Once in three months, a group of Chicago area men who call themselves ‘100 men who give a damn’ meet up to fund some of the non-profit organizations aimed at improving the lives of people around them. Usually, each of these men sign up a $100 check to one in three non-profit groups after a 5-minutes elevator speech.
Just recently, a donation of more than $7200 was given by the generous group to another group called The Inner-city Education, a non-profit organization aimed at helping kids in the inner cities get into private schools through ice-hockey scholarships.
Brad Erikson, founder and executive director at Inner-City’s Education Foundation at Gino’s East in River North was excited as he stated his desire to help more kids. He expressed his delight and that of his group because they did not expect to receive such huge amount of money.
How is the selection made? At every quarter a year, 100 men meet to deliberate on who is deserving of the donation; this is after nominations have been made in previous months before by members. After all the pitches have been made, there is a voting process. This determines who gets the donation.
Mike McNeily discovered the group through a post he saw on Facebook. He describes the Chicago chapter as a group of professionals in their 30s and 40s who meet to donate $400 to charity organizations annually. Unlike fundraisers which take so much effort and time, these men strive to effect changes through large contributions to small and medium scale charity organization with the usual hassle and stress. All over the world, some groups also operate in like manner 37 years old Mike McNeily, a financial adviser who lives in Western Springs expressed his excitement with these words, “I feel like I’m very privileged. I’ve been given a lot.”
Since 2014, a similar group called ‘100 women who care’ with same modus operadi in Chicago have donated over $106,000, according to their website, the group, as described by Sherry Silvers, is about women pooling in funds to help a worthy cause. It is all about speed philanthropy.
She reiterated the set-backs experienced by most non-profit organizations and appreciated the efforts of these groups
Last year November, at the men’s group first meeting, Mercy Homes for Boys and Girls gained the sum of $7600 which was used to pay for summer camp for neglected and high-risk children.
McNeily expressed gratitude in words, commending the groups for their support especially through the summer crisis in Chicago as well as the state cut budget which affected the financing of these charity groups.
A suburban based mental health/social service agency in La Grange Park, Pillars, received an unexpected donation of $9,500 in February. The funds, according to Molly Galo, have arrived at a better time. They would be used to bridge the funding gap caused by the budget cut so as to maintain the agency and run its services.
The latest donation to the inner-city education will help fund equipments for beginner ice-hockey players as well as help increase the number of scholarships granted
By providing quality education for inner-city kids through scholarships, it makes it easier to prepare them for college and better opportunities.
This current year, the non-profit organization has awarded scholarships to 16 students to study at private schools.