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Literacy effort earns first check from 100-Plus Men Who Care group
A literacy program inspired by a woman who cares will benefit from the inaugural assembly of the 100-Plus Men Who Care Putnam County.
The more than 60 men in attendance Thursday night at the Inn at DePauw voted to present their first $10,000 check to the Imagination Library, a Dolly Parton-inspired project of the Friends of the Putnam County Library that provides a book a month to children under the age of five.
Since its addition to the Putnam County Public Library arsenal in June 2011, Imagination Library has provided age-appropriate books -- oftentimes a child's first reading material -- to nearly 1,000 Putnam County youngsters.
Those books, however, cost $25 annually for each child in the program, meaning a constant need for Friends of the Library fundraisers and donation solicitations.
So that $10,000 received from the 108 charter members who comprise the inaugural roster of the 100-Plus Men Who Care will go a long way toward making the Imagination Library, whose goal is increasing literacy in Putnam County, a permanent local fixture.
"This is just a start," 100-Plus Men organizer Scott Davis said after presenting the lottery-sized $10,000 check to member Rick Provine who made a four-minute presentation on behalf of his chosen 501c3 organization.
Other candidates for the group's initial $10,000 donation were the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County, championed by Phil Gick, and Main Street Greencastle, presented by George Velazquez.
Following the brief presentations and a few questions and answers, the men in attendance voted by secret ballot for their chosen cause.
"Fun with our philanthropy," Davis called it, adding that he was "thrilled with the turnout" at the first meeting.
Putnam County men interested in joining the new philanthropic organization may still do so by calling Davis at 653-8663 or via email at contact@100plusmen.com.
Davis, who in January enlisted 11 men to help organize the effort, said, "100-Plus Men gives men who may feel it is difficult to make a significant impact individually the ability to make a meaningful difference and learn more about the many worthy community service programs and organizations serving Putnam County."
Here's how the program works: 100-Plus Men members will meet four times each year for a 45-minute meeting. At each quarterly session, a member may nominate a local 501c3 non-profit public charity or a government entity to be included in a drawing.
Three members' nonprofits are randomly drawn from a fishbowl, and each of the three get up to four minutes to explain the organization and its services. Two minutes are also provided for questions if needed.
"As individuals, we sometimes feel that it is difficult to make a very large community impact," Davis said. "But as a group of 100 plus, we have the ability to make a meaningful difference in ways we never thought possible."
The second meeting of the group is scheduled for Thursday, June 4.