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Thank You, 100 Women for Good: Expanding Street Outreach Across McLean County
Monday, September 14th, 2026
Our largest award to date
Two weeks ago, The Lumina Project stood before the members of 100 Women for Good Bloomington-Normal and asked them to invest in our Street Outreach Expansion Initiative. By the end of the evening, they had chosen us.
Counting member donations, additional gifts made that night and afterward, and donation matching, the award came to more than $11,975 from 113 individual donors. It is the largest funding award in our organization's history, and it comes as we head into a Central Illinois winter, when it can do the most good.
To every member who listened, asked questions, voted, and gave: thank you. You chose to invest in a young, all-volunteer organization, and we take that trust seriously.
About 100 Women for Good Bloomington-Normal
100 Women for Good Bloomington-Normal is a giving circle of local women who, in their words, are "passionate about making a positive and meaningful impact in the Bloomington-Normal community." Their model is simple:
Each member commits $100 per meeting.
Three times a year, members gather for about an hour to hear short presentations from local nonprofit finalists.
Members vote, and the winning organization receives the combined gift of $10,000 or more.
They sum it up in one line: 1 hour + 100+ Women + $100 donation each = $10,000+ for Good.
The group was founded by Marie Eledge, who started it to help close the funding gaps local nonprofits face. Her goal was also to bring together women from all kinds of industries and professions, and to help them see the needs that exist in our own community (WGLT). Every award goes to a program with direct, local impact on Bloomington-Normal residents.
We are grateful to Marie, the planning team, and every member who makes this work possible.
Why this kind of giving matters
For a small organization, an award like this changes what is possible. Many grants come with long application cycles and requirements designed for larger agencies. 100 Women for Good works differently. Nonprofits make their case directly to the people funding them, the decision is made in a single evening, and every dollar stays in our community.
It is also competitive. After the pandemic, the number of local nonprofits applying each cycle grew from three or four to roughly 17, according to WGLT's reporting on the group. Being selected from that pool is an honor, and one we don't take for granted.
The impact goes beyond the check. In one hour, more than a hundred community members heard from three organizations serving neighbors in need across McLean County. That kind of awareness builds lasting support for the whole local nonprofit network, not only the organization that wins.
More than $11,975 from 113 individual donors will help the Lumina Project expand direct street outreach across McLean County in the coming year.
Why we do this work
Our pitch opened with a day from last Thanksgiving week. The wind cut through every layer of clothing as we walked through the gravel pits. Tarps were whipping and thin tent walls had caved in. We had visited this encampment many times, but at first glance there was no one there. The cold had pushed everyone deep into their shelters, out of sight.
We followed the dirt trails further, through sparse tree lines, and found people hunkered down wherever they could find refuge. What we planned as a chance to hand out a home-cooked meal became a reality check. We were cold, but others were far worse off. We sat with them, we listened, and for a while that connection mattered as much as the food did.
That is the crisis unhoused people in McLean County live with every day: largely unseen, right when they need help most. The numbers tell the same story:
About 400 people experience homelessness across Central Illinois on any given night.
McLean County ranks 12th in Illinois for homelessness.
Unhoused Illinoisans are projected to die 20 years earlier, on average.
Deaths among unhoused Illinoisans have risen 36.6% since COVID-19.
Where the funds go
The Street Outreach Expansion Initiative builds on a service model we've already tested. It extends direct outreach to encampments, community shelters, and hard-to-reach locations across McLean County over the next year. Our $10,000 proposal is divided into three areas:
Area | Amount | What it funds |
Food and Basic Necessities | $5,000 | Biweekly, ready-to-eat meals delivered to encampments, shelters, and underserved locations for a full year |
Seasonal Necessities | $3,000 | Cold-weather clothing, sheltering equipment, and weather-protection supplies for 30–40 people this winter |
Emergent Flex Fund | $2,000 | Fast, flexible support for time-sensitive needs that stand between someone and stability |
Food and Basic Necessities: $5,000
Half of the award goes to consistent meals. We will provide catered, ready-to-eat meals directly to people living in encampments, community shelters, and other underserved locations throughout McLean County, through bi-weekly distributions for the full year. Showing up on a regular schedule is how trust gets built, and trust is what makes every other kind of help possible.
Seasonal Necessities: $3,000
This winter, we will provide clothing, sheltering equipment, and weather-protection supplies to about 30–40 members of our community. These supplies help people get through extreme temperatures and changing conditions, the same conditions we saw during last Thanksgiving week.
Emergent Flex Fund: $2,000
Through our participation in the Central Illinois Continuum of Care, we regularly meet people facing urgent barriers to housing and stability. Sometimes the barrier is small and specific: one deposit, one ID, one bus ticket. These flexible dollars let us respond the moment we meet someone in that position, helping them access housing, employment, or supportive services.
Built to last
This isn't a one-time push. It's a sustainable structure built to keep meeting people through this winter and many winters to come. The generosity of 100 Women for Good members brought the final total above our original request, and those additional funds will go straight back into this work.
Thank you
We also want to congratulate our fellow finalists, the Wesley Distribution Ministry and the Community Healthcare Clinic. Both do essential work for our neighbors, and it was a privilege to share the evening with them. Reducing disparities in McLean County takes all of us.
To Marie Eledge, the 100 Women for Good planning team, and every member who gave: thank you for believing in this work. A single meal is where this starts, not where it should end. Your investment means a full year of routine meals, a warmer winter for 30–40 of our neighbors, and a safety net for the moments that can't wait. We'll put it straight back into Bloomington-Normal, and we look forward to sharing what it makes possible.
