$300,000 worth of caring

Ten years ago, a group of women gathered in Ozaukee County with one goal — to make a difference.

Realizing how tough it can be to carve out time to volunteer, they opted to make a difference with their pocketbooks. The local chapter of 100+ Women Who Care meets quarterly, with members contributing $100 each time to go toward a nonprofit organization of the group’s choice.

And in 10 years, they have raised and given away more than $300,000 to organizations that range from established nonprofits such as Advocates of Ozaukee and Family Sharing to newcomers like Blossom IDD and Happy Place Cooking Space.

“I can’t think of an easier way to make a difference,” Danielle Peiffer, spokesman for the organization, said. “We’re giving more than $5,000 a quarter — you have to do major fundraisers to raise that kind of money.”

Their impact has been as big as the donations they distribute.

“It was life-changing,” Tina Perry, founder and president of Just Listen, a Mequon-based nonprofit organization providing support and resources for those affected by addiction, said when asked about the impact of the almost $7,000 her agency received last fall from 100+ Women Who Care.

Her organization, Perry said, is dependent on donations and volunteers, and it has always struggled with funding.

“It has lifted a lot of heaviness,” she said of the donation. “They have given us the opportunity to give scholarships for programs and to keep going. We’re very grateful. When I heard about it, I cried happy tears.”

She was so inspired by the donation, Perry said, that she joined the group “because of the wonderful things they do. They’re giving our community the opportunity to have things we don’t have but need. I know we live in Ozaukee County, but people still need that support.”

The organization has a simple premise — every quarter of the year the members meet at Water Street Brewery in Grafton. Those attending listen to a presentation on three nonprofit organizations that members have nominated for that quarter’s funding, then they vote on which group will receive the money.

Each person or team of four women donates $100 to the winning organization.

To help do the most good, 100+ Women Who Care tries not to give multiple donations to any one nonprofit, although that has occurred at times.

“We like to spread it around,” Peiffer said.

With 100 members, that donation would total $10,000, enough to make a big difference — which is a major reason many women join the group.

The Ozaukee County chapter has about 80 members right now, Peiffer said, adding that 100 members is the organizing committee’s goal.

While the group’s donation is significant in and of itself, it is often enhanced by a matching grant from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation — former CEO of Best Buy — Peiffer said. To qualify, the donation must be going to a registered nonprofit that benefits women and children.

“I look at the time spent and the impact we make and it’s huge,” Peiffer said.  “We could make donations on our own, but when you pool your resources, these organizations can do something more meaningful.”

At each meeting, members hear from the organization that received the previous quarter’s donation, giving them a sense of the difference they have made, she added.

Mary Karnitz, one of the founders of the organization, said it has achieved many of the things she had hoped for in 2015.

“Women often are pulled in different directions to volunteer, and it limits the time you have,” she said. “The concept of this is one hour every quarter (of the year) and you can have an impact on the community we live in. It’s not pulling you away from other things.

“And by pooling your money, you can have a bigger impact on things.”

Besides raising money for worthy organizations, 100+ Women Who Care gets the word out about groups that are making a difference in the community — including some groups that members wouldn’t necessarily know anything about, Karnitz said.

Some donations have gone to organizations that have a long history in the county, but others have been designated for groups just starting out.

Peiffer said one donation that stands out in her mind went to Blossom IDD, which offers activities and social experiences to adults with special needs.

“They’re teaching them to be independent,” she said.

Karnitz also recalled a donation to the Lakeshore Child Advocacy Center that allowed the group to install video cameras so children wouldn’t have to repeat their stories of abuse over and over, and there wouldn’t need to be so many people in the room during those interviews.

One other reason 100+ Women Who Care is so successful is the feeling it leaves members with, Karnitz said.

“This is a community of women getting together for a good cause and realizing the power that has,” she said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Anyone interested in joining 100+ Women Who Care can email 100women.ozaukeechapter@gmail.com.