Will County women’s group gives $158,000 to Shady Oaks Camp in Homer Glen

Will County — The Will County chapter of 100+ Women Who Care gave its last donation of 2024 to Shady Oaks Camp in Homer Glen.

The organization presented Executive Director Scott Steele with its “big check” for $15,800 on Dec. 14.

The members of 100+ Women raised $10,800 for Shady Oaks at its last quarterly meeting of the year, which was enhanced by a $5,000 contribution by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, according to a release from 100+ Women Who Care.

Shady Oaks Camp has been operating in Will County since 1947 and provides “outdoor fun and recreation for children and adults with disabilities,” according to the organization’s website.

The nonprofit summer camp provides services to campers including outdoor recreation; games; arts and crafts; swimming; and field trips to Chicago-area museums, zoos and parks. The activities provide one-to-one services and are adapted to fit the participants' disabilities, according to the Shady Oaks Camp website.

“The families at Shady Oaks Camp would like to thank 100+ Women Care of Will County and the Schulze Foundation,” Steele said in the release. “We are overwhelmed by your kindness and generosity. Now more than ever we need the support of the community to help us continue our vital program that was started 78 years ago by a group of caring parents. Your donation will go a long way to provide services for people with disabilities in our community.”

100+ Women Who Care is made up of local women who meet quarterly to contribute to local nonprofit organizations. The group is part of a larger national effort to help small nonprofits and communities by banding people together to make a larger difference, according to the group’s website.

Members meet quarterly and nominate charitable organizations for donations. Three are selected at random, and members vote on which ones should be funded. Each member then writes a check for at least $100 to the winning organization at the meeting.

“I have been a part of the 100+ women’s group for over seven years now, and the impact the group continues to make in our community is why I love being part of it,” Sheila Newcomb, who presented Shady Oaks with its check, said in the release.

The next meeting of 100+ Women Who Care Will County will be at 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at Coom’s Corner, 1225 E. 9th St., Lockport.