Anything T8N100Men has done, T8N100Women can do just as well now.
The city’s newest charitable social club slid under the radar this past fall with its first event, which also means its first offering to a valuable and worthy local cause. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the group has hit the ground running.
“It was really great,” confirmed founding member Lynn King. “We had a great turnout.”
The group works with strength in numbers as its basic concept. Meetings are held regularly four times a year and each member brings a donation of $100. Three local charities or community organizations are chosen to make five-minute presentations each. Afterward, a vote is held, and the successful presenter takes all of the donations to their cause. The other two are put back into the tumbler from which the next three presenters will be chosen for subsequent meetings.
King added that the inaugural meeting was also held virtually, as the health regulations back in September advised against in-person gatherings. Typically, they will meet at a local pub or lounge that is happy to host them without a room rental fee. “We don’t want to pay because we want all the money to go to the charity,” she explained.
As the group’s name suggests, 100 is the target figure for the number of its members. This being its first year of operations, its roster currently includes about 75 names. T8N100Women does things slightly differently than its male counterpart, however: it allows teams, further easing the barrier to entry for other women in who wish to join. A team of two means each brings $50 to each meeting, whereas teams of four or five would mean $25 or $20 each, respectively.
“We're saying philanthropy and doing good is for everybody,” King proclaimed.
During its September session, there were more than 50 names. That means more than $5,000 was gifted to St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families for its child play therapy program. This free, short-term counseling is a place where children who have been impacted by family violence and domestic abuse can express themselves and their feelings through play.
Launched in 2019, its first intake was about 40 children. That figure nudged closer to 50 this past year. It has had a wait list practically from day one because of high demand, which is not the happiest news. The good news, however, is that the program works.
"We have the some of the maximum benefit for minimal effort, I can say, in changing the trajectory of their lives and providing for successful outcomes," offered SAIF's executive director Areni Kelleppan. "The younger we can get them when they've dealt with trauma, the more resilience and skill-building that they can keep for the rest of their lives. It's so great that we're able to offer this program. I know that it was a long time coming for our therapists. They were very frustrated that we didn't have something for children under the age of 12. This program covers that need."
Child play therapy, she added, is a recognized approach to helping with child dysregulation, emotional behavioral issues, and building successful coping communication and resiliency skills. Dysregulation is often referred to in the context of anger management because it happens when children get really angry or anxious, or they're having a tantrum.
The funding derived from T8N100Women will be put into funding the program for 2022.
Speaking of 2022, the second meeting of T8N100Women will be held on Jan. 19 at the Cattail Club on Valour Avenue. It is planned to be a hybrid meeting, meaning there will be a virtual element to complement the in-person gathering, which will start with a period of socializing before getting down to business.
King hopes more women will come forward in advance of that meeting, and not only so the group reaches that "100" milestone.
"We're hoping eventually more and more charities will have money flowing from people who care."
She said interested women can start visit the group's Facebook page (found at 'T8N 100 Women Who Care, St Albert & Area') and send the organizers a message or fill out the registration form.
"We'd love it if people made a rush for it and we got our 100 because if we have 100 people, you can imagine that: $10,000 per event, so then more money goes to the charity."
