SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — As the season of giving approaches, one group in Sevier County is caring for the community all year round.
Four times a year, around 100 women give $100 to a nonprofit of their choosing. The group, "100+ Women Who Care Sevier County" are following the lead of their biggest hometown inspiration — Dolly Parton.
Jaclyn Kile started the group over a year and a half ago and said she knows it's important to give back.
"We call her 'Queen Midas' because everything she touches turns to gold," Kile said. "We as women have embraced her giving mantra and try to give back to our community just as she does."
The group is a fundraising alliance, similar to a giving circle. In these kinds of groups, people come together and pledge a certain amount of money for a certain amount of time. They also decide where to give their money.
For the 100+ Woman Who Care, members pledge to give $100 once a quarter. Each time, a nonprofit of their choice gets all the money. It's usually around $10,000. So far, the group has given out around $80,000 to six local nonprofits.
"So many people in Sevier County need help and this is an easy way to do it together, the women can come together and help our community that we love," Kile said.
They celebrated their sixth "Big Give" on Tuesday, November 16. They've given to groups that help men, women, children and groups that support animals.
"Just seeing that growth, I think it even makes our community stronger and makes the women of our community feel more empowered and more like a team together," said Katie Sidwell, a member of the leadership team. "It really kind of creates that joint kind of family within us."
Each quarter, every member gets to nominate a nonprofit of their choosing. Then, the leadership team randomly picks three groups from a hat two weeks before the meeting.
Someone from each of the charities chosen then comes to the quarterly meeting to explain who they are, what they do and answer questions.
"Then we vote who gets the money, write our checks for $100, and then all of us go home," Kile said. "Just one step at a time, one meeting at a time, doing the small things can lead to big things."
The group's mission shows there's power in numbers and following in Queen Dolly's lead.
Kile said she first got the idea to start the group in Sevier County after seeing one of her friends be a part of one in the Chattanooga area. There are other 100+ women chapters throughout the United States.
If you would like to join or support the Sevier County chapter, visit the group's Facebook Page or website.
Any community can start a group to help the nonprofits in their area.