Our Story
How and why 100 Women Lexington got started.
100 Women Lexington is now in its seventh year of funding our community’s nonprofits who offer programming for women and children. In those seven years, the organization has raised more than $500,000 dollars that was distributed annually to our ten partner agencies.
The Beginning
100 Women Lexington originally began in 2004 to help support a new domestic shelter for Central Kentucky. United Way of the Bluegrass had funded a shelter as apart of the local YWCA. Due to lack of accountability and transparency, the United Way withheld funding. The Kentucky Domestic Violence Agency (KDVA) took note and also withheld their annual allocation. As a result, the YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter had to close its doors.
The YWCA shelter had served 19 counties in Central Kentucky, so there was a great need in the community to establish a new shelter. A woman named JD Lester formed a group of women to raise monies for a new shelter; thus, 100 Women was created.
Meanwhile, temporary shelter space was provided at the Salvation Army’s downtown campus. The KDVA was hiring a new Executive Director, Darlene Thomas from Western Kentucky. The KDVA and the United Way both provided additional funding to secure a new home for a shelter. Then President/CEO of the United Way, Kathy Plomin, recalls the search experience:
“Darlene Thomas and I had heard about potential location on Briar Hill road located in a rural area of the county. It has been a Methodist children’s home that was vacated; it was a what I call a “God wink.” It was perfect for a new shelter. It had the needed bedrooms, kitchen, acreage and a barn, plus it was very spacious. It was indeed a match made in heaven.”
Today, still under the leadership of Darlene Thomas, the shelter, named Greenhouse 17, has flourished.
Present Day
So, what happened to 100 Women Lexington? The organization morphed into a collaboration between the United Way and the Bluegrass Community Foundation and was renamed Bluegrass Women United. However, having accomplished its mission, it was dissolved within a couple years.
Fast forward to 2013, when Kathy Plomin and friend Pat Gradek attended a leadership recruiting meeting for The Nest where attendees were asked to make a leadership gift of $1,000. Kathy and Pat realized there could be a better way to distribute donations across the community through one outlet. They brainstormed and decided if members donated $1,000 each year and choose their agencies, women could support more than one non-profit, while making it easier both for the organization and the member.
Thus, the name 100 Women Lexington was resurrected and put to work. Ten “partner” agencies were recruited. The chosen agencies must pass the “good giving” assessment set forth by the Bluegrass Community Foundation. Additionally, they must provide services for women and children and be located in Central Kentucky.
Each fall, members designate their annual contribution of $1,000 among the 10 agencies. Members may elect to fund all of them, just one, or any combination.
Join Us
But it is not over yet! We are always looking for new members to join to help contribute and support our partner agencies.
100 Women Lexington also offers younger members of the community a lower cost membership level. The organization has new corporate sponsors to offset operating costs, leaving more for non-profits.
Interested in joining? Want to learn more? Let us know. You are welcome to attend an event and meet our members and agencies, read our brochure, or reach out to our Administrator at administrator@100womenlexington.org to learn more.