‘Tis the season for sharing and caring — and to that affect, the Plateau’s 100+ Women Who Care Foothills group will once again be deciding which local nonprofit will be benefiting from its combined forces.
100+ Women Who Care is a grassroots movement that aims to pool together the resources of an area’s community for the benefit of nearby nonprofits. The Foothills group meets once every quarter, and members pledge to donate $100 every meeting, with the goal of sending $100,000 (or more) to a nonprofit of their choosing.
Nikki Westover, a co-leader of the group, said this model is a far more effective way for nonprofits to solicit for donations than holding an expensive fundraising dinner or other sort of event.
This quarter’s meeting is to be held Monday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. over Zoom. Those that want to participate can email 100womenwhocarefoothills@gmail.com for the meeting ID and password information.
The three nonprofits that will be vying for the large donation this meeting include:
• Foster Champs, a Maple Valley-based nonprofit that aims to facilitate and support local foster families;
• Left Behind K9 Rescue, a Covington-based 501(c)3 that takes in homeless dogs, gives them veterinary treatment, and then send them to foster families where they are evaluated for temperament and behavioral issues before being adopted to qualified homes;
• And the The Wishing Well Foundation, a Tacoma-based nonprofit that also cares for Pierce County foster children and their families by providing new and gently-used clothing and school supplies.
During the 100+ Women Who Care Foothills’ October meeting, the group voted to give the Elk Run Farm, a Maple Valley fresh fruit and vegetable grow operation, $6,100. The other presenting nonprofits, Felomena’s Grace and Behind the Badge Foundation, also received several hundred dollar donations as well.
HOW TO BECOME A 100+ WOMAN (OR MAN)
Joining 100+ Women Who Care is easy — just head to their website, www.100womenwhocarefoothills.com, and pledge to donate $100 every quarter to a charity chosen by the group.
Once you’re a member, you can then nominate which charities present their cause to the organization; charities must be local to the Maple Valley-Black Diamond-Enumclaw area (or serve the area), be a registered nonprofit, and have been established for at least one year.
Three nominated nonprofits are then picked randomly to present their case for why they should be chosen for the donation pot. After the presentations, 100+ Women members vote on which charity should receive the group’s donation. Other donations can also be made to nonprofits that are not chosen by the group as a whole.
Meetings last approximately 90 minutes.
