These B.C. women are turning meetings into charitable opportunities

The donor: Melissa Tracey

The gift: Creating 100+ Women Who Care Oceanside

The reason: To raise money for local charities

When Melissa Tracey heard about a group of women in Nanaimo, B.C., who had started pooling small donations to help local charities, she became intrigued and wanted to do something similar in her community.

She used the idea to create 100+ Women Who Care Oceanside. It’s based on similar models elsewhere and involves a group of women getting together four times a year with each committing to donate $100 at every meeting. Members nominate local charities to support and the group picks one cause each meeting, where all the money is pooled together and donated. So far the Oceanside group, which includes about 200 women from around Nanoose Bay, B.C., has held four meetings since its founding last year and donated $66,000 in total. The money has gone to support a homeless society, stroke recovery charity, women’s shelter and community services organization.

“We didn’t even think we’d get 100 women at first,” said Ms. Tracey, who co-heads a homebuilding company based in Qualicum Beach, B.C., called Oceanside Life Real Estate. “It’s been really amazing. To be able to contribute a small amount of time and create such a huge difference, it’s been hugely impactful for me.”