Alison Lapczuk is the passionate Co-Founder of 100 Women Who Care, an organization dedicated to transforming generosity into a tangible, lasting impact within the community. Alison has helped create a platform where women come together to inspire change. By uniting their efforts, they empower one another to make meaningful, powerful, and yet remarkably simple contributions that improve lives. Below, Alison shares her insights.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
We are a community of 100+ women in Calgary who are passionate about supporting local causes in a meaningful way. At each one-hour meeting, our members come together to nominate and advocate for a local charity or non-profit. Through a collective vote, we select one organization to receive our group’s donation.
Each member contributes $100 per meeting, and together, we transform individual generosity into a $10,000+ impact for a local cause. By doing this four times a year, we channel $40,000+ annually into the hands of dedicated organizations working to improve the lives of those in our community.
Simple. Powerful. 100% to Charity.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Women are busy, but they still want to make a difference. 100 Women Who Care Calgary provides a simple, effective way to support local charities with just four hours per year—one hour at each quarterly meeting.
Every meeting is filled with inspiration and a chance to learn about incredible local causes through our members. We also receive an impact update from the previous meeting’s chosen charity, showing exactly how our donation has made a difference—bringing our collective giving full circle.
Giving back should be simple, meaningful, and powerful—and together, we make it happen.
When did you start/join it?
Christy McMurray and I founded the 100 Women Who Care Calgary chapter in the fall of 2013—making it the first chapter west of Ontario! At the time, there were only about five chapters nationwide. Today, this movement has grown to include over 200 active chapters across Canada, including 100 Men Who Care and 100 Kids Who Care, all dedicated to making a collective impact in their communities.
What made you want to get involved?
My mother-in-law, Donna Lapczuk, brought me to a 100 Women Who Care meeting in Windsor in August of 2013, and I was instantly hooked. The simplicity and impact of the model were so inspiring that I knew Calgary needed a chapter of its own. I connected with the local founders in Windsor and London, and within weeks, we launched 100 Women Who Care Calgary. Our first meeting was held on November 4, 2013, and we’ve been making a difference ever since.
What was the situation like when you started?
We started in a truly grassroots way—sending emails to invite our friends and encouraging them to spread the word. There was no big marketing push, just a shared belief in the power of collective giving.
It was also a time when Calgary had just endured the 2013 floods, a devastating event that brought our city together in incredible ways. There was a deep hunger to keep that spirit of helping alive, and 100 Women Who Care Calgary became a way to channel that energy into lasting community impact.
At our very first meeting, we saw the power of this model in action—we were able to donate $8,000 to The Hera Program at Boys and Girls Club of Calgary. It was the beginning of something truly special.
How has it changed since?
We have grown—far beyond what we initially imagined! Our original goal was to raise $40,000 per year for local charities, but as our membership grew beyond the 100-member mark, so did our impact.
In 2023, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary by reaching an incredible milestone—$1 million donated to Calgary charities. Today, we’ve raised over $1.1 million—and the impact continues to grow.
What started as a simple idea has become a powerful force for good in our community, and we’re so grateful for the women who continue to make it happen.
What more needs to be done?
The needs in our city are at an all-time high, and the power of 100 Women Who Care Calgary lies in our numbers. The more women who join us, the greater our collective impact.
We are always looking to spread the word and invite more caring women to be part of this movement. Every new member means the next charity receives an additional $100—and that can make all the difference.
We encourage guests to attend a meeting, see the impact firsthand, and join us in giving. The commitment is simple:
❤️ Give $100, four times a year
❤️ Be part of something bigger
❤️ Help create real change in Calgary
Join us today!
How can our readers help?
❤️ Follow us on social media to stay connected and see the impact we’re making: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
❤️ Share our posts with your network to help spread the word.
❤️ Join us! Be part of a movement of women making a real difference in Calgary.
Every new member means more support for local charities in need. Learn more and sign up today here.
Do you have any events coming up?
NEXT MEETING:
Date: Tuesday, May 27
Time: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Social Hour: 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Eaglequest Douglasdale Golf Club 7 Douglas Wood Drive SE, Calgary
✨ New members & guests are always welcome! ✨
Join us for an inspiring evening of collective giving and community impact. Bring a friend and see how powerful 100 Women Who Care can be! Learn more or sign up today here.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
We’ve had the honour of supporting so many incredible Calgary charities over the years. You can explore the full list here. Right now, we’d love to highlight Community Kitchen—Calgary’s second-largest food bank and a vital support system for many other charities we know and love. They are currently running their Nourishing Families Food Drive, collecting shelf-stable food donations until April 13th to help families facing food insecurity. With 1 in 4 Alberta families struggling to put food on the table, this is an urgent need. Let’s make a difference together! Find out how to help here.
