‘A huge impact’: Ames group 100 Women Who Care shows there is strength in numbers

Ronna Faaborg, Ames Tribune
·4 min read
Brenda Dryer, left, Arc of Story County's board president, and Tricia Crain, Arc's executive director, accept $11,500 from 100 Women Who Care during a meeting at Della Viti March 4. The Ames chapter of the charitable group voted at its fourth quarter meeting in 2023 to offer the Impact Award to Arc, which also received an additional $5,000 matching donation from Best Buy Foundation.

A $100 donation can be helpful.

Combined with 100 other donations and matching funds, it can really make a difference.

Sandy Perry and Lynn Eller cofounded the Ames chapter of 100 Women Who Care in April 2020. The chapter broke the 100-member mark at its fall event and recently surpassed 110 members.

Perry and Eller started the group just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, but it didn’t stop them. They are harnessing the collective philanthropy of more than 100 Ames-area women to help local organizations.

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Asking for $100

Perry and Eller said the concept of 100 Women Who Care is beautiful in its simplicity. One hundred women meet four times yearly, each donating $400 ($100 per meeting) to a local nonprofit.

“Each of us can have an impact on our own, but when 100 women get together and each donate $100, that can have a huge impact on our community,” Perry said.

Members are encouraged to nominate local nonprofits. Three nonprofits are randomly drawn, and then representatives are given five minutes to talk about their organization. The Women Who Care members then vote privately to select that quarter's donation.

Each meeting is just an hour long, with an optional social time beforehand. The gatherings are held at Della Viti wine bar on Ames’ Main Street, where members can preorder a charcuterie box, while wine and other drinks are available for purchase.

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Who received the most recent check from 100 Women Who Care?

The Arc of Story County was selected in December to receive a check for $11,500 at the March meeting. Best Buy’s Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation also contributed $5,000 in matching funds, for a total donation of $16,500.

The Arc of Story County is a champion for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. It helps its members learn, work, play and grow.

The money donated by 100 Women will support Project SEARCH, a nine-month program that uses classroom instruction and workplace internships to prepare Arc members for competitive employment.

“For a such a small but powerful organization as ours, receiving $11,500 plus the matching grant is truly a gamechanger for our budget,” Tricia Crain, Arc’s executive director, said.

One of the Arc’s focus areas is its active lifestyles program that coordinates and oversees Special Olympics for more than 115 Story County athletes.

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Who did 100 Women Who Care members vote for in March?

At its March meeting, 100 Women members chose to donate to Legal Aid Society of Story County. The nonprofit has provided legal assistance to families who can’t afford to hire an attorney since 1974.

“We provide legal assistance and advice to low-income residents in Story County, who, but for our assistance, would go without help,” said Peggy Michelotti, Legal Aid’s executive director.

The Legal Aid Society primarily provides assistance in family law cases. About 85% of their work involves helping people get custody of or visitation with their kids, child support, and paternity tests.

They also help with civil issues, including people facing eviction.

“If we can keep someone from being evicted, that’s money that doesn’t have to be spent by The Bridge Home or other nonprofits here in Story County to keep people housed,” Michelotti said.

With about 80% of its budget coming from Story County ASSET, Legal Aid receives no federal funding.

Michelotti referenced a recent conversation with longtime state politician Johnie Hammond, who founded both the Legal Aid Society of Story County and the Center for Creative Justice 50 years ago.

“I was so impressed with the history I learned about Legal Aid,” Michelotti said. “That it was founded for the purpose of protecting women on welfare, that it was founded for the purpose of helping people who had domestic violence in their life get a divorce.”

About 85% of what Legal Aid does today still benefits those foundational missions.

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How to become a member of 100 Women Who Care

The next quarterly meeting of the 100 Women’s Ames chapter will be held on June 3 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Della Viti, 323 Main St. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for social time.

RSVP through 100 Women’s website, 100womenames.org, or Facebook event.

Women considering membership can attend as guests and should RSVP through the same sites.

Ames Tribune reporter Ronna Faaborg can be reached at rlawless@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Legal Aid Society of Story County receives 100 Women Who Care donation