100+ Women Who Care founding members award Stability First $24,000!
What an inspirational event we had March 6th! 81 members convened at Brick House on Main for the inaugural meeting of Morgan County’s 100+ Women Who Care. Sponsored by Duke Energy, this event was full of excitement as members noshed from a buffet of gorgeous appetizers prepared by Michelle Keller and shopped unique fashion brought by Fawn Teeters from Unapologetically Her Boutique. Three (3) nonprofits were randomly selected from member nominations thrown into a purse provided by UHB. Mary Beth Branson presented on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of Morgan County, Anne McGown and Carol Garrison advocated for Habitat for Humanity, and Robin Wonnell pitched for Stability First. Each had 5 minutes to give a “sales pitch” and field 2 minutes of questions from the crowd. Members voted and the winner was announced by 7 pm: $24,000 GOES TO STABILITY FIRST!
When we started recruiting founding members for this group two short months ago, I decided I would be happy with 40 members and thrilled with 50. After all, the Community Foundation has lots of other daily business to attend to – general scholarships to review, new donor meetings, our first quarter board of director meeting, fund reviews, and networking to say the least. Besides, the Johnson County chapter started with 47 founding members at its inception. They have been and will continue to be great advisors to me on this project, setting high benchmarks for which to strive. The morning of the event I was over the moon to learn we had 63 members signed up, and by the start of the meeting, 81 members signed in. WOW!
Members from Mooresville, Martinsville, and Monrovia were there. Jennifer O’Neal and I welcomed our robust group at 6 pm sharp after 30 minutes of check-in, socializing, eating, drinking, networking, and shopping. First, I thanked our sponsor Duke Energy, our host at Brick House Michelle Keller, our featured local vendor Fawn Teeters at UHB, our talented photographer Chandler Elliott, and local florists Petals by Kay in Mooresville and Flowers by Dewey in Martinsville for donating two gorgeous floral arrangements later given away. I reviewed the rules for the evening. Members only (no guests) nominate a 501(c)(3) who provides services in Morgan County, and the nomination slip must identify the name of the presenter. Jennifer pulled the first yellow nomination slip from the purse, and a 5-minute timer was displayed on the monitor above.
Mary Beth Branson from Boys & Girls Club of Morgan County (BGC) gave a passionate, informative presentation about their accomplishments and growing needs. With 200 registered youth, serving 80 of them daily, BGC is nearly at capacity in their building. Staffing costs are extensive to meet the daily engagement needs, especially for their booming teen population which is critical for the community. In short, BGC is growing, and they need funding! Mary Beth masterfully articulated their triumphs, challenges, and growth goals, including expansion into the rest of the county, including Martinsville.
Next, Habitat for Humanity was drawn from the nomination purse. Anne McGown and Carol Garrison tag-teamed their call to action for a Spring women’s build starting Saturday, April 12th. Anne spoke to the serious nature of our housing crisis. With labor and material costs skyrocketing, Habitat needs financial and human capital. This home will be built exclusively by women volunteers. Carol Garrison ignited the crowd with suggesting that women have been called to this task because women get things done. She herself was given this project with no guidance or instruction, emerged with a land purchase, contractor bids, supply chains in place, and a plan of attack. All they need now is funding and volunteers. Thank you for the challenge and the inspiration, Anne and Carol!
Our third and final nomination selected was Stability First. Robin Wonnell captivated us with the programming efforts at the Magdalene House, home to 16 women transitioning from incarceration or mental health facilities and needing stability before returning to “real life.” Stability First’s programs produce productive, contributing women back into our community, some of whom actually are now employed at Magdelene House. Their current need – a van to get residents to their appointments.
Votes were counted three times. Stability First was the official winner of just over $24,000 thanks so the donations of the 81 members and a triple match from the Lilly Endowment. Cheers erupted from the energized crow. But they weren’t the only winners. This group learned how powerful we can be together, and not just financially. Thank you, ladies, for coming together in numbers that amazed me. I think we are on the verge of hitting our stride Morgan County ladies! Now “game on” Guys who Give. Let’s see how many founding members we can start recruit by the May 1st meeting.
For more information, email me at kcole@cfmconline.org.
