100 Women Donate $17K to Put Books in Kids' Hands

After eight years of trying, Caryl Hackett finally got her chance to speak at the 100 Women Who Care event in Montcalm County, Michigan. Her passionate pitch for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library won over the room and secured $17,000 for kids who need books most.

The concept is beautifully simple. One hundred women gather once a year, each bringing $100 to donate to a local charity. Three organizations get nominated from a basket, each presenting for five minutes, and then the women vote. The winner takes home the pooled donations, all staying right in Montcalm County.

This year's competition featured the Clay St. Center, Montcalm Area Master Gardeners, and Hackett's beloved Imagination Library. The library program mails one free, high-quality book monthly to every child from birth to age four in the Montcalm Area Intermediate School District. Dolly Parton herself chooses each title, starting young readers with classics like "I Think I Can."

The program launched locally in 2012 and once served kids up to age five. But rising postage costs and federal funding cuts forced organizers to scale back in October 2025, even as they continue reaching 13,000 children monthly.

Hackett made her case clear. When parents read to children who can't yet read themselves, those kids feel valued. In a county facing an 18 to 23 percent illiteracy rate, building a love of reading early can change lives.

When the votes were tallied and the Imagination Library won, Hackett stood stunned. "I can't even process yet what this will mean to the program," she said.

The Ripple Effect

Since its founding, 100 Women Who Care Montcalm County has donated over $140,000 to local charities in just nine years. Organizations like Relief After Violent Encounters, the Montcalm County Food Basket, and Court Appointed Special Advocates have all received checks ranging from $12,600 to $20,300. Each dollar stays local, addressing needs from domestic violence support to childhood hunger.

The group started in Jackson, Michigan, and has now spread worldwide. But the Montcalm chapter keeps its focus tight on home, where neighbors help neighbors in the most direct way possible.

For the Imagination Library, this $17,000 means thousands more books landing in mailboxes. It means more toddlers cuddled up with parents at bedtime, turning pages together. It means kids arriving at kindergarten already loving stories, already seeing themselves as readers.

One hour, one hundred women, and $17,000 later, literacy in Montcalm County just got a powerful boost.