Nikki Dowd-McKechnie’s heart beats in harmony with all women who inspire to create change in Chippewa County, calling on them to participate in the sixth annual 100+ Women with Heart fundraiser.
The year’s event will take place at the 1668 Winery on Thursday, May 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. All proceeds will go to a locally registered nonprofit selected and voted on by the ladies in attendance.
Visitors will be asked to bring $100 or more in donations. They will be asked to jot down their names, along with the name of a nonprofit. Snacks, beverages and laughs are anticipated to surround conversations about organizations doing good things over the first hour.
Everything is expected kick off around 7 p.m. when three names will be drawn out of a bowl. The idea is for a registered nonprofit to be written alongside the selected individual's name.
Each lucky lady will be allotted five minutes to advocate for a charity of their choosing. Voting will begin when finished, selecting the sixth annual 100+ Women with Heart locally registered nonprofit winner.
“‘100+ Women With Heart’ came from my trying to get 100 women together to donate $100 to go to a nonprofit in Chippewa County,” said McKechnie.
Just seven years ago, McKechnie had a dream about empowering women.
“I didn’t formulate everything in my dream, but knew enough to form a committee of women in different age groups,” she said. “We all give in various ways. I wanted a way to come together and donate money in the quickest amount of time possible.”
The committee of six area ladies was formed one year later on February 14, 2017.
“The idea was to come together for about two hours,” said McKechnie. “They would donate $100 and, if they had a nonprofit in mind, write down the name of the nonprofit.”
That is just what the board did when putting on the first ever 100+ Women with Heart fundraiser at the Wicked Sister. In doing so, it helped fund The Soo Theatre Project’s “Raise the Roof Campaign.”
“We raised $5,500 that first year,” said McKechnie.
With the help of other donors, the theatre’s campaign gathered the funds needed to re-do roofs over the stage, corridor, and emergency exits on each side of its auditorium.
The 100+ Women with Heart fundraiser was held at Maloney’s its second year, donating money to Families Against Narcotics (FAN) of Chippewa County.
FAN came to the area in 2013 after a group of young people in recovery spoke at Lake Superior State University about opioid addiction. The Chippewa County chapter was formed to educate and provide resources to anyone in the area dealing with substance use issues.
The 313 Night Club was home to the third annual 100+ Women with Heart fundraiser. Donations went to the Diane Peppler Resource Center.
Diane Peppler’s mission is to provide resources and support to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This includes on-going prevention programs and services to reduce occurrences of abuse.
The 100+ Women with Heart fundraiser took place at Bird’s Eye its fourth year. All monetary donations went to Silent Hearts of the EUP.
“It is for women who have lost their babies to miscarrage or stillbirth,” said McKechnie. “They were able to buy frozen cribs, which allows parents to say goodbye for a longer period of time.”
The 100+ Women with Heart fundraiser was hosted at the Sault Ste. Marie Country Club its fifth year. Approximately $4,300 was collected to help fund the Soo Locks Children’s Museum
“We have given over $27,000 away in total,” said McKechnie.
If 100 women give $100, the 100+ Women With Heart board will finally reach its goal of $10,000. This could be the year.
Not everyone can make it to the 1668 Winery on Thursday, May 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. That does not mean they cannot donate. Donations will be taken before and after the 100+ Women with Heart fundraising event.
Simply visit its Facebook page at 100+ Women With Heart - Chippewa County, MI, or email: [email protected]
