Walking into the Kingswood Lodge, the main lobby was filled with coffee, champagne and some good feminine energy. Venturing further into the ballroom revealed tens of tables filled with women excitedly chatting as the speakers blared songs by women pop artists like Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift and Rihanna.
This was the scene on Jan. 16, as local organization 100 Women Who Care Fredericton held their first meeting of 2024 — a meeting which amassed over 130 members and a collective sum of $14,040 to donate to the winning charity.
“It’s a great place to gather and support and [empower] women to be able to have a larger voice,” said Sherry Hamilton, part of the 100 Women Who Care team. “It is shocking to know the need in every corner and pocket of our own community. And so I think being able to support that is quite amazing.”
100 Women Who Care Fredericton is an organization that highlights local charities and gives them a chance to win a donation from organization members, while also uplifting women and providing a positive community. When signing up, members donate $400 dollars for the year, which is split up evenly between the quarterly meetings to add to the donation pool.
Four times a year, the women attend a meeting, along with three undisclosed charities, to hear a five minute pitch from each chosen charity. At the end of the meeting, the women vote for which charity they want to win the donation money.
“[The invited charities are] the best kept secret in Fredericton,” said Hamilton, explaining that nobody knows which three charities are invited until the night of.
“That’s one thing that I personally love about 100 Women. You get to hear from so many different charities,” said Claudia Dube, who is a co-leader of the organization with Hamilton. “Not only is it a good way to give back … but even if they don’t win, you’re still learning about different charities in the community.”
This January, the invited charities included Sport NB, AIDS NB and the Oromocto SPCA. At the end of the night, the Oromocto SPCA took the $14,040 donation prize, which will help them purchase land to build a space for a community centre, an education hub and emergency overflow area for animals.
The crowd roared with applause when the SPCA was announced as the winner of the night. Among the crowd was first-time attendee, Gineen Nicholls.
“I had to hold back some tears at certain points in time, because you just see what kind of impact these organizations are having on families, other parts of the community and young women,” she said.
Nicholls was initially a member of the 100 Women Who Care PEI chapter, but after moving to Fredericton three years ago and becoming “a hermit” while working from home, she hasn’t been involved in the local chapter. She decided to come to her first meeting in Fredericton to be more social.
However, Nicholls said that despite the location change, the same feeling of closeness, community and girl power was present in the room.
“I think it’s so inspiring to see women supporting community,” she said. “I work with women as a wellness coach and I always tell them, when women come together, we can be so powerful and impactful.”
“You definitely felt that energy in the room.”
This positive energy is something that Hamilton partly equates to the many new members that have joined in the last few meetings. After bringing back 100 Women Who Care Fredericton post-pandemic, in 2022, the membership has grown to over 130 women.
With this increase in members comes an increase in the donation amount, which started at $5,600, won by York Sunbury Search and Rescue, at the initial 2022 meeting.
Aside from amassing more than double that amount this January with the $14,040 donation and celebrating their largest sum yet, they also surpassed $100,000 in total donations, which Hamilton said was “so big” for the organization. Shiny, five-foot tall balloons spelling out the number 100,000 sat in the corner of the room at the meeting, waiting for the milestone to be revealed.
“Over $100,000 in just two years [given] back to the community is tremendous. Like, it just feels so good to give,” said Hamilton. “We bought the balloons anticipating it happening and it exceeded expectations for sure.”
A big group photo with the women, the balloons and the big $14,040 cheque brought a cheerful end to the first meeting of 2025. Now, Hamilton and Dube’s next goal is to achieve 150 members. With their next meeting set for April 17, they don’t have far to go.
“Each time we host a meeting, you see the group photo from the previous meeting and it just keeps growing and growing,” said Hamilton. “Being part of that community is just so rewarding.”
