The 100 Women Who Care enjoyed a fantastic evening at the Joel Steel Community Centre on May 11. In this photo are the organizing committee members and the groups that were given a portion of the $20,000 raised by the event. Front row, left to right are committee members: MP Eric Duncan, Diane Crummy, Martine Thurler- Guy, Susan Marriner, Elaine DeRooy. Back row, left to right: Two members of the BGC Dundas Clubhouse and presenter Kaitlin Herfkens-Uguccioni (BGC Dundas Clubhouse presenter), Renee Moores (presenter for Naomi’s Family Resource Centre) Annette Turner Angus (from Naomi’s board of directors), Jane Schoones and Dan Gasser (Community Food Share). Morin Photo
WINCHESTER – The 100 Women Who Care have done it again.
The annual charity driven event took place at the Joel Steele Community Centre on May 11. This was the third such event held in North Dundas.
The event attracted 200 women, and with their $100 donation had $20,000 to play with when it came to helping charity organizations in Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry.
There were five organizations asking for funding.
The Boys & Girls Club (BGC), Dundas Clubhouse asked for $7,000 to help keep our doors open, purchase some much needed supplies, and keep its specialty programs running for the youth of Dundas.
Dundas County Hospice was looking for $4,400 for a grieving garden, the Winchester and District Memorial Hospital asked for $10,000 for sterilizers, Community Food Share asked for $4,500 for a security system, and Naomi Recourse Centre asked for $10,000 for a new roof.
The women voted for their favourite charitable organization after presentations had been made, they showcased what the group was asking for.
In the end, only three organizations could be given what they asked for. Naomi’s received $10,000, the Boys and Girls Club was granted $7,000, and Community Food Share received $3,000 for its security system.
Diane Crummy, the chair of the 100 Women Who Care, along with co-chair MP Eric Duncan said, “The overall feeling was that they wished they could have had enough to give everyone what they had asked for.”
Crummy said some people at the event were swayed by the presentations, and in the end, sometimes voted for a charity that they had not originally considered.
The overwhelming impression for those at the event was the energy in the room.
“You do not know until you are in that room, the feeling in that room,” said Crummy.
“It was amazing.”
Covid put a stop to the event in 2020.
“In 2018 and in 2019 we were ready to roll. In 2020, we had 200 women lined up. We did not know what to expect this time, because things have changed.”
Despite the delay from Covid, there was no hesitation by the women in the community to register, and to put their $100 into the community pot.
Crummy said, “When you put your $100 down for the event, you know you are part of a large crowd of people who feel the same way that you do. You have raised $20,000, and you have a say in where the money goes.”
She explained that presenters for the various charities did an amazing job of showcasing what they were all about, and why they were hoping the event could help them out.
The 100 Women Who Care organizing committee is made up of: Diane Crummy (chair), Martine Thurler-Guy, MP Eric Duncan, Susan Marriner, and Elaine De Rooy.
Joseph Morin is the Editor of the Eastern Ontario AgriNews, and the Record. He is, despite years of practice, determined to eventually play the guitar properly. He has served the Eastern Ontario community as a news editor, and journalist for the past 25 years with the Iroquois Chieftain, Kemptville Advance, West Carleton Review, and Ottawa Carleton Review in Manotick. He has never met a book he did not like.
