Tuesday night’s vote for the awardee of 100+ Harbor Women Who Care’s October giving event at the Hoquiam Elks Lodge could have gone one of three ways.

After presentations from Driftwood Players, Montesano PTO and Grays Harbor Youth Works, even the best betting parlors couldn’t lay odds on who would get the bag.

After 15-20 minutes of murmuring, vote collection and tabulation, Grays Harbor Youth Works was awarded an eventual total of $14,000 (pay no attention to the amount written on the ceremonial check), and is now eligible for an additional $5,000 from a nationwide family foundation since the event raised more than $10,000.

The founder of 100+ Harbor Women Who Care, Maryann Welch, welcomed everyone to the event, and gave a bit of history of the Grays Harbor chapter and its parent organization, the 100+ Who Care Alliance, a network that consists of more than 650 global chapters.

In her opening remarks, Welch spoke of the generosity, compassion and caring of the people of Grays Harbor and the collective power of the organization’s giving events and how they “democratize giving.” She described the women who attend the events as having a “collective effervescence.”

Ten women form the core of the 100+ Harbor Women Who Care organization — Welch, Molly Bold, Martha George, Diana Grigsby, Jessica Hoover, Pat Oleachea, Franzine Potts, Alissa Shay, Dori Unterseher and DonnaJeanne Williams.

Women who attended the October event come from all walks of life, and included those who have attended every giving event held to-date, numerous first-timers and several in between. Many recognizable faces dotted the room.

Bold and Hoover served as the masters of ceremonies for the evening’s festivities.

First up, David Quigg, Angie Brown and Erin Swint of Harbors Home Health & Hospice presented an update regarding the donation they were awarded at the March giving event.

“We’re serving more patients than ever across both counties, hundreds of individuals receiving skilled medical care and emotional support in their own homes, your gift has helped us strengthen that work and reach even further,” Quigg said. “One of the biggest impacts of your donation has been our Aging in Place education series. These events give people the tools to plan ahead, understand their healthcare options and make informed choices about aging with independence and dignity.”

Quigg recounted a story of a couple who had been together for 25 years and how Brown facilitated a hospice wedding on behalf of the bride, who passed away two days later.

“Hospice isn’t about giving up, it’s about living fully with compassion and care until the very end,” Quigg said. “The support for 100 Women Who Care has helped us educate, connect and care for our community in powerful ways.”

Each of the three nominees was given 10 minutes for their presentation and an additional five minutes to answer questions from the audience.

Brad Duffy of the Driftwood Players and the Driftwood Theatre in Aberdeen was the first nominee to present.

“At Driftwood, we like to think of ourselves as a family, not only within the organization but within the community,” Duffy said. “Driftwood was established in 1960. We started out in Cosmopolis, moved to Hoquiam and we’ve been in our current location since 1982. That was 40 years ago and we are working hard to update the theater to today’s standards. Since the pandemic it has been hard to get the audience back to Driftwood. Our goal is always to educate and entertain. … Our next big project is that we hope to replace the seats in the theater in addition to getting more people in to see shows and to get more people involved.”

Next up, the Montesano PTO, represented by Kerry Wallman and her daughter Rosey, Melissa Barnes and Sarah White.

“The Montesano PTO is a volunteer group. It’s parents, teachers, educators, all from the Montesano School District or the community that come together to put together events for our students, fundraise,” White said. “The point of the Montesano PTO is to get in there and enhance the educational experience of our students and to provide them with opportunities they are unable to get otherwise.”

Kerry Wallman went into detail about the Montesano PTO’s bi-annual book fairs, their fall fundraiser and upcoming fun run. White added that all the funds that the organization raises is invested right back into the schools and students with a variety of events and playground and recreational equipment purchases. The Montesano PTO is hoping to acquire ADA compliant playground equipment.

Rosey Wallman, a second grade student, said, “I would really like it if all the students could have something to play with on the playground. It isn’t fair that some kids are left out because they have different abilities.”

Jessica Eddington of Grays Harbor Youth Works presented third. Eddington was promoted to executive director when Cheryl R. Brown stepped down in June after seven years with the organization.

“We work with local schools, we work with every high school in the county. If they invite us in, I go in and present our program to the students. We do not push college on students because some careers don’t require college,” Eddington said. “We help students figure out how to get that dream career that they’re looking for. It’s really hard for them to figure that out. Students are kind of lost, all students are. … They are terrified to try new stuff. If they know what their dream career and what their passion would be, I find a local business in that industry and we pair the student up with that local business.”

According to Grays Harbor Youth Works website, “Grays Harbor Youth Works was founded in 2013 with the help of community residents concerned with the well-being of the youth in Grays Harbor County. We operate specifically for the purpose of providing 15 to 19-year-old high school students with a $200 scholarship. These internships offer the student 20% job shadowing and 80% hands-on experience in the business and nonprofit sectors.”

After the presentations, volunteers and members of the core 10 collected the ballots and squirreled them away into a secret chamber for tabulation. When Hoover emerged with the oversized ceremonial check, Grays Harbor Youth Works was announced as the awardee and a barrage of photo taking ensued.

“It’s very humbling because I looked out when I was standing up there to speak and it’s a sea of faces that I respect and admire from this community, I honestly didn’t think we were going to get it to be totally blunt. I made some connections here for volunteers and to me that was just as valuable if not more valuable than the cash itself,” Eddington said. “When I go and do these presentations I tell students you might think you want to leave the Harbor … there is no place that is more beautiful or generous like the community in Grays Harbor. There’s a uniqueness in this community, there’s something special about Grays Harbor.”

Welch concluded, “I think (the events) just keep getting better, more exciting, more people have been exposed to it so they come with an excitement ready to happen.”

The next 100+ Harbor Women Who Care giving event is tentatively scheduled for March 10, 2026, at the Hoquiam Elks Lodge.

Jessica Eddington of Grays Harbor Youth Works accepts a ceremonial $13,300 check from 100+ Harbor Women Who Care at the October giving event at the Hoquiam Elks Lodge. The actual amount of the donation was $14,000.

Maryann Welch, founder of 100+ Harbor Women Who Care, makes opening remarks at the October giving event.

March’s awardees, Harbors Home Health & Hospice, represented by David Quigg, Angie Brown and Erin Swint (left), update the audience regarding the donation they received.