SARASOTA – During their inaugural year the women at Impact100SRQ made history shattering philanthropic stereotypes.
“We raised $228 thousand dollars for 2019 giving year. The Haven was one of two grant recipient receiving $114 thousand dollars,” says Impact100SRQ president Jane Watt.
Nonprofit ‘The Haven‘ has been a long established organization serving children on the Suncoast with special needs throughout their lifetime. For ‘The Haven’, those funds have been a saving grace helping them overcome multiple obstacles and facilitate a safe learning environment amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We would have not been able to open had it not been for these women, I can honestly say that,” says The Haven’s VP of education programming Alison Thomas.
Thomas says ‘The Haven’ invested the grant money in construction cost, materials and new therapy equipment to create new classrooms.
“And then we were actually also able to create a new therapy room which is so incredibly needed. We’ve reached absolute capacity for what we were able to do at that time and now we’re able to spread our kiddos out,” says Thomas.
Thomas credits the woman of Impact100SRQ with bringing hope to an otherwise grim year. Watt says keeping Impact100’s mission on the forefront during these unprecedented times is vital.
“It is essential that we have hope and that we look to the future. And this year our 2020 giving year, we’re going to be awarding three grants our second year when these funds are needed more than ever in our community. So it’s a positive change that the women of Impact are bringing to our community in a time when our community needs it more than ever,” says Watt.