WESTLOCK – The Westlock Community Victim Services Unit Association is the recipient of the latest 100 Women Who Care donation, receiving $7,000 following the June 15 quarterly meeting of the group.
VSU program manager Leah Breckenridge said the money will go to the organization’s Helping and Abuse for Life program for victims and families of violence. She added while VSU receives funding via operating grants, that money does not provide tangible assistance for people and their families who are victims of domestic violence — the recent dollars will help provide people a safe place for a time, she said.
The 100 Women Who Care group meets quarterly to hear from up to three not-for-profit groups in the community who have needs for significant funds. Each woman in the group provides $400 per year, plus a small administration fee to collectively provide a significant fund for one group from each of the meetings. At each meeting, the women present receive a presentation from each of the three groups seeking funds, then vote by secret ballot for the group of their choice. Members not present can have someone within the group vote for them.
During COVID-19, the group was unable to meet in public, and the presentations were recorded by Zoom. Although the group can once again meet in public, the presentations are still recorded and put on Zoom so that those members not available can hear them, then vote by e-mail. The group meets the third Wednesday of March, June, September and December.
The number of members unfortunately has dropped from a maximum of 116 down to the most recent meeting of just 70. Deneen Ducharme, who introduced the 100WWC program to women in the area, says she hopes they can recruit more to bring the quarterly funding level back up.
There have been 23 meetings since 100 Women Who Care formed in the fall of 2016 and since that time, 23 groups have received funding totalling $206,150, with funding ranging from $6,900 to a high of $11,600.
