By Stacy Carmichael-James
The grass root movement dubbed 100 Women Who Care Guyana, which has some 340 chapters across North America is aiming to make its mark locally starting with 100 women giving one hour of their time and five thousand dollars to contribute to a chosen charity or for a community project.
The 100 Women Who Care Guyana held its inaugural meeting on Thursday at the Cara Lodge and according to founder Valerie Jenkinson, the organization is part of an alliance across North America that began the Caribbean, starting with St. Lucia a year and a half ago.
Since she started it grew from 170 chapters across North America to an incredible 340 chapters to date. Jenkinson said this is owing to the fact that 100 Women Who Care, is such a “simple, wonderful concept.”
The Organization raises money for local charities, one woman at a time. She said whenever a woman is asked if they can volunteer one hour of their time and $5000 to develop their communities, the answer is always “yes” and when it reaches the 100 mark, that translates into half a million dollars every quarter for the less fortunate.
The women usually pick a charity of their choices and then vote on which should receive the accumulated funds.
The founder is hopeful that the Guyana chapter would meet the 100 count by year end.
She noted that every single dime is given to charity and emphasized her commitment to the movement even though she has to finance her trips to the various locations.
Chairperson Caitlin Vieira expressed her gratitude for the support shown at the inaugural meeting, noting that the turnout concretized her initial thought that people do care but may not always have the time to be involved in acts of charity. She made a special appeal for women to come out and join the Movement.
Plans are in the pipeline for the commencement of the “100 Men Who Give a Damn” Movement.
Interested persons can visit the organization’s website and complete the registration form or visit the 100 Women Who Care Guyana Facebook page.
