A local fundraising organization has seen its membership and impact both double in its first year.
Brought to the area by Karen Love in October 2015, 100 Women Who Care Foothills has provided funding to five local charities so far. The initiative began in the US and involves 100 or more women gathering for one hour every three months to decide on a charity to support. At the end of each meeting, the ladies each write a cheque for $100 to the chosen organization.
To-date, the Foothills branch has raised money for the Foothills Country Hospice ($2,600); Rowan House Emergency Shelter ($3,400); Literacy for Life ($4,000); Food for Thought ($4,000); and Adele’s Over the Rainbow Baskets ($4,400), for a total of $18,600 in one year.
At its first meeting of 2017, the organization voted to fund Foothills Special Needs Association for Parents and Siblings (SNAPS) on Feb. 2. The total won’t be official until the end of the month, but Love is confident it will be more than $5,000 based on the current membership of 51 women.
“Really we’d like to increase that membership to as near 100 as we can get, because obviously the more ladies there are the more money the charities get,” said Love.
Since it began, she said the number of ladies has steadily increased. She changed the name to include “Foothills,” to indicate the far reach of the organization and let people know it’s not just about Okotoks. About half the current members are from the Okotoks area, and the other half from High River and area, she said.
It’s an easy way to make a difference in the community, she said, but there’s also more benefit for the ladies who attend quarterly meetings.
“What we’re finding is people are now not only donating, but they’re getting to know more about the communities and what they offer,” said Love. “For example, Adele’s Over the Rainbow Baskets, nobody had heard of that before our fall meeting.”
At each meeting, ladies can submit the name of a charity they’d like to support. Three names are drawn from a hat, and the membership then votes to decide which one gets the cheques, she said.
This time around, Foothills SNAPS won the vote.
Orvella Small, Foothills SNAPS Executive director, said the unexpected donation means a lot to help meet any shortages they might see in their 2017 budget.
“When we get surprises like this, it makes it a whole lot easier moving forward,” said Small. “Sometimes there are shortfalls, so when we get little gifts like this it certainly improves the optics for being able to carry forward what we’ve got to do and gives us the opportunity to explore a little more on what we might do.”
Foothills SNAPS operates a grassroots budget funded mostly by grants and donations, she said. The budget for 2017 is $560,000, but she said there have already been announcements of funding cuts that will have an impact, so donations like the 100 Women Who Care money will help balance the deficit.
The organization provides programming and support for families with special needs children, including everything from negotiating government contracts to attending meetings or doctor appointments to take notes. There are also transition programs that help people with special needs from age 14 to 30 as they prepare for the adult world.
“That’s a focus on where they might want to live, what they might want to do in the community, and for sure employment is a huge focus,” said Small.
Another program called Foothills First began last year, and is aimed at the community at large, including businesses and individuals. It teaches people about inclusion and how to accept people into their workforce and organizations, she said.
There are also a number of workshops and programs directed at parent support, like Step Up Parent Support, which is offered monthly in Okotoks and provides parents the chance to meet and support others facing similar challenges.
Small said the programs are invaluable, but they come at a cost and every penny counts. Donations are always welcome, she said.
Foothills SNAPS also hosts annual fundraisers like the motorcycle rally in July and a winter art gala. This year’s gala takes place on Feb. 10 and features art from SNAPS families as well as local professional artists, which is sold in live and silent auctions. The evening caps off with a dance.
The gala takes place at Carlson’s on MacLeod in High River and costs $20 per person, or $25 for a Foothills SNAPS family.
“It’s a great way to have the families be part of what we do,” said Small. “It’s a cozy event, and provides them with that sense of fun and self-worth and enjoyment.”
For more information about Foothills SNAPS visit www.foothillssnaps.org.
To learn more about joining 100 Women Who Care Foothills, go to www.100womenwhocarefoothills.weebly.com. The next meeting is on May 4 at the Crystal Ridge Golf Club.
