The Story Behind 100+ Women Who Care:

The first 100+ Women Who Care chapter was started in 2006 by Karen Dunigan, the former mayor of Jackson, Michigan. Karen always found it interesting that one of her greatest ideas was born from something as simple and basic as baby cribs. It was during lunch one day with executive leadership from the Center for Family Health that the Center’s CEO mentioned a need she learned about regarding new mothers and portable cribs. Karen’s ears perked, and she told the CEO that would be something she would like to know more about. Another lunch was scheduled to specifically discuss the need.

During the follow up lunch, details were shared on how new mothers were bringing their babies home and placing the sleeping infants in boxes, dresser drawers, or on their own beds because they could not afford a proper crib. Some of these babies didn’t survive the night. Karen was presented with a list of how many cribs were needed, the cost of mattresses, blankets, and beds. In all, a total of $10,000 was needed.

As Karen began thinking about the Center for Family Health’s needs, she knew there had to be a way to quickly and easily meet the financial request that was presented. With all her involvement in the community, Karen knew she could call ten people and ask them to write $1,000 checks, but she also figured she knew one hundred women who would each give $100. She began making phone calls and scheduled a meeting. At that first meeting, in one hour, a group of Karen’s friends heard the story, and each wrote checks to the Center for Family Health resulting in a $12,800 donation. Karen’s simple request made it possible to supply new mothers with the simplest need: a crib.

Karen recognized she was on to something special, and it too was in its own infancy and needed to be nurtured to grow. She founded the first 100+ Women Who Care and scheduled quarterly meetings. The rules were simple – any member could present a need in the community, the need had to be immediate, and the money had to remain local. The idea was that a worthy cause benefits many in the community.

Sadly, Karen Dunigan passed away on April 15, 2014, after a battle with cancer. Karen saw people for their strengths and realized when one hundred or more people come together in a room, each person becomes a powerful force for doing excellent work while lifting up their community. We are each strong in our own right, but together we are stronger. Karen knew this, applauded it and was so enormously proud of 100+ Women Who Care.

Karen’s legacy lives on through the expansion of 100+ Chapters throughout the world. There are now more than 900 chapters either fully operational (650) or under development (more than 250) and they include women, men, people, kids, and teens chapters.