100 Women Strong benefits local charities

In 2014, Canyon Lakers Liz Murphy, Becky Ness and Debra Kipp had a simple idea: 100 women would donate $100 each to local charities in need. Their mission is to inspire change.

Each year the three women invite 100 women to come together for a luncheon to hear presentations from a select group of organizations that directly impact the local community.

At the end of the presentations, the women have an opportunity to talk with the presenters and learn more about each organization before making a choice of which charity they want to donate their $100 to. Some women choose to donate their $100 to one charity, others choose to split their $100 between two or all charities.

“The donations are made directly to the presenting organizations and it’s up to each woman on how they would like to donate their $100,” said Liz.

Since its inception, 100 Women Strong has raised approximately $60,000 for local charities. The three charities that benefited from this year’s luncheon on May 4 are Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships, the Iverson Foundation for Active Awareness, an organization that raises awareness of mental and emotional health issues within the first responder community, and The Gifting Closet, an organization that benefits children in foster care beyond the basics that are covered by state and county funds.

The women also collected gently used coats for Project T.O.U.C.H., a local organization that provides assistance to the homeless.

For more information about 100 Women Strong, contact Liz Murphy at enmurph@aol.com.