A recently formed fundraising club is generating sizeable donations for mid-Island causes.
100+ Women Who Care Mid-Island met in Nanaimo Wednesday for its third meeting since the chapter was formed in June.
The organization has already attracted 124 members.
“We actually have a member in New Zealand,” said Vicki Swan, spokeswoman.
Regardless of where the members live, the group’s beneficiaries must be registered charities based in Nanaimo, Lantzville, Ladysmith, Gabriola Island and communities in between.
“One of the things about this organization is we keep it super simple,” Swan said.
Members agree to commit to the organization for one year and attend one-hour meetings four times a year.
At each meeting, members submit forms nominating charities for donations. Three nominations are then drawn from a basket and the members who submitted those forms each make a five-minute presentation about their charity. Members then vote, by secret ballot, for one of the three nominees and all members write a $100 cheque to the charity that received the most votes.
Ladysmith Resource Centre Association will receive a donation of $12,400 from Wednesday’s meeting. The centre, formed in 1992, operates a soup kitchen, all weather shelter, prenatal and seniors programs and more.
“They’ve got loads and loads of things going on there,” Swan said.
So far the meetings have generated $34,400 for local charities, including an $11,700 donation made to Nanaimo Community Hospice Society in September.
The 100 Who Care movement started in the U.S. in 2006 and now has more than 400 chapters across North America. There are now three chapters on Vancouver Island.
Please visit www.100womenwhocaremidisland.com.