Tinley Park resident Lorri Nagle knows all too well the many challenges charities face when it comes to helping those in need.

So, when an opportunity arose to form a group to help Will County’s southern communities, Nagle—who has dedicated her career to fundraising—knew she had found the perfect way to incite change.

She began to meet with members of 100+ Women Who Care, an organization that has several chapters all across the United States and invites women of all ages to raise awareness and show support for a variety of causes. Shortly after, she started her own chapter, 100+ Women Who Care Southern Will County. The group gathered for its first meeting May 16 at Little Joe’s Restaurant in Frankfort.

“We don’t have anything like that out south,” Nagle said. “We have many charities. I was inspired by other people operating other chapters.”

Other 100+ Women Who Care chapters in Illinois are based in Naperville, Elmhurst and Chicago.

“The beauty of 100+ Women Who Care is we meet four times a year for one hour,” she said. “There’s no selling of tickets, no volunteering, no fundraisers to plan, no silent auction donations to solicit. You donate money, and you get to learn about charities making a difference.”

Chris Pajeau, a steering committee member, shared Nagle’s sentiment.

“It’s two-fold,” Pajeau, also of Tinley Park, said. “You give money and people learn about the organizations, and people [begin] to help out, volunteer. I think we need more of that.”

She added it is clear the group’s members share the same mission: “Giving back is what we are destined to do.”

One way Nagle’s team aims to make a difference is donating to local nonprofits, so they continue to their own missions to serve their clientele.

“Many nonprofits in Will County get state funding,” Nagle explained. “Many haven’t been paid or received less. Collectively, we’ll be [raising] 10,000 to donate to organizations affected [by] the lack of state budget.”

As Nagle and Pajeau work to grow 100+ Women Who Care, the two hope to encourage people to join in on their mission and help them understand that their presence, as well as their contributions – no matter how big or how small – can truly make a difference in someone’s life.

“I know we have one thing in common: we want to be involved,” Nagle said. “If you want to be part of our group, join us.”

To learn more about 100+ Women Who Care Southern Will County, email 100pwiswc@gmail.com. For updates, search for “100+ Women Who Care in Southern Will County” on Facebook.