Women's Giving Group Seeks New Members

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI -- A new group in Shelby Township is hoping to grow its membership so that it can do what other chapters: raise up to $10,000 in an hour. On Monday, April 30 100 Women Who Care will meet at Shepherd's Gate Church, 12400 23 Mile, Shelby Twp. There’s a social period from 6:30 til 7. Afterwards, the women get down to brass tacks, and will spend an hour from 7 to 8 p.m. deciding how to allocate funds raised that night. Right now, the group has 23 members, but wants to grow to 100 women and beyond.

The group wants women from North Macomb County to unite to make a an impact on area non-profits. An offshoot of an established group started in Jackson in 2006, 100 Women Who Care has a simple strategy: a hundred women donate $100 four times a year, and meet four times a year for an hour to decide how to allocate their combined donations.

According to organizers of the Shelby Township group, the simplicity is a huge highlight.

“We hear about different charities, and members vote on the one they like best. Votes are counted and a winner is declared. Check is written directly to charity, no overhead,” organizers said in a release.

Started in November of 2006 by Karen Dunigan in Jackson, Mich., 100 Women Who Care began with a meeting like the one planned for Shelby Township. At that first meeting, each member wrote a check for $100, and the new group raised $10,000 to buy 300 new cribs for a Jackson charity. The original group has grown to over 200 members in 12 years, and Dunigan has encouraged other women to take up the mantel of giving in their own communities. She’s been interviewed on CNN, and women nationwide are continuing to form 100 Women Who Care chapters.

For more information, visit www.100womenwhocare-northmacomb.org.