At The Table With 100 Women of Phoenixville
What started out as “100 Women of Phoenixville” will soon be “200 Women of Phoenixville.” This group grew fast and continues to grow.
Carol Buckwalter casually mentioned it to a few members before a Chamber of Commerce meeting in 2018 that she had been invited to a “100 Women” meeting. She thought that there could be one in Phoenixville. The original project was called “100 Women Who Care” and was started by Karen Dunigan from Jackson, Michigan.
So, 10 women of Phoenixville replicated and made a few tweaks to the program in town. They were overwhelmed by the amazing response and the number of women that joined.
The core group came up with this mission statement: “To make a meaningful direct and positive impact on the Phoenixville community through the power of collective giving.”
To be one of the “100 Women” besides attending two one-hour meetings each year, there is a commitment of donating $100 each meeting.
“1 Hour + 100 Women + $100 = $10,000.” This large sum of money would be given to one selected charity. The checks are written directly to the non-profit that qualifies as a 501(c)(3).
“100 Women” is actually under the Jaycees umbrella.
The selection of the charity to receive the money is done this way. Members nominate a charity of their choice. Three entities are chosen for consideration. It is at the meeting that members vote for the charity to receive the $10,000. Once the charities are vetted for eligibility they are randomly selected from a hat.
You can always donate more to the charity on your own. But for the purpose off “100 Women” is to make one big donation as a group.
At each meeting, members vote for one charity to receive the money. The first meeting was in October 2019 at the Kimberton Inn, the vote was in favor of “Mom’s House.” The agency received a total of $17,300. The other two up for consideration were Health Care Access and Domestic Violence of Chester County.
A charity is not able to nominate itself. Only a member of “100 Women” can nominate. At the biannual meeting, the three eligible nominees are placed in a hat. A month before the meetings the three charities are drawn at random. Each of the three is invited to give a short 5-minute presentation.
This group is excellent if you work and do not have as much time to give back to the community as you would like. If you are a busy person looking to mingle with amazing women. You have the opportunity to learn about other organizations in the area.
The board of directors, along with Carol Buckwalter, include Jessica Capistrant, Ann Cummins, N’Jameh Ford, Megan
Inmon, Erica Klinedinst, Buffy MacLelland, Karla Maguire, Wendy McKeon and Dodi Shrunk.
More than ever, nonprofits are going to need us. However, “100 Women” is sensitive that some members may be financially affected by the coronavirus shutdowns and job losses and unable to donate.
Don’t think about joining “100 Women of Phoenixville” — just do it. You will be glad that you did. Learn more about the group on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/100womenofphx/