Deb Bergeron, middle, founder of 100 Women Who Care Southern Maine, is flanked by Patrisha McLean, left, and Mary Lou Smith. McLean is the founder/president of Finding Our Voices. Photo by Patrisha McLean
A group of southern Maine women have donated $58,000 to Finding Our Voices in what Patrisha McLean — the president/founder of the grassroots nonprofit giving peer-to-peer hand-ups to women survivors of domestic abuse — calls “the gift that keeps on giving.”
The $18,000 awarded to the group in February has more than tripled with a steady stream of donations by powerful businesswomen who attended the winter gathering of 100 Women Who Care Southern Maine.
Finding Our Voices breaks the silence of domestic abuse across the state through bold survivor-powered projects that include a poster campaign featuring the photo portraits of 45 women survivors, including Gov. Janet Mills. The money the group is collecting from the southern Maine group is earmarked for its Get Out Stay Out Fund, paying for items that are critical to the safety of women fleeing domestic violence. These include emergency short-term motel stays, apartment rent and security deposits, car repairs, gas cards, home security devices, and legal consultations.
100 Women Who Care Southern Maine has donated $520,000 to 37 local charities since Deb Bergeron founded the chapter in 2014. Now with 350 members, it is set to celebrate its ninth anniversary at the Monday, Nov. 6 meeting at the Elks Lodge in Portland.
Members of this local chapter of a worldwide organization commit to giving $50 four times a year, with their contribution having a supernova impact when multiplied by the contributions of hundreds of members.
The group meet once a season at a festive gathering at the lodge. After spirited socializing, they get down to business: Hearing five-minute talks from leaders of three Southern Maine nonprofits benefiting residents of southern Maine. The members who are present at the gathering and also joining in over zoom cast their vote. The winning nonprofit receives a bundle of $50 donations from the group’s members.
For more information about joining 100 Women Who Care Southern Maine, visit 100womenwhocaresouthernmaine.com.
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