VERO BEACH — Emmy award winning news correspondent and philanthropist Faith Daniels spoke to a sold-out crowd of more than 180 women, plus a handful of brave men, at the fourth annual Indian River Impact 100 Membership Kickoff Breakfast at Quail Valley River Club.
Even before the kickoff, close to 200 women had already signed up as 2012 members in the incredibly successful philanthropic organization; the halfway mark to their goal of 400 members by March 1, 2012.
“To attract new members, we’ve been hosting morning coffees and afternoon wine and cheese get-togethers at various communities around town,” said Martha Lemasters, vice president of communications for the non-profit group. Lamasters, assisted by Indian River State College students, produced a concise video presentation to aid that effort.
“We have had a phenomenal turnout,” said board president Sue Tompkins in her opening remarks. “The program is really about the theme of transforming a philanthropic passion into action.”
Tompkins gave a brief history of the organization, which locally evolved from an earlier Women in Philanthropy initiative, created to educate women about charitable giving. After learning of the transformational grant method conceptualized by the Ohio-based Impact 100, the leadership team launched Indian River Impact 100 in December, 2008.
“The concept is so simple but so powerful – one woman, one gift, one vote,” said Tompkins, explaining that member donations of $1,000 each, enable transformational grants to local non-profits. “Collectively we can have an impact that as individuals we could never have.”
After being thanked as a consistent sponsor of Impact 100 events, Halsey Smith, managing director at Wilmington Trust joked, “I wanted to be in a room with 300 women telling me what to do and how to do it.”
Faith Daniels spoke about her earlier career as an anchor, host and correspondent with various news and talk shows, citing examples from her journalistic past. She eventually stepped away from what she called an unpredictable lifestyle to raise her family, and has taken up the mantle of support for a new philanthropic passion.
In 1991 as the host of her talk show, A Closer Look, she learned of the rare genetic disease known as Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). Painful recurrent blister formations require constant wound care, and musculoskeletal deformities often lead to an early death.
“I was impressed by the strength and optimism of a little girl who came on the show,” said Daniels, who soon after joined the board of DEBRA, the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association.
“They’re known as butterfly kids because their skin is as fragile as a butterfly’s wing. I call it my “there but for the grace of God go I” charity,” added Daniels.
She labeled it, “the worse disease you’ve never heard of,” despite the fact that EB occurs in one out of every 50,000 births; more frequently than cystic fibrosis. Although global research into developing ways to heal wounds and find a cure for the disease looks promising, the research, programs and services offered by DEBRA are vital and costly.
Jane Coyle, Indian River Impact 100 president elect and membership chair closed out the breakfast, reiterating that the extent of a member’s involvement can range from simply writing a check for $1,000 to serving on some of their many committees.
In the past three years, Indian River Impact 100 has distributed more than $700,000 in transformational grants to the Treasure Coast Food Bank, Exchange Club CASTLE Program, Harvest Food and Outreach Center, Childcare Resources of Indian River, The Learning Alliance, Hibiscus Children’s Center and Treasure Coast Community Health.
