certainly respect the precious time you give us at these quarterly meetings,” the steering committee’s email stated. Meetings start promptly at 6:00 pm and last an hour.
Those wishing to join can attend an upcoming meeting, or drop off their contact information in the secure drop box at Sampson Accounting. They can also reach out to the group through its Facebook page (fb.me/100womenwhocareeaglegrove) which organizers encourage even non members to “like” and follow.
“People can check us out first, like, if they just want to see what we’re doing,” Friedl said, noting that the group maintains records of who they’ve helped so that prospective members can see the kind of good they’d be participating in doing. “It’s fun, too. Just to get out and be with other women and have a fun night.”
“It’s a great opportunity to network and get to know the community,” Paul added.
“There’s always people in need and these meetings bring that to the forefront, and really gets people thinking,” said Sampson. And guests are welcome to sit in even if they can’t contribute, “if they go home and say a little prayer for them, I think that’s great,” Sampson said.
The group’s next meeting will be their spring meeting on Wednesday, April 27th. On the agenda will be to nominate and pick their first local non-profit organization to assist.
The group’s summer meeting will be Wednesday, July 27th, 2022. On that meeting’s agenda is to nominate and choose a local family or person to help.
The group’s fall meeting will be Wednesday, October 26th, 2022. On the fall agenda will be to nominate and select a second local non-profit organization to lend a hand to.
And the last presently scheduled meeting, the group’s next winter meeting, is set for Wednesday, January 25th, 2023. On the agenda is to nominate and determine another local family or person they can assist.
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