by Mary Rupert
A women’s investors group is forming in Wyandotte County with the purpose to help local nonprofit organizations.
Kristy Blagg, who is organizing the group, said its first meeting will be on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Amigo’s restaurant, 2737 S. 47th St., Kansas City, Kan. Any Wyandotte County women interested may attend.
Blagg hopes for a good turnout; already 64 people have said they will attend, and more are interested.
The idea of the Wyandotte Women Giving Society is simple, she said. Those attending agree to write a check for $50 to a nonprofit organization at the meeting. Those attending may nominate a nonprofit of their choice, three organization names will be drawn, and those three will have the opportunity to give a five-minute presentation about the nonprofit. Then there will be a silent vote of those present to select the organization that will receive the donation checks that night, she said.
If the group can get 100 women to attend and write checks, the nonprofit organization will receive a $5,000 donation.
Blagg, a juvenile probation officer who sees a lot of needs in the community, said she got the idea for this group when she did another fundraiser for the Blue Door, a nonprofit group that helps place teens.
She heard about a group in Johnson County where 100 women met each month and each wrote a check for $100 to a nonprofit organization.
“That sounded really neat to me,” Blagg said. She wasn’t sure if she or most women here could spend $100 every month, so she changed the concept to a $50 check written quarterly. The group that receives the money will come back to the next meeting and tell what they did with the donation, she added.
“Even if their nonprofit doesn’t win, other people will hear about it,” Blagg said. “It can help them other ways. It’s about awareness, too.”
It’s possible that some of those attending will also decide to give a donation to one of the other groups later, she added.
In getting this group off the ground, Blagg started a Facebook page and a logo was designed. The logo became somewhat controversial, as it depicted a strong woman wearing a headdress. While there were some initial objections from some people about using a native American image, Blagg requested support from Janith English, chief of the Wyandot nation of Kansas, who wrote a letter that supported concepts of the logo.
Blagg said the group’s event will be casual, mostly an informal get-together. She grew up in a small town in Iowa and her family was religious, she said, but they didn’t have enough money to be philanthropists. She expected that most people who attend will be like her.
“This is something we can do and maybe it will help make a difference,” Blagg said.
Any women who live, work in Wyandotte County or who love Wyandotte County may attend, she said. Reservations are not necessary. Those attending will be asked to fill out a membership form asking for a yearly commitment of $200.
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/Wyandotte-Women-Giving-Society-1795970867286970/.
