Photo by Will Cornelius
In their inaugural meeting, 100 Women Who Care Berthoud, raised $1,600 for the Berthoud Adaptive Park Project. From left to right, Jessica Spears, Ali Parker, Lauren Bowling and her son Miles, Eileen Albrecht and Cathy Henderson.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

At their inaugural meeting, the choice was easy. “How did a mom in two years get this done?” said Cathy Henderson in amazement.

Henderson is a member of 100 Women Who Care Berthoud, a newly formed group of local women in the area who meet four times a year to raise money for local causes.

They are based on a national group, 100 Who Care Alliance, that helps link up 100 local people in an area to fundraise. Making a sizeable impact can be difficult for a single person, so the idea is to pool resources toward a common goal.

Each member commits $100 at each meeting, making for a total of $10,000 from 100 people. The group then discusses potential non-profits, funds, causes or charities before a vote is held to choose one recipient.

At the first meeting of the 100 Women Who Care Berthoud, a group of 16 women chose to donate $1,600 to the Berthoud Adaptive Park Project. The park is planned for the Farmstead Acres development and would be the only park designed for people with disabilities within a 45-minute drive.

“Children with cochlear implants can’t go down slides that are made out of plastic (because of) static feedback. So, there is a special kind of PVC that can be used for all of the slides which all of our slides will be made out of, but it costs a fortune,” said Lauren Bowling who started the campaign to build an adaptive park in Berthoud. Bowling’s son, Miles, has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound, making it difficult for him to enjoy most parks with his two brothers.

“When I went out and I started reading about it and I saw what your goal was, I thought ‘How can a mom raise a million dollars?’ Then I saw how far you were and it just blew me away,” said Henderson.

The Berthoud Adaptive Park Project is designed so that people of all abilities and walks of life can enjoy a day in the park. “I’m just a mom who asked a question,” Bowling said as she recalled beginning her journey to fundraise for an adaptive park. After moving from Mead to Berthoud, Bowling began contacting developers about developing a park for people with disabilities. In addition to allowing kids in wheelchairs to play and have fun, like Miles, the park also caters to people of all ages with sensory, intellectual or behavioral difficulties.

Betrayed by a beaming smile he cannot hide, Miles is shy but excited in the late afternoon last Thursday when four members of the 100 Woman Who Care Berthoud dropped off a check to help build a neighborhood park where he can play. He knows it is another step toward building his dream park. His favorite part of the future park will be a dual zipline that is wheelchair-accessible so he can race his brothers.

Henderson said she cannot believe all the work and progress Bowling has made toward fundraising for the park. It was one of the reasons the group chose to donate to the park project for their first contribution. The park has a fundraising goal of $1 million and has currently raised over $587,000.

Still seeking new members, 100 Women Who Care Berthoud encourages anyone interested in joining the group to reach out. More information can be found at https://berthoud100womenwhocare.my.canva.site/.

To donate or discover more about the Berthoud Adaptive Park Project, visit https://candaid.salsalabs.org/berthoudadaptiveparkproject/index.html.