A total of 54 women came together April 1 to donate $5,800 to Highway to Healing as part of the first-ever meeting of the 100 Women Who Care Oliver/Osoyoos chapter. Below is a beaming Riley Martin from Highway to Healing as he shows off the donations from the new charity organization. Photo contributed
Organizers of the Oliver/Osoyoos chapter of 100 Women Who Care are calling the group’s first-ever meeting a success, after it donated $5,800 to the Oliver-based charity Highway to Healing.
Lisa Waines, the driving force behind the newest chapter of the 100 Who Care Alliance, said the event went smoothly, and that it was “awesome” to be able to hand so much cash to a local charity.
Waines started the Oliver/Osoyoos chapter (which also includes women from Okanagan Falls) last month, after learning about the 100 Who Care Alliance, a loose organization of groups dedicated to supporting local charities across North America.
The idea is simple: a large group of people get together and agree on a charity they would like to support. Each member writes a cheque to that charity, and the combined money ends up as a substantial donation.
On April 4 Waines said 54 women came together and pledged to donate $100 to a charity chosen by the group. After hearing five-minute presentations from three charities, they eventually decided on Highway to Healing.
Waines said it is amazing to consider that in about half an hour the group was able to hand a stack of cheques and envelopes of cash to a deserving charity.
Joan McCaughey, the president of Highway to Healing, said she was blown away by the donation.
“You can’t imagine what it means for us. It’s a huge thing for us to be able to get that: it’s a huge boost for us,” she said, adding that it was extra special to know her charity was the first one even chosen.
Highway to Healing helps local families pay for the cost of travelling to seek medical attention for their kids. The group pays the cost of gas, lodging and other expenses when a child needs advanced or complicated procedures in Vancouver or other far-away hospitals.
McCaughey said the donation will give the group a nice cushion so it is able to respond quickly the next time a family needs its help.
Since the group never knows exactly when someone might need their help, the extra money is incredibly valuable, she said.
The $5,800 represents more than the group raises at its annual bike ride fundraiser, which takes seven of them two months to plan.
McCaughey explained that the charity board is made up entirely of volunteers. All the money the group raises goes directly to the families, and McCaughey joked that now board members will be able to stop using their own printer paper and stamps.
Aside from the money given out, Waines said the event also meant exposure for the other charities that weren’t chosen.
She said many women learned about some of the groups for the first time on the night of the meeting, and that many were asking for other ways to help them.
“It was great; just the feedback, the support, what the ladies were saying about it. They were really proud to be a part of it, and we were really proud to get it started,” Waines said.
She said she hopes the group continues to grow, and that she is already planning the next meeting for sometime in September.
By Trevor Nichols
