What had started as an idea with just seven women, has now turned into a group with nearly 300 members who have contributed over $708,000 to local charities.
Over the past nine years, 100+ Women Who Care South Georgian Triangle have been getting together to support organizations and charities across Collingwood, Clearview, Meaford, The Blue Mountains, Wasaga Beach and surrounding communities.
While having lunch with a friend in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 2017, Susie McLeod and her mother learned about a 100 Women Who Care group. Shortly after she got back from her trip, McLeod’s friend Charlene Scime, a former principal and superintendent with the Simcoe County District School Board, reached out after finding an article about collective giving.
The two connected and made the idea come to life with the help of others, and together they formed a steering committee of seven women. They held their first meeting in September 2017, which attracted just over 100 women and, as a group, they were able to donate $10,800 for Home Horizon Barbara Weider House.
The group now meets four times a year, to accommodate the busy schedules of group members. When they get together, members hear presentations from three local charities before voting on which organization will receive their collective donation. Each member contributes $100, and donations at individual meetings can reach nearly $30,000.
“Instead of giving $100 to a charity, collectively, you’re making a greater impact,” McLeod said.
But the impact goes far beyond the donations themselves.
McLeod recalled a presentation that really stood out to her from Happy Day Café, a program run through a partnership between E3 Community Services and Collingwood Public Library.
Although the café wasn’t chosen to receive the donation, two members from the group later went on to contact the program and bought a new fridge it needed.
“It’s not just the monetary,” McLeod said. “It’s the raising awareness and finding out about what’s going on.”
The group has also helped bring together local organizations. After The New Farm Centre, located south of Creemore, received a donation, it connected with Wasaga Beach Ministerial Food Bank. The farm now provides fresh produce to the food bank, a big step for Wasaga Beach.
Closer to home, Clearview Youth Centre received funding for a culinary learning program in 2023. McLeod also recalled the youth centre returning to a meeting with young people who use its services to thank members and share what they had been doing.
The group also took part in a Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign in Wasaga Beach, which raised more than $17,000. Volunteers helped decorate cookies, and were able to get to know each other. They also worked the drive-through, and $10,000 was shared among six charities serving the community. McLeod said the campaign was also a way to introduce the group to more people in Wasaga Beach, where it had fewer members.
As for the next year, the steering committee wants to keep the group manageable, since it is run entirely by volunteers. A volunteer fair has been discussed as a way to help people connect with local charities and learn about volunteer opportunities, but there are no finalized plans yet.
Anyone interested in joining can send a quick email, call, or simply attend a meeting as a guest before deciding whether to become a member. Past recipients, how to join, donations, and more information is available at 100womensouthgeorgiantriangle.com.
“We’re just happy to see things progress and people continuing to support the community and making a difference,” McLeod said.
“If we each do a little bit, we can make a huge impact,” she added.
Contributed photo: South Georgian Bay Cancer Support Center manager Roxanne Dinova-General (centre) accepts a donation from steering committee members Brenda Brazier, Jennifer Ridsdale, Susie McLeod, and Charlene Scime.
