FRANKLIN COUNTY – 100 Women Who Care celebrated a major milestone last week: raising $100,000 in total donations to local organizations.

Founded in 2018, 100 Women Who Care is a group of local women who donate four times a year to various nonprofits that serve the residents of Franklin County.

On August 7, the group celebrated its sixth anniversary, the milestone of its $100,000 donation, and its more than 100 active members at the Greg Brown Lodge.

“We saw a need to support some of the smaller organizations in Franklin County that are making a big difference,” said Jacqui Hood, a member of the group’s steering committee, about why the group was founded.

Hood, Karyn Rocheleau, Annette Hannah, Judy Ashley and Tricia Woodward founded the group after Rocheleau saw a similar group in New Hampshire. 100 Women Who Care – Franklin County quickly became the first Vermont chapter of the national alliance.

At each quarterly meeting, members donate at least $50 to a nonprofit organization voted on by the group. Members nominate an organization and give a presentation explaining why the cause is worthy of support.

The Richard M. Schulze Foundation – created by Dick Schulze, founder of Best Buy, Inc. – matches the group’s total donation, doubling the amount and increasing the impact.

“This is really exciting because it’s a 50% increase,” Hood said.

Since 2018, the group has donated to a total of 26 nonprofits, helping with food supplies, child care, homelessness, healthcare and more.

Last Wednesday, the group selected Worth Repeating Thrift Shop as its donation recipient for August 2024. Worth Repeating sells second-hand clothing for the whole family, accessories and homewares, all donated. The shop is so busy that it has outgrown its current space in Highgate Shopping Centre and will soon be moving to new premises.

The donation from 100 Women Who Care will finance additional shelves for clothing and household items at the new location.

The Cancer Patient Support Foundation and Franklin County Animal Rescue were the other organizations that presented and were up for voting Wednesday night. Organizations that are not selected for funding at this meeting will remain in the running for a year, Hood said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, the steering committee also announced the winner of the 100 Women’s Who Care donation for May: the Lucas James Williams Memorial Youth Fund. 100 women donated over $8,000 to the Bakersfield camp.

“If you look at the list, you’ll find nonprofits you’ve probably never heard of, and you’ll also find a lot of smaller ones that serve small communities,” Hood said.

At the meeting, six new members joined, bringing the total membership of 100 Women Who Care – Franklin County to 120. Hood said the COVID-19 pandemic caused the group’s membership to decline, but the recent resurgence has been very exciting to watch.

The group’s next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 6th at 14th Star Brewing. The half-hour social session begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by the hour-long business meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.