At its first meeting of 2024, 100 Women Peterborough has chosen YWCA Peterborough Haliburton to receive a donation of over $10,000 that will support the non-profit organization’s programs and services for women and children recovering from gender-based violence.
The collective philanthropy group met on Monday (April 8) at The Venue in downtown Peterborough.
At each of its quarterly meetings, 100 Women Peterborough hears presentations from three non-profit organizations randomly drawn from a larger list of organizations nominated by the group’s members. Each member commits to donating $100, and the organization receiving the most votes from members receives the collective donations.
The three organizations that presented to 100 Women Peterborough at Monday’s meeting were YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, Kawartha Montessori Bursary Program, and Rotary Environmental Champions, with the YWCA chosen by majority vote to receive member donations.
“On behalf of all the women and children we serve at YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, I’d like to extend our utmost gratitude to 100 Women Peterborough for selecting us as the beneficiary for their first event of the year,” said Tina Thornton, the YWCA’s director of philanthropy, in a media release.
“It was truly an honour to share our mission with some of our community’s most dynamic women, and we are so proud to be part of a city and region that clearly demonstrates its caring and commitment toward helping people in need.”
According to Thornton, the donation from 100 Women Peterborough will support the YWCA’s core programs and services which help thousands of women and children each year as they deal with the impacts of gender-based violence and abuse through what the YWCA calls the “journey of care.”
Last year, that support included over 6,000 nights spent at Crossroads Shelter, almost 1,300 client contacts for the court support program, around 350 clients in the outreach support program, and more than 3,000 support and crisis calls by phone and text.
Key services include the START (Support Team for Abuse Response Today) program, which gives women access to over a dozen community support agencies through a centralized meeting, the women’s well-bring counselling and peer support program, and providing basic necessities and food for women and children staying in the organization’s safe spaces.
“It’s incredibly moving to witness the collective effort of women in our community rallying together to support the vital cause of the YWCA,” said Rosalea Terry, a founding member of 100 Women Peterborough. “Our membership’s unified support is not only powerful but also a testament to the strength of our community’s solidarity.”
Since its formation in 2018, 100 Women Peterborough has collectively donated over $190,000 to 23 local organizations: YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, Vinnies Peterborough, Hospice Peterborough, Peterborough Youth Unlimited, One Roof Warming Room, New Canadians Centre, Cameron House, Five Counties Children’s Centre, Casa De Angelae, Lakefield Animal Welfare Society, Community Care Peterborough, Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, Community Counselling and Resource Centre, Peterborough Pregnancy Support Services, Heads Up for Inclusion, Kawartha Youth Orchestra, Peterborough GreenUP, Bridges Peterborough, YMCA Strong Communities, Homeward Bound Peterborough, Good Neighbours Care Centre and Food Bank, PARN – Your Community AIDS Resource Network, and Camp Kawartha.
100 Women Peterborough is part of a growing collective philanthropy movement that began in the United States in November 2006, when Karen Dunigan of Michigan formed the “100 Women Who Care” group. After their first meeting, those women raised over $10,000 for the purchase of 300 new baby cribs for a local organization. The movement has grown over the past 18 years to include groups of men, women, youth, and children around the world, with hundreds of chapters in Canada alone.
For more information about 100 Women Peterborough, visit www.100womenptbo.ca.
