A $100,000 Milestone for Chaffee Women Who Care
May 12, 2021
A $100,000 Milestone!
Chaffee County Women Who Care (CCWWC) reached an important milestone this week as they gave a grant of $11,700 to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Chaffee County.
This donation means that CCWWC has donated a total of more than $100,000 to ten different nonprofit organizations in Chaffee County since their first meeting in October of 2018.
“NAMI CC is thrilled to be the recipient of the Women Who Care quarterly gift. Thanks to the generosity of Women Who Care, NAMI CC will be able to expand and sustain its life saving programs,” says Eunice Collette, President of NAMI Chaffee County.
Collette reports that the challenges of the past year have considerably increased the need for mental health supports. NAMI Chaffee County strives to meets these needs with programs such as evidence-based Family-to-Family classes, Mental Health Crisis Planning, and Family Support Group meetings for family and friends of loved ones living with a mental health condition.
For many participants, NAMI is a lifeline, giving them the opportunity to interact with other families or individuals who are struggling to cope with a mental illness, to talk openly, and to realize they are not alone. All NAMI programs are free and confidential and are led by NAMI-trained peer facilitators.
In addition to NAMI, the $103,000 in donations from the more than 100 women in CCWWC have supported these causes and organizations:
· Victims of sexual abuse by giving a grant to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE).
· Pre-schoolers by donating to a pre-school literacy program called The Imagination Library (through Rotary Club of Buena Vista), and to a childcare center in Poncha Springs (through Alpine Achievers).
· Older members of Chaffee County communities by donating to Ark Valley Helping Hands.
· Community health by giving to STD testing and treatment through Planned Parenthood.
· Self-esteem building programs for teen girls through ElevateHer.
· Job skills training for autistic adults through Achieve, Inc. (Little Engine Eatery).
· The homeless through a donation for winter shelter through Chaffee County Hospitality.
· Peace and justice by a contribution to Full Circle Restorative Justice for community reconciliation programs.
CCWWC exists for the sole purpose of combining resources of its members to support local charities by giving gifts of significant size. These gifts often allow new programs to be started, cherished visions to be realized, and many people helped.
CCWWC meets in January, April, July, and October of each year and hears presentations from members representing three local charities. They then vote and the organization receiving the most votes is awarded the grant for that quarter. Each woman donates $100 to the charity selected. Because CCWWC has more than 100 members, the quarterly donation totals at least $10,000.
Beverly Van Kampen, founder of CCWWC, is thrilled with the $100,000 milestone. “We are a small community,” she says, “and, at first, our steering committee wondered how many women we would be able to attract for the sole purpose of charitable giving. The women of Buena Vista, Salida, Poncha Springs, Nathrop, and beyond have stepped up with a commitment greater than any of us could have imagined. They have been generous and consistent, and we know their donations have had significant impact to those who serve and are served on the frontlines of need in Chaffee County.”
For more information about local NAMI programs, send an email to [email protected], or call 970-823-4751, or visit their website at www.namichaffee.org.
For more information on Chaffee County Women Who Care, please contact Beverly Van Kampen at [email protected].