From Nervous Newcomer to “I’m in the Right Place”: Julia’s First 100 Women+ Who Care Ottawa Experience

We’re so grateful to member Julia L. for sharing this thoughtful reflection on attending her very first 100 Women+ Who Care Ottawa gathering. Julia joined us in December and generously captured what it feels like to walk into the room for the first time, connect with new faces, and experience the power of collective giving in action. Thank you, Julia, for taking the time to put your experience into words and for being part of our community.

With excitement—and in retrospect, a touch of unneeded nervousness—I opened the door to Milestones on December 1 to attend my first gathering of 100 Women+ Who Care Ottawa. Right away my partner and I were met by the organizers with friendly greetings and smiles and were handed our name tags.  

I had been looking for a way to meet like-minded women, those who wanted to come together and make a difference to local organizations through collective charitable giving—what I might call the ‘multiplier effect.’ Sure, I can donate $100 to an organization, but if it’s just me, well, is it enough to make a difference? However, if many women commit to giving $100 to one of the three selected charities at each 100 Women+ Who Care event, that might be enough for a charity to pay needed bills, do something concrete, or get them to a goal or considerably closer to it. I also wanted to learn about charities that might not otherwise cross my giving path but work to fill a need in the Ottawa community. 100 Women+ Who Care Ottawa checked these boxes for me.  

Milestones was already hopping. There were lots of women talking with others, and tables were filling up. We headed for two empty seats. Who should I talk to first?? In the social hour before the charities’ presentations, we introduced ourselves, chatted with, and learned more about the women sitting at our table. There was a mix of women in terms of ages, employment (or not), and backgrounds. Some had joined with friends, and others had joined by themselves. Some were attending their first meeting. Pleasing to me, many had connections to hockey through their own play (past and present) or their children’s (respect to all the hockey mums out there!) or were following the PWHL Ottawa Charge!

Unsurprisingly, when I asked what had drawn them to the group, everyone said something similar: they wanted to help others in the Ottawa community through collective charitable giving and maybe make some new friends and connections along the way. Yes, I thought, I was definitely in the right place!  

At the end of the social hour, the organizing committee took to the stage to run the presentation portion of the event. I thought it was incredibly well-organized. Information, introductions, thanks, welcoming of new members, and prize draws (I won a 2026 calendar from Spencerville artist Julie Mercier—hurrah!) were delivered between short presentations and Q&As from the three charities selected for the December event: Compassionate Ottawa, Ottawa Multifaith Housing Initiative, and Serenity Renewal for Families. All charity representatives gave clear and focused overviews of their organization’s work. Personal stories made abundantly clear both the need for and the value of these charities in our community. The work of each charity made Ottawa better, I thought, and all of them were and are equally ‘deserving’ of our donations.  

And in two short hours, the December gathering was over. I was pleased to have made the decision to join 100 Women+ Who Care Ottawa. I met new people, laughed at myself for having had any nervousness about attending, and was looking forward to making my donation. Can’t wait for the next event on March 2nd!