The Thompson Music Parents Association (TMPA) was the recipient of almost $6,000 at the latest meeting of 100 Women Who Care Thompson on Sept. 13.
The TMPA was chosen from a pool of three finalists, which also included Spirit Way Inc./AuroraFest and the Thompson Humane Society.
"The funds will be used to purchase instruments for student use," RDPC music teacher Kevin Lewis, who presented the TMPA's pitch, told the Thompson Citizen. "We have an inventory of instruments at R.D. Parker Collegiate and a second inventory at Wapanohk Community School for student use. These are instruments that are either too cost prohibitive for students and families to afford, or for use by students whose families are unable to supply them with an instrument. These instruments are also occasionally used by students in the short term while their instrument is away for maintenance or repair, or when a student starts to learn a second instrument, such as when they join a second ensemble, such as the jazz bands. With this donation, we're looking to purchase some instruments to fill some holes in our inventory where we are not able to meet the current needs of our students. When a student no longer has need for those instruments, they are returned to the R.D. Parker band program, where we clean and repair them, and then lend them out to another student. Over their lifetime, those instruments will allow many students at all of our elementary schools and at R.D. Parker Collegiate to have access to music education."
100 Women Who Care Thompson, which has given away more than $40,000 since its first donation meeting in March 2016, is modelled after similar organizations in other communities in Canada. Up to 100 women meet for an hour or less once every three months to select a worthy local charity or cause to which each of them donates $100. Combined, this means that up to $10,000 goes to a worthy cause once every quarter; over a year, the total donation could be as much as $40,000.
Thompson’s 100 Women Who Care group was founded by April Saunders, who heard about the organization from a colleague in Waterloo, Ontario. That colleague put Saunders in touch with other chapters who provided her information on how to get a Thompson chapter started.
Members of the organization are eligible to nominate charities or projects of their choice to receive the quarterly donations, which must be directed towards specific initiatives and not general administration and revenue. An initial round of voting pares the list of candidates down to three finalists, who to make at the quarterly meetings. The organization that receives the most votes gets the donation. Those who receive donations attend future meetings report on the status of the project and how the money was used. Recipients of the grants are not eligible to receive another for two years afterwards.
