Camp to Belong Maine recently was awarded $10,000 by 100 Women Who Give, a Waterville Area Women’s Club philanthropic event. Camp to Belong reunites Maine siblings separated by foster care, adoption, or other out-of-home care through a week of summer camp and shared experiences and memories. It was one of three Central Maine nonprofits recognized at the 100 Women Who Give event held April 10th at Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, Maine.

Three local nonprofits—Camp to Belong, the Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund, and the South End Teen Center—were selected to share their missions and raise awareness of their important work at the second annual 2025 event. Attendees of the 100 Women Who Give event each bought tickets for $100, thus raising $10,000 to be awarded to one local nonprofit that night.

Camp to Belong Maine

Adrian Phair, Camp to Belong Board Member, spoke on behalf of the organization and its belief that all siblings deserve the opportunity to spend meaningful time with their brothers and sisters. Camp to Belong works to reunite Maine siblings separated by foster care, adoption, or other out-of-home care through a week of summer camp and shared experiences and memories. Its camp program offers special sibling-focused activities, events, and communication tools that help strengthen the sibling bond, which is critical to the lives of young people.  

Signature events include campfires, a carnival, a pillow exchange, a birthday celebration and making scrapbooks with photos taken throughout the week. Siblings are provided a safe space to have meaningful conversations and process what they have been through together. Camp to Belong also empowers youth to advocate for themselves and their siblings. Camp to Belong Maine

Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund

Destie Hohman Sprague, Executive Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby, shared its work to build gender justice in Maine through legislative advocacy and systems change. Its Education Fund helps Mainers develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage in feminist, anti-oppression-based public policy advocacy and civic life.

The Education Fund focuses on community building and community-based data and policy analysis in order to increase knowledge, skills, and opportunities for citizens to engage in public policy change. Core programs include: publishing the biennial Policy Roadmap for Economic Security, convening the biennial Maine Women’s Summit, leadership development, the annual Girls’ Day at the Statehouse (held every year since 1996), and education, information, and connection. Maine Women’s Lobby

South End Teen Center

Aimee Morris, Program Coordinator for the South End Teen Center, spoke about its dedication to empowering youth through a safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment. Located at 5 Libby Court on the Waterville KVCAP Campus, the South End Teen Center is a satellite location of the Waterville Area Boys and Girls Club, proudly partnered with the Alfond Youth Center. It is open to all students in grades 6 through 12 from the Greater Waterville area.

The South End Teen Center’s goal is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. They provide exceptional programs, supportive mentorship, and enriching opportunities that foster personal growth, academic success, and community engagement in order to build brighter futures and stronger communities. South End Teen Center

After learning about the important work done in our community by all three nonprofits, each attendee had the difficult task of voting for one organization to be awarded the $10,000. While all were deserving, ultimately, Camp to Belong Maine was declared the 2025 $10,000 winner. Additional donations of $700 each were given to the Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund and the South End Teen Center. 

You can learn more about these invaluable nonprofits and how to support their organizations and work on their individual websites.

Serving the Greater Waterville Area since 1887, Waterville Area Women’s Club and its volunteer members annually support a variety of area charities and service agencies that benefit women and children in literacy, food security, mental health, and other concerns.

100 Women Who Give (2025)

Waterville Area Women’s Club members met in May at Alden Camps in Oakland, Maine, for the annual closing dinner. In addition to raising more than $10,000 for the 100 Women Who Give event earlier this spring, the club voted to approve $20,000 in donations to local organizations that support women and children in the greater Waterville area. Members also voted on a new 2024-25 slate of officers, and learned about a new girl-centered leadership club at the local high school.

Girl Up

Messalonskee High School senior Isabel L’Italien, co-president of the school’s Girl Up chapter, was the keynote speaker. She and faculty advisor Alicia Wolfe shared the organization’s mission and current projects. Girl Up is a girl-centered leadership development initiative founded by the United Nations Foundation. It’s dedicated to supporting adolescent girls’ education, health, and safety, and engages, trains, and mobilizes girls and young people of all identities to be leaders.

The Messalonskee High School chapter of Girl Up has been meeting for three years and provides a space for girls and others to be supported and heard. One of its major initiatives is Project Period, supplying menstrual products in the high school’s female and unisex bathrooms for individuals who may not be able to afford them, simply forgot, or were surprised by the appearance of their period, providing dignity for anyone having their period. The group is raising funds to continue Project Period at the high school, and possibly at the middle school in the future. WAWC presented Isabel and Alicia with a $700 donation to support Girl Up’s Project Period.

$20,000 Given in Community Donations

Every spring, Waterville Area Women’s Club’s Executive Committee considers applications for donations from local charities and service agencies that benefit women and children in the greater Waterville area. At the 2024 annual meeting, the club voted to grant a total of $20,000 in funds to the following organizations:

• $5,000 to the Waterville Public Library for a new Story Walk path
• $2,200 to Camp to Belong Maine to reunite two siblings separated in foster care with a week of summer camp
• $1,200 to Woodfords Family Services preschool for a classroom smartboard    
• $1,000 to the Alfond Youth & Community Center‘s Camp Tracy scholarship fund
• $1,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine, which creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships, for its work at Williams Elementary School
• $1,000 to the Children’s Discovery Museum of Central Maine towards its new exhibit hall
• $1,000 to Mount Merici Academy for fencing for its Cub Care
• $1,000 to the Oakland Public Library for children’s programing
• $1,000 to the Pine Tree Society’s for its Nature Trail project at Pine Tree Camp for children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities 
• $1,000 to Shine on Cass, which educates, inspires, and empowers youth to make their world a better place through, kindness and volunteer charitable activities
• $1,000 to the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen, which provides appetizing, nutritious meals in an accessible, welcoming setting
• $1,000 to Waterville Creates Youth Arts Fund, which provides youths free access to performances, theatre camps, plays, concerts, art classes, and more
• $700 to the Girl Up chapter at Messalonskee High School for its Project Period
• $600 to Literacy Volunteers of Kennebec, which helps adults improve reading, writing, and related literacy skills 
• $500 to the Family Violence Project, which works to end domestic abuse in Kennebec and Somerset counties
• $500 to Sunset Home of Waterville, a non-profit assisted living facility
• $300 to Androscoggin Home Healthcare for library items

2024-25 Club Officers

Club members voted in the 2024-25 Executive Board members. We’re thankful to the following women who’ve chosen to give their time, energy, and talents to serve:

• Alisa Johnson, Executive Director
• Danielle Martin, Treasurer
• Stacy Whitcomb-Smith, Secretary
• Allison Puiia, At Large Member
• Gretchen Roy, Historian
• Kerry Smart, At Large Member

Executive Director Handoff

After 10 years of outstanding leadership and service as the club’s Executive Director, Helen Bell-Necevski has stepped down and handed her gavel over to Alisa Johnson, the new Executive Director. Thank you, Helen, for your warm and wonderful leadership and inspiring commitment to supporting women and children through local charities and service agencies in the Greater Waterville Area. And congratulations and thank you to Alisa for stepping up to this role.

Serving the Greater Waterville Area since 1887, Waterville Area Women’s Club and its volunteer members annually support a variety of area charities and service agencies that benefit women and children in literacy, food security, mental health, and other concerns.

The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence recently was awarded $10,000 by 100 Women Who Give, a Waterville Area Women’s Club philanthropic event. Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence advocates for the right of all people to live free from domestic abuse and all forms of violence. It was one of three Central Maine nonprofits recognized at the 100 Women Who Give event held May 2nd at Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, Maine.

Three local nonprofits—Maine Children’s Home, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, and Waterville Community Dental Center—were selected to share their missions and raise awareness of their important work at the inaugural 2024 event. Attendees of the 100 Women Who Give event each bought tickets for $100, thus raising $10,000 to be awarded to one local nonprofit that night.

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Francine Garland Stark, Executive Director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, spoke on behalf of the organization and its Liberation Fund. Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) works to end domestic abuse, dating abuse, stalking, elder abuse, and commercial sex trafficking. Its Liberation Fund provides direct economic assistance to domestic abuse survivors. MCEDV advocates for the right of all people to live free from domestic abuse and all forms of violence. It serves a network of nine members throughout the state. It also provides support for state level partners as they respond to abuse, creates frameworks to inform the public’s understanding of the issue, and advocates for policies that will hold abusive people to account and keep survivors safe. mcedv.org

Maine Children’s Home

Candace Marriner, Executive Director of Maine Children’s Home, and Alaina Wolman, Director of MCH’s Journey Program, spoke on behalf of the Waterville-based nonprofit. Founded in 1899, Maine Children’s Home offers programs that build and strengthen families and their children, instilling hope for the future and a better quality of life. Over the past century, MCH has evolved with the changing needs of families and children, and currently supports more than 3,000 people each year through numerous programs and services. Its Journey Program supports young parents on their path to self-worth and positive parenting. www.mainechildrenshome.org

Waterville Community Dental Center

Barbara Covey, Board Member, and Kailee Williams, DMD, spoke on behalf of Waterville Community Dental Center and its mission to improve access to quality oral health care for low income, uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid-eligible residents of Central Maine. Access to affordable oral health care is a critical resource in maintaining the health of a community, and Waterville Community Dental Center believes affordable, high quality, and comfortable oral health care should be available to everyone. The center has provided oral health care to residents of Central Maine since 2000. www.communitydental.org

After learning about the important work done in our community by all three nonprofits, each attendee had the difficult task of voting for one organization to be awarded the $10,000. While all were deserving, ultimately, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence was declared the winner of $10,000. Additional donations from 100 Women Who Give attendees were divided between Maine Children’s Home and Waterville Community Dental Center. Waterville Area Women’s Club and the 100 Women Who Give attendees were proud to recognize and support the work of these three worthy nonprofits in our community.

You can learn more about these invaluable nonprofits and how to support their organizations and work on their individual websites.

Serving the Greater Waterville Area since 1887, Waterville Area Women’s Club and its volunteer members annually support a variety of area charities and service agencies that benefit women and children in literacy, food security, mental health, and other concerns. 2024 was the inaugural year of its 100 Women Who Give philanthropic event.

100 Women Who Give (2024)

On Thursday, May 2, Waterville Area Women’s Club’s first annual 100 Women Who Give event will impact a local Maine nonprofit with a $10,000 donation to either the Maine Children’s Home, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, or Waterville Community Dental Center.

The 2024 event, to be held at the Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, will bring together women from Central Maine and beyond who want to make a big difference through a single act of philanthropy.  Three local nonprofits will share their impact stories with attendees and raise awareness of their organizations.

Purchase your 100 Women Who Give ticket

All funds will be donated at the event to one of the following.

Maine Children’s Home

Founded in 1899, Maine Children’s Home (MCH) is a Waterville-based nonprofit organization that offers programs that build and strengthen families and their children, instilling hope for the future and a better quality of life. MCH has evolved with the changing needs of families and children, and supports more than 3,000 people each year through numerous programs and services, including:

• Family Adoption Program: Providing a lifetime of services for birth parents and adoptive families
• Family Counseling Center: Guiding toward hope, healing, and wholeness
• Journey Program: Supporting young parents on their path to self-worth and positive parenting
• Connected Families Project: Offering powerful, accessible tools to help strengthen families
• Christmas Program: Sharing joy and winter warmth with kids and families

www.mainechildrenshome.org

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) advocates for the right of all people to live free from domestic abuse and all forms of violence. It serves a network of nine members throughout the state, helping them do the very best work they can for survivors of abuse. It also provides support for state level partners as they respond to abuse, create frameworks to inform the public’s understanding of the issue, and advocate for policies that will hold abusive people to account and keep survivors safe.

MCEDV members work in communities across the state to provide direct support to people affected by domestic abuse and violence, and to improve the ways our communities and institutions respond to abuse. Its member resource centers are available to all people impacted by domestic abuse and violence. 

mcedv.org

Waterville Community Dental Center

Access to affordable oral health care is a critical resource in maintaining the health of our community, and Waterville Community Dental Center (WCDC) has been providing oral health care to residents of central Maine since 2000. Its mission is to improve access to quality oral health care for low income, uninsured, underinsured and Medicaid-eligible residents of central Maine.

WCDC delivers a full range of oral health services including education, cleanings, oral examinations, extractions, fillings, crowns and other restorative care. WCDC welcomes all forms of payment including MaineCare and private insurance, and for income-qualified individuals it offers sliding fee reduced dental rates. Waterville Community Dental Center believes good oral health is a key to overall health, and affordable, high quality, and comfortable oral health care should be available to everyone.

www.communitydental.org

Purchase your 100 Women Who Give ticket

Event Info

One night to make a big difference. A $10,000 difference for one local nonprofit serving women and children in Central Maine.

On Thursday, May 2, 2024, Waterville Area Women’s Club’s first annual 100 Women Who Give event will impact a local Maine nonprofit with a $10,000 donation to either the Maine Children’s Home, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, or Waterville Community Dental Center.

The 100 Women Who Give event, held at Snow Pond Center for the Arts in Sidney, will bring together women from Central Maine and beyond who want to make a big difference through a single act of philanthropy. 

How it works:

• Purchase your 100 Women Who Give ticket
• 100 event tickets at $100 equals $10,000—all going to one nonprofit and its mission. Any additional funds raised will be split between the other two organizations.
  

At the May 2nd event:

• The three local nonprofits—Maine Children’s Home, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, and Waterville Community Dental Center—will share their impact stories with attendees and raise awareness of their organizations.
• Each attendee will have the opportunity to vote for one of the nonprofits.
• Can’t attend but want to support? Purchase your ticket and vote in advance.
• The organization with the most votes will be given a check for $10,000 at the event to support their work and mission.

The Event

On Thursday, May 2, 2024, the night will kick off at 6 p.m. at Snow Pond Center for the Arts with hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, followed by nonprofit presentations and voting, and conclude with dancing and celebration.

Join 100 Women Who Give
Thursday, May 2, 2024, from 6-8 p.m.
at Snow Pond Center for the Arts (8 Goldenrod Lane, Sidney, Maine)

Purchase your 100 Women Who Give ticket today

The Nonprofits

Three local nonprofits have been selected to share their missions and impact stories at the event and raise awareness of their work. One will receive a $10,000 donation:

• Maine Children’s Home, which offers programs that build and strengthen families and their children

• Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, which advocates for the right of all people to live free from domestic abuse and all forms of violence

• Waterville Community Dental Center, which believes affordable, high quality, and comfortable oral health care should be available to everyone

Learn more about their missions and work.

For more information on the 100 Women Who Give event, please contact 100cmewomen2024@gmail.com or check out the Facebook event info.

Serving the Greater Waterville Area since 1887, Waterville Area Women’s Club and its volunteer members annually support a variety of area charities and service agencies that benefit women and children in literacy, food security, mental health, and other concerns.

For more info on Waterville Area Women’s Club visit watervilleareawomensclub.org