T8N100 Newest women social club with a heart

Whatever T8N100Men did, T8N100Women can do as well now.

The city’s newest charity social club slipped under the radar last 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 taken over.

“It was really great,” confirmed founding member Lynn King. “We had a great participation. “

The group works with strength in numbers as a basic concept. Meetings are held regularly four times a year and each member makes a donation of $ 100. Three local charities or community organizations are chosen to make presentations of five minutes each. Then a vote is taken and the successful presenter collects all donations to his cause. The other two are returned to the cup from which the next three presenters will be chosen for subsequent meetings.

King added that the inaugural meeting was also held virtually, as September’s health regulations advised against in-person gatherings. Typically, they will meet at a local pub or salon who will be happy to accommodate them with no room rental fees. “We don’t want to pay because we want all the money to go to the charity,” she explained.

As the name of the group suggests, 100 is the target number for the number of its members. This being its first year in business, its list currently includes around 75 names. However, the T8N100Women does things slightly differently than its male counterpart: it allows teams, which further loosens the barrier to entry for other women who wish to join. A team of two would each mean $ 50 at each meeting, while teams of four or five would earn $ 25 or $ 20 each, respectively.

“We say philanthropy and doing good is for everyone,” King proclaimed.

At its September session, there were over 50 names. This means that over $ 5,000 has been donated to St. Albert Stop Abuse in Families for its children’s play therapy program. This free, short-term counseling is a place where children who have been affected by family violence and domestic violence can express themselves and their feelings through play.

Launched in 2019, its first class was around 40 children. This figure approached 50 last year. There’s been a waiting list pretty much from day one due to high demand, which isn’t the happiest of the news. The good news, however, is that the program is working.

“We have some of the maximum benefits for minimum effort, I can say, changing the trajectory of their lives and ensuring them positive outcomes,” said SAIF Executive Director Areni Kelleppan. “The younger we can do them when they’ve faced trauma, the more they can develop their resilience and skills for the rest of their lives. It’s so great that we can offer this program. I know it’s. is It was a long time coming for our therapists. They were very frustrated that we did not have something for children under 12 years old. This program covers that need. “

Play therapy for children, she added, is a recognized approach to help with child deregulation, emotional behavior issues, and to develop successful communication and resilience skills. Deregulation is often referred to in the context of anger management because it occurs when children are really angry or anxious, or having a tantrum.

Funding from T8N100Women will be used to fund the program for 2022.

Speaking of 2022, T8N100Women’s second reunion will take place on January 19 at the Cattail Club on Valor Avenue. It’s expected to be a hybrid meeting, meaning there will be a virtual element to complement the in-person meeting, which will start with a period of socializing before getting down to business.

King is hoping that more women will come forward before this reunion, and not just for the group to reach that “100” milestone.

“We hope that eventually more and more charities will have money from people who care.”

She said interested women can start visiting the group’s Facebook page (found at ‘T8N 100 Women Who Care, St Albert and surrounding areas‘) and send a message to the organizers or complete the registration form.

“We would love to have people rush in and have our 100 people, because if we have 100 people, you can imagine that: $ 10,000 per event, so more money goes to the association.”