>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Susie Harris and nine of her friends founded Impact 100 in 2003 with a simple wish — to pool $100 each and spend the result in the most compassionate way possible to benefit others in the community.

In five years, the group has grown to include not only hundreds of women, but community partners who eagerly discount goods or services in order to help the donations stretch as far as possible.

In five years, the pot of Impact 100 money has also grown. And on Saturday, 55 women came together to divvy the largest pot to date — $19,025.

“It turned out to be our longest meeting yet, and probably one of the hardest,” said Harris.

Due to the glorious weather, she admits concern over turnout for the meeting, but said the room “came alive” as 55 women gathered together to hear the proposals.

“As the presentations kept coming, it made me realize, and appreciate, how very, very fortunate I am,” Harris said.

The first item was a young girl born with a very large birthmark covering one half of her face.

“As she has grown, so has the birthmark. It has become very dark and has started to get puffy,” Harris said.

Although a generous La Grande couple has been helping to have this birthmark removed with laser treatments at OHSU to the tune of more than $15,000, the cost per treatment has now gone up to more than $4,000 per treatment. The little girl has already undergone five treatments, but at least five more are needed, doctors say.

“There are five children in this family and the father works six days a week, but they are only able to afford the expense of the trips to Portland,” Harris said.

The group tabled the proposal to the end, hoping whatever money was left over could help with as many treatments as possible. But when all the designations for other needs were tallied, there was nothing left for the little girl’s laser treatments.

Her story was weighing heavily on everyone’s heart, Harris said, and so they began the hard task of cutting costs where they could — even crossing some items off the list for this year.

“As the meeting went into the second hour, checkbooks were coming out of purses and a bowl was passed around the room for extra money for the little girl’s treatments. More donations were being dropped off at the door as some had to leave,” she said.

And at the end of the day, there was enough extra money to donate a full $4,575 for one treatment.

“I cannot begin to describe the energy and heart that was beating in that room,” Harris said, “It was truly amazing.”

In addition, the group has designated funds to assist with the following projects:

• dental work for a single mother of four

• help for a family living in a bus as they work to fix their home to buy a water heater for hot showers and a breaker box for electricity

• tuition for a nursing student from Africa struggling to continue his education

• two hearing aids for a high school girl struggling with learning who has only one very old hearing aide

• a computer and printer for a single mom who has to take her two small children to the public library to do her own school work

• bikes and strollers for two single moms in need of transportation to get their children to baby sitters so they can work and go to school

• replace flooring for a family with very old carpeting that is causing trouble with allergies and illness from the mold and mildew

• books for children in the community

• money to help a local woman battling cancer with medical bills and gas money to get to treatments in Seattle

• money for two very high-need families to help with groceries and bus passes

• money for winter clothing and shoes for two little girls

• money for another local woman who has suffered a stroke, been unable to go back to work and struggling to keep from losing her home

• money for a young family man unable to go back to work after a double transplant because of the danger of infection and rejection of the organs

• a fund available to the counselors at local schools for children that need a medical exam so they can be identified for help from the schools

To find out more about the philanthropy of Impact 100, go online to www.lagrandeobserver.com and search the archives.

To join the women of Impact 100, go to any Community Bank and tell them the donation is to be deposited to the Impact 100 account.