Tri-County Times | Fenton, MI Hannah Ball Staff Reporter, Jan 5, 2024 – Calling all women — Impact100 Genesee County is hosting an open house on Thursday, Jan. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fenton Center of Hope at 10401 N. Fenton Road to bring awareness to the organization and local nonprofits.
Impact100 Genesee County was founded by Linden resident Katie Kool-Wray. “The open house is to create awareness of our organization, create awareness of nonprofits and bring a lot of great women together,” she said.
Their goal is to grow to at least 100 members who could each give $1,000 a year in order to raise $100,000 for a different nonprofit annually. The number of grants given to nonprofits would depend on their membership numbers. With 200 members, Impact100 could give $100,000 grants to two nonprofits.
Impact100 Genesee County is part of a global collective with nearly 70 active chapters throughout the world. Each is its own 501 (c ) 3.
Kool-Wray said there are three objectives for the Thursday event. The first is to raise awareness of Impact100. It’s a new organization established in March 2023. Their website went live in June 2023 and they began recruiting members in September.
“We’re less than six months old. We want people to know that we’re here. We are really looking for members to join us because we are a giving circle. It’s a giving circle of women,” she said.
The other objectives are to attract potential members and raise awareness for local nonprofits. “We want all those people who walk in to understand and become aware of nonprofits in Genesee County,” she said.
The Thursday open house will be informal. Board members will be there to talk on a one-on-one basis. Information about Impact100 and local nonprofits will be available. Kool-Wray will give a presentation. Jennifer Styrgulec, co-director of the Fenton Center of Hope, will give a tour of the facility. The FCOH has a food pantry, baby closet, counseling and is working toward establishing temporary emergency housing.
Impact100 Genesee County is also collecting LED flashlights for Clara’s Hope, which provides support and resources to families and kids that go into foster care. Kool-Wray said that many kids have nothing that first night, kids are in foster care and flashlights help people in the dark.
The organization invites all nonprofits in the area to attend the event and share information and materials related to their nonprofit. This is the third open house they’ve put on. They previously collected feminine care products for the Martus Luna Food Pantry in Flint.
Kool-Wray said they’re going to rebrand these events and call them Mingle With Meaning.
“It’s a super positive experience when you get these people in a room together who want to do good, who want to learn,” she said. The feedback they’ve received about the previous open houses is that people leave with a lot of energy and a needed dose of positivity.
“These events are a great way to breathe and re-energize and feel really good. In our world, sometimes it’s hard to do that,” she said.
Kool-Wray said they expect the financial aspect and time to be deciding factors in whether people join the nonprofit. Impact100 offers scholarships and payment plans. If people don’t have a lot of time to give, they can simply write a check. Kool-Wray said people can choose their own involvement level.
“You can make it what you want to,” she said.
While the organization is largely for women, men can get involved through sponsorships and spreading awareness about their nonprofits. Kool-Wray said men can sponsor a woman who wants to join.
“It’s important that it’s a diverse group of women that represent Genesee County,” she said.
