By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The new Ellis County 100 Who Care group is gearing up for its next quarterly meeting and is looking for members to grow its group.
The group met in July and awarded the Cancer Council of Ellis County $2,500.
100 Who Care is a giving circle that asks 100 residents to donate $100 each. The members of the group gather to hear from three local nonprofits and then vote on their preferred cause.
The cause that earns the most votes receives a collective $10,000 donation from the group.
The group has started small with about 30 members, but is looking to grow, Brandy Ridgway, local organizer, said.
Ridgway said the award to the Cancer Council was particularly poignant for her because the meeting fell on her mother's birthday, and she died of cancer.
"I know what good they do," she said of the Cancer Council. "Financially, it was difficult when my mom had cancer, and I was having to go take her to her appointments. I put 10,000 miles on my car in a three-month time frame."
Members of the group then nominate three nonprofits to present at the next quarterly meeting. The three groups that have been nominated to present for the next round of funding are First Call for Help, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Jana's Campaign.
The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Sternberg Museum. Refreshments will be served.
There are links to Google documents to sign up with the group on its Facebook page or access a link HERE. However, Ridgway said if you are willing to donate, you can show up on the night of the meeting.
Payments are made directly to the selected nonprofit.
Nonprofits that don't win a donation round can be nominated to present again for future donation rounds. To qualify for donations, organizations must be 501(c)(3)s or affiliated with a nonprofit and serve Ellis County.
There are no qualifications to be a member of the group, except that you have to agree to give $100 to the organization that the group votes to support that quarter.
The group is also looking for Ellis County nonprofits that would like to present to 100 Who Care for funding. Ridgway said since the funds are a one-time donation, the group prefers the nonprofits request funds for a specific project or purchase instead of operating funds.
The group members have determined they will not fund political groups or churches. However, nonprofit programs sponsored by churches can apply for funding, Ridgway said.
Ridgway said some local nonprofits have been confused. 100 Who Care is seeking to award money to nonprofits, not the other way around.
"We are really not a nonprofit ourselves. We are a group of friends," Ridgway said. "When I wrote my check, I wrote it directly to the Cancer Council. I know it went specifically for that."
100 Who Care has about 350 chapters nationwide. The groups are 100% volunteer-run. Donations are tax-deductible.
A 100 Who Care Alliance has formed to support chapters around the world. Ridgway will attend the alliance's conference in September to learn about growing the local chapter.
The group's goals also include working with a Fort Hays State University Leadership 310 class this semester and building a website.
SEE RELATED STORY: 100 Who Care Ellis County seeks to increase giving impact
You can learn more by emailing Ridgway at [email protected].
