'Quite an emotional charge': 100 Women Who Care keep giving back

The P.E.I. chapter of 100 Women Who Care held its 13th meeting on Tuesday night, and raised the donation total of their three years in existence to $184,600.

Every three months the group, which has 127 members, convenes to listen to pitches from three different charities.

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After hearing the work that each organization does during a five-minute presentation, the women vote and the group that wins gets the money raised, typically $100 from each member. 

On Tuesday, Open Door Outreach, a charity that helps incarcerated Island women, received $12,700.

'It's addictive'

Aileen Matters, founder of the P.E.I. chapter, said the most difficult part of being in the group is choosing which organization to vote for.

"We heard from three charities, all deserving, like all the others," she said.

"We're faced with that ballot with those three charities after just hearing their stories, we have to check one and it's always hard."

The feeling she gets from giving back makes any tough decision easier to handle, she said.

"It's quite an emotional charge. It's addictive too, you can't wait until the next one."

'Generous right from the beginning'

Matters started the group's Island chapter after moving back to P.E.I. from Saint John, N.B. a little over three years ago.

She had been a member of 100 Women Who Care in Saint John and decided to get a group going here.

"Island women were generous right from the beginning," said Matters.

The difference that we make to these charities is just unbelievable.- Aileen Matters

The group ballooned to 160 members by 2015, when some of the women who had been driving to the meetings from Summerside decided to start a chapter of their own. 

That split the group, but Matters said that between the two chapters more than $250,000 has been donated to Island charities.

'Just unbelievable'

Matters said the pitch process the group uses is easier on charities than other methods of fundraising. 

"To raise that much money in five minutes, now it takes a little bit longer, maybe another couple of hours to prepare their five minute speech," she said.

"But the effort and the time that goes into planning a golf tournament or a fundraising dinner, like weeks." 

Matters also said the way the organization helps charities is a win for members and the groups that receive money.

"They were speechless. The difference that we make to these charities is just unbelievable," she said.

"And it makes us feel pretty good."

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