A unique civic opportunity is coming to Pebble Creek on October 9 at 7 p.m. and one worthy local nonprofit will go home with an amazing donation as a result.
Dubbed “100 Women Who Care of Becker, MN” is a fundraising and social event that is modeled after other similar groups, as Becker is the 17th Minnesota community to host such an event.
The idea is simple: have a gathering of women (100 is not a magic number, but just a goal) and raise funds for a local nonprofit organization. Each woman pays $100 at the event and they in return receive a ticket to vote on which nonprofit should receive the funds. If 100 women show up to the event, the winning organization would take home $10,000 that evening. Fewer voting members would mean a smaller purse, but additional attendees over 100 would lead to a higher donation. One hundred percent of the donations are passed along to the winning organization.
Marisa Kuha is spearheading the event, while a steering committee is helping her to organize the evening. She first learned of the concept from her mother-in-law, Mar Kuha, who has been involved in a similar event in Walker, MN for several years.
“I’ve been hearing about the Walker event and I thought it would be neat to see the impact here locally in Becker,” Kuha said. “We are really hoping for a great turnout.”
Kuha says no pre-registration is required, and they are encouraging people to bring friends, neighbors or anyone else who is interested. The event starts at 7 p.m., and donators of $100 will be given their voting ticket and a chance to nominate a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit.
At 7:30, three of the organizations will be drawn randomly out of the basket and either the nominator or a representative of that nonprofit will be asked to give a three to five minute presentation. This will include information such as the name, their mission or purpose, their service area, and what they do to make Becker a better place to live, work, learn and play.
The committee has decided not to entertain nominations of churches or school activities, as those groups usually have well established fundraising operations already in place.
After the presentations, donors will then cast their tickets for their preferred group and the steering committee will tabulate the votes. Drinks, appetizers and food will be available at Pebble Creek, as Kuha and the organizers are hoping the attendees can form a social connection that leads to additional, successful events in the future. The entire affair is expected to be done by 8:30 p.m.
Additional information can be obtained by emailing: womenwhocareofbeckermn@gmail.com or by contacting a member of the committee, including Kuha, Andria Belisle, Tess Hougo, Jessica Reid, Sara Waytashek, Melissa Aeshliman, Karen Mowers, Stephanie Hillesheim, Shannon Doering Marklowitz and Jane Fox du’Monceaux.
