Sara Steines and Laura Miller have built an army of women eager to make a difference in their local community but strapped for time to commit to a cause.
Steines and Miller, coworkers turned friends, are the leading ladies behind 100+ Women Who Care Milwaukee, a group that brings women together to make collective donations to Milwaukee-focused organizations.
Steines and Miller, both transplants to Milwaukee and both employees of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, formed the organization in 2012 with a push to give back to the community, meet other women and expand their networks. Steines is director of population health management and payment innovation and Miller is corporate director for the office of the CEO at Children’s Hospital.
100+ Women Who Care Milwaukee, which exists alongside branches in other cities, meets quarterly at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin. Members vote on one local organization to benefit with donations each quarter from a pool of nominations submitted by members. Each member pledges to donate $100 to the winning organization or be part of a team that makes a $100 donation at each meeting.
Since its inception, the group has grown from about 35 members to about 85. Steines and Miller anticipate hitting their 100th member this year and surpassing the $100,000 donation milestone.
“I grew up with a fantastic family and a fantastic community and I’ve had a lot of blessings in my life,” Steines said. “And I believe that it is incumbent upon all of us to pay it forward when we can.”
