The women of Impact 100, one of Union County’s leading charitable

organizations, do more than give people down on their luck reason to

smile.

They also create smiles.

The volunteer organization’s members were at it again Wednesday

night. The women distributed $22,000, the money they raised in the past

12 months to help individuals, families and community service organizations in Union County with important needs.

Those receiving assistance include:

andbull; two La Grande High School students who will receive braces paid for with Impact 100 funds. Joe Martinez, a La Grande orthodontist, will provide this dental service at a discount.

Dentures for a young man and dental work for a young mother will also be paid for with Impact 100 funds. Grande Ronde Denture Service and a local dentist will provide in-kind services to assist Impact 100 in helping these young people.

andbull; a La Grande High School senior who at age 6 lost his father and is now living with his sister and brother-in-law. He will receive $3,000 to help him attend Walla Walla Community College, where he will enroll in its welding program.

andbull; the senior meal program at the Union County Senior Center will receive $500.

These are just a few of the people and programs being helped by Impact 100, an organization that operates on a simple but remarkably successful concept. Women are asked to donate $100 to Impact 100 each year. Everyone who donates is then encouraged to attend a meeting during which people decide on what is to be funded. Sixty of Impact 100’s members attended Wednesday’s meeting at the new bus depot adjacent to the Union County Senior Center.

The meeting is one of humanity’s shining moments.

“I see kindness and compassion on every face when I look out there. They (the Impact 100 members) are so excited to see that $100 could accomplish so much,” said Susie Harris, a founder of Impact 100 and one of its leaders.

The evening is always a highlight for Harris.

“There is nothing like it. It is one night I look forward to each year. I live for this annual meeting.”

Impact 100 had $17,900 in donations when Wednesday’s meeting started. This was the money people had already contributed. The total soon grew to $22,000 after members gave another $4,100.

Impact 100, since it was founded in 2003, has given $92,000 to the community. The sum has increased each year. Harris was surprised that the total increased this year in the face of the nation’s bad economy. She credits this to increased membership and a depth of compassion that reveals itself in turbulent periods.

“In hard times people are giving,” Harris said.

Members this year were asked to bring one book to the meeting for a local children’s literacy program. Many took the message to heart – and then some.

“They didn’t just bring a book, they brought bags and boxes of books,” Harris said.

The charitable organization will conduct its next annual meeting in April 2010 and again decide how its money will be donated. All women who donate $100 to Impact 100 in the next year will again be eligible to vote. People can make their donation to an account set up at Community Bank of La Grande. For more information on donating, call Harris at 910-3090.

Following is a summary of where this year’s Impact donations went in addition to the three mentioned previously.

andbull; $900 for the Friday Backpack Program. Volunteers for the program provide weekend food for children from low income families in Union County.

andbull; the Center for Human Development’s Critical Care program will receive $1,000. The program helps people in need obtain prescription medication.

andbull; the Benevolent Fund at the Christian Church. The fund helps provide shoes, diapers, food and clothing to people who need these items.

andbull; funds to help parents of a 2-year-old daughter who has a a rare and serious illness that is aggravated by heating ducts and carpet. The Impact 100 funds will be used to pay for the process of tearing out carpeting and replacing it with vinyl flooring, fixing a bedroom floor and clean all heating ducts.

andbull; money to help a family whose mother is very ill and must travel to Idaho for treatments. Impact 100 Funds will be used to help pay for a new roof for her family’s home. The roof will allow the family, burdened by increasing medical expenses, to refinance their home. Leo Bristol of Eagle Cap Construction will do the roof work at a discount .

Impact 100 members also came forward with about $500 for four cribs for the Babies First program and $125 for a young person’s GED testing fee. These were covered not by the Impact 100 funds but by individual members at the meeting.

The women were concerned that Impact 100’s $22,000 would be exhausted before these items could be covered. They stepped forward on their own to pay for the cribs and the GED expense out of their own pockets, Harris said.