By Marisa Dawson
On Friday afternoon, 100 Women Who Care Bennington NE presented a $4,650 check to the Christopher Bremer Foundation, the recipient of their inaugural giving event held in the fall. Thirty-one members each contributed $100, totaling $3,100, with the remaining funds coming from a matching grant provided through the Schulze Family Foundation and the 100 Who Care Alliance, which offers 50% matches up to $5,000 under certain criteria.
Founded by Debbie Bremer in memory of her son Christopher, who passed away in 2020, the foundation operates The Link: a free walk-in mental health urgent care clinic. The funding is especially timely as the organization prepares to open its second location. “It’s vital for us because one, we’re opening our second location and two is we actually get donations locally and we don’t rely on big government grants or anything like that,” Bremer said. “All those services for the counseling come from small individuals and businesses that are all local that help us to get to where we need to be.”
Bremer highlighted the community’s warm reception and the clinic’s no-cost services. “I think as more and more people find out about us being here, they welcome us with open arms and we get a lot of feedback from people that say, ‘I can’t believe I can just come there and I don’t have to worry about paying anything’,” she shared. The Link currently offers walk-in Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m., with plans for expansion including a new site in the Bellevue area.
100 Women Who Care Bennington President Molly Hoge expressed pride in the group’s strong debut. “I love the turnout we had. We had some phenomenal participation with new members and with people who had been involved in the organization before,” Hoge said. “It doesn’t take a lot of time to attend one giving event three times a year, but the impact is huge. And to be able to create that opportunity for other busy, driven women in this community is really special.” The group aims to grow to 50 members by their next giving event on January 15 at 6 p.m. at Hay Jay Cafe in Bennington, amplifying their impact on local nonprofits.
