WHO WE ARE
ABOUT US
The Steering Committee
Lyn Goldsmith
Lyn is a registered nurse and a graduate of Columbia University, where she also spent the last 20 years of her professional career. She moved to Stowe in 2018 to fulfill a long-held goal: having a dog, a canoe, and the time to enjoy both. A former marathon swimmer and avid kayaker, she is now deeply involved in dog agility. Even before relocating full time, she was active in the community, volunteering with Stowe Weekend of Hope and participating in REAL (Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille). She currently serves on the Recreation Commission and the Lamoille Valley Osher Lifelong Learning Institute committee (OLLI), volunteers as part of a therapy dog team with Therapy Dogs of Vermont, and is a land steward for Mayo Farm. She is also the founder of 100 Women Who Care–Lamoille County.
Leigh Pelletier
In 2009, Leigh moved to Stowe with her husband to raise their three sons. She quickly fell in love with the community and wanted to give back. Over the years, she was a Lamoille South Supervisory Union and Stowe School Board member, co-founder of the Stowe Covid19 General Relief Fund, and founder of the Stowe Community Fund. Leigh has always sought ways to create positive change so she was excited when Lyn first brought the concept of 100WWC-LC to her. She is thrilled to be involved in the leadership of 100 Women Who Care - Lamoille County.
Beth Gadbois
Beth is a ninth generation Vermonter who graduated locally from Johnson State College. After serving in the Peace Corps and traveling the world, she moved to Stowe nearly 30 years ago to raise her two sons. She has served on the Boards of the North Country Animal League, the Stowe Co-op and now River Arts. She co-founded Hunger’s Hard, Baking’s Easy along with numerous other fundraisers for area non-profits and individuals. She has owned her business the Body Lounge for over 20 years. She currently serves on the Stowe Selectboard. She loves to bake, travel with her husband Chip and take way too many photos of her cat Punkins.
Molly Brewer
Molly’s work life was varied (editor of computer manuals used by NASA, journalist, IT work at Brown University’s Medical School, web designer, web master, and compliance for a study about brain implants to treat depression), but the job she found most rewarding was hospice grief counselor. Through the years, she volunteered for Pan Mass Challenge and Odyssey of the Mind. She can be found in her former one-room schoolhouse or in her lake house, both in Elmore. Her happiest days are when downhill skiing, hiking, swimming the length of Lake Elmore, or watching her dog jump off the dock. She has been excited about 100 Women Who Care since first hearing about it in 2024.
PART OF A GLOBAL MOVEMENT
100+ WHO CARE
With more than 650 global giving circles, 100+ Who Care Alliance is a worldwide network consisting of 100 Women Who Care, 100 Men Who Care, 100 Teens Who Care, and many more.
Each giving circle sets its own rules. Most meet four times a year, and members or teams donate $100 per quarter. Our Lamoille County giving circle is proud to be part of this transformative movement, along with three others in Vermont: Chittenden, Franklin, and Addison.
Here is a link to a short video about the 100 Who Care community by the 100 Who Care Alliance:
The Story Behind 100 Who Care
Karen Dunigan always found it interesting that one of her greatest ideas was born from something as simple and basic as baby cribs. It was during lunch one day in 2006 in Jackson, Michigan with executive leadership from the Center for Family Health, where other fundraising matters were being discussed, that the Center’s CEO mentioned a need she learned about at a staff meeting earlier that morning regarding new mothers and portable cribs. Karen’s ears perked and she told the CEO that would be something she would like to know more about and another lunch was scheduled to specifically discuss the need.
During the follow up lunch, details were shared on how new mothers were bringing their babies home and placing the sleeping infants in boxes, dresser drawers or on their own beds because they could not afford a proper crib. Some of these babies didn’t survive the night. Karen was presented with a list of how many cribs were needed, the cost of mattresses, blankets and beds. In all, a total of $10,000 was needed.
As Karen began thinking about Center for Family Health’s need, she knew there had to be a way to quickly and easily meet the financial request that was presented. With all of her involvement in the community, Karen knew she could call ten people and ask them to write $1,000 checks, but she also figured she knew 100 women who would each give $100. She began making phone calls and scheduled a meeting. At that first meeting, in one hour, a group of Karen’s friends heard the story and each wrote checks to the Center for Family Health, resulting in a $12,800 donation, more than requested, to supply new mothers with the simplest need: a crib.
Karen recognized that she was on to something special and that it too was in its own infancy and needed to be nurtured to grow. She founded the first 100+ Women Who Care and scheduled quarterly meetings. The rules were simple, any member could present a need in the community, the need had to be immediate and the money had to remain local. The idea was that a worthy cause benefits many in the community.
Karen’s legacy lives on through the expansion of 100+ Chapters throughout the world. There are now more than 900 chapters either fully operational (650) or under development (more than 250) and they include women, men, people, kids, and teens chapters. Karen saw people for their strengths and realized that when 100 or more people come together in a room, each person becomes a powerful force for doing good work while lifting up your community. We are each strong in our own right, but together we are stronger. Karen knew this, applauded it and was so very proud of 100+ Women Who Care.
OUR CORE VALUES
WHAT WE STAND FOR
These principles guide everything we do — from how we run our meetings to how we grant our recipients
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100% DIRECT GIVING
Every single dollar goes directly to local nonprofits. No overhead, no administration fees, no middleman. Your $100 makes a real impact.
LOCAL IMPACT
We focus exclusively on Lamoille County nonprofits. The money stays local, serving our neighbors and strengthening our community.
SIMPLICITY
No galas, no fundraising campaigns, no committees. Just one hour, four times a year. That's all it takes to be part of something extraordinary.
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STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
One person giving $100 is generous. One hundred people each giving $100 is transformative. Together we can create at least $10,000+ of impact per quarter.
TRANSPARENCY
Members decide who to nominate and vote for. Every decision is democratic and open. You always know exactly where your donation is going.
INCLUSIVITY
Open to everyone across Lamoille County, regardless of race, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity