100 Women Who Care awards $10,000 to Loveway Inc.
Molly Welch Miller has been part of 100 Women Who Caresince it began five years ago. “This was the first time I was picked to present and got lucky,” she said.
She was also praying about her presentation on Loveway Inc., an agency in Bristol that provides therapeutic horseback riding for students with special needs from 22 Elkhart County Schools.
Miller is on the board and has volunteered for the organization for many years. “I believe in their cause with how they’re using horses as therapy tools to help kids in the community. It’s a very happy place,” she said.
The women at the meeting in January voted to give Loveway the $10,000 from the quarterly event. Miller said she wanted to cry, but didn’t until she called Shelley Becker, Loveway’s executive director. Then they both cried happy tears, said Miller.
The donation helps Loveway as it continues to grow. The number of children it is serving annually has climbed from 250 to 350 just in the past several years, said Becker. “This is huge for us,” she said. “This will go directly into our scholarship fund.”
Students who have a doctor-diagnosed special need and can benefit from riding horses with certified instruction can ride without paying fees at Loveway, but it costs the organization about $2,500 per student annually. Twenty-two schools in Elkhart County send children for riding in 12-week sessions. “That $10,000 automatically covers four scholarships for the children,” said Becker.
The Selection Process: Efficient and Impactful
100 Women Who Care Elkhart County gathers four times a year for an hour-long meeting. Each woman or team of women will write a check for $100 and write down a local charity. Each charity will be put into a pool for consideration. Three charities are drawn, presentations are made and the attendees vote to select the recipient for that meeting’s funds.
How to Join
New members are always welcome! To become a member of 100Women Who Care Elkhart County, a membership form can be completed online at www.100WomenWhoCareElkhart.com or at the next meeting on April 16th at 6:00 p.m. (5:30 p.m. fellowship time).
About 100 Women Who Care Elkhart County
In the summer of 2014, Jenny Welch and Sheila Terlep organized the100 Women Who Care Elkhart County chapter, a gathering of localwomen who care deeply about Elkhart County and give generously to see their communities thrive. Throughout the last three years more than 200 women have given to the Elkhart County chapter to support local causes. The group has awarded more than $210,000 to local organizations serving Elkhart County residents. The 100 Women WhoCare is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Elkhart County.
To learn more, go to www.100WomenWhoCareElkhart.com
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