An idea unfolded while watching the intracoastal waterway…
Three men and their wives were sitting around a fire pit discussing how a group of ladies had a major impact on a charity that has captivated us – The Hunger Coalition of the Low Country or as they are known, the BackPack Buddies.
We saw how 150 women, met for one hour, discuss local needs and made a $15,000 donation to local non profit. We said, we can do this!
We contacted the 100+ Women Who Care for the secret recipe which turned out to be the same formula used by over 700 organizations nationally and coined by the 100 Who Care Alliance. The cat was out of the bag. We definitely could do this.
In the winter of 2021, we outlined how we wanted to spread the word to have an impact on the island.
By the spring, we had 70 men committed to make a difference. Thirty decided to sit outside, a dozen connected via video conference and the balance with voted remotely for three local needs. Three groups of men made short presentations all in 45 minutes. The votes were tabulated and we notified Volunteers in Medicine that we were able to make a $8,000+ donation toward their local need.
We later realized that we were not competing with the ladies organization. Perhaps, we did not realize but were told by the ladies that they would like to participate and we said Ok and changed the name to The Men and Women Who Care of Hilton Head.
Our Goal
Our goal is to support charities and non-profit organizations dedicated to serving and making a difference in the Hilton Head area. These organizations are almost all under-resourced and providing critical services. Together, we dramatically multiply our individual impact.
A group of friends with a common vision for our community
Our mission is to positively enable the local community by making a financial contribution to a local charity four times a year. As a result of our work together, we also expect to find other ways to make a difference.
The founding principles
The Men and Women Who Care of Hilton Head Island was inspired by our partner organization, the 100 Women Who Care of Hilton Head Island, and similar chapters around the country.
We are a local group from different backgrounds who are committed to making a positive impact in the Hilton Head Island area. We each pledge individually $100 per quarter.
The concept
A group of people who want to give to our community and see this program as a way to combine resources, drastically increasing the impact of our giving. We have leadership who plan and organize events and developing a group of sponsors that help cover expenses. We strive to financially support local charities, raise exposure, and increase awareness in a simple and quick format.
Thanks to those around the fire pit, the initial email feedback and the ones who attended the first meeting – Brenda, Beau, Angie, Rob, David, Ted, Jack, Ken, Greg, Pete, David, Rick, Kevin, Jon, John, Jim, Phil, Doug, Tim, Russell, Bryce, Joe, Chet, Gary, Todd, Terry, Nick, Rich, Tom, Todd, Dennis, Mark, Jim, Scott, Alex, Taylor, Atlee…