Cullasaja Women’s Outreach recently announced the results of its 2023 fundraising campaign. The independent collective of 99 women, focused on local philanthropy, is awarding $355,000 in grants to Highlands and Cashiers area not-for-profit organizations. Since its founding in 2006, CWO has invested over $2,800,000 in area 501(c)(3) organizations striving to strengthen the community.
Funds raised this year are being awarded to 29 local entities through a sophisticated grants process jointly chaired by Lindy Colson Harrison, Nancy Harrison, and Jo Hill. Individual awards range from $2,500 to $25,000. Grant recipients for 2023 include: Big Brothers Big Sisters; Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic; Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau; Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society; Cashiers Historical Society; the Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers; Counseling & Psychotherapy Center of Highlands; Fishes and Loaves; Friends of the Albert Carlton Library; Friends of Panthertown; Girls on the Run; Highlands Biological Foundation; Highlands Cashiers Chamber Music; Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust; Highlands-Cashiers Players; Highlands Community Child Development Center; Highlands Emergency Council; Highlands Hurricane Swim team; Highlands Historical Society; Hudson Library; International Friendship Center; Junior Appalachian Musicians Blue Ridge; The Literacy Council of Highlands, Inc.; Mountain Theatre Company (formerly the Highlands Playhouse); Peggy Crosby Community Service Center; Performing Arts Center Youth Theater Program; Pisgah Legal Services; The Bascom; and the Summit Charter School.
Forty-three percent of CWO grants this year support organizations dedicated to providing safety-net health and humanitarian services, and another 31 percent directed to those advancing education across the Plateau.
“During our site visits, we met a wealth of passionate people — many who volunteer their time and talents to improve the well-being of others,” said Grants Co-Chair Jo Hill. “Whether providing much-needed medical, dental or mental health services, or addressing needs for supplemental food or winter heat, non-profit organizations receiving CWO funds are working hard to resolve and fill the voids of the under-privileged in our community.”
“Beyond that,” said Nancy Harrison, “CWO grants support the building of cross-cultural relationships, bringing positive life choices and a sense of belonging to all who live and work on the Plateau.” “Another priority for our grants is education,” added counterpart Lindy Colson Harrison. “By supporting both in-school and afterschool programs, new possibilities are created for every child. How? By enhancing literacy and math comprehension, by promoting involvement in the creative aspects of music, art and theater, and by providing one-on-one mentors and positive role models. We were impressed that so many of the programs we chose to support promote perseverance, personal responsibility, teamwork, and positive values.”
“Throughout the years, Cullasaja Women’s Outreach has worked to advocate local philanthropy,” summed up Margaret Eichman, executive director. “We have shown that a simple grassroots organization can meaningfully plant the seeds of charity and nurture compassion. Each of us can do our part to further cultivate a caring community. This, we believe, is the true measure of a life well-lived.”
Partnering with the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, CWO established a CFWNC-CWO Charities fund, which enables the group to raise funds each summer and award them through a judicious grants process to make a meaningful difference in the local community. To date, Cullasaja Women’s Outreach has assisted over 42 local not-for-profit and charitable organizations in their efforts to enhance the community.