Women Who Care votes to help Castalia group

SANDUSKY -- A Castalia group that works with young women who are at risk will receive thousands of dollars from a local women's club that raises money for charity.The Erie County chapter of 100 Women Who Care voted to support Kendra's House, which works to help at-risk girls ages 13 to 18, said Martha Miller, a Perkins Township resident who came up with the idea of forming a chapter in Erie County.The group consists of women who meet four times a year and who pledge $100 apiece to a local charity that has nonprofit status with the IRS.At each meeting, the names of local charities are written down on slips of paper. Three are drawn from a fishbowl, and the woman who suggested the charity gets five minutes to make a pitch, and another five minutes to answer questions. After the 30 minutes of presentations, the women vote on which charity will get the money.At last week's meeting, held at Sandusky Yacht Club, Kendra's House won the election against two other worthy local charities, Cinderella's Closet and the Boys and Girls Club. About $8,600 has been raised so far, but as of Thursday, checks were still coming in, Miller said.Kendra Didion founded Kendra's House last year. The residential group home's mission is to help young women learn how to trust themselves and their ability to take care of themselves and others. At a minimum, residents will be expected to attend school, take part in counseling, attend to their personal hygiene and participate in the upkeep of the residence. They will be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities.The group formed the local chapter last year. At its first meeting, it raised about $10,000 for Sandusky Imagination Library, a project of the Kiwanis Club of Sandusky which provides books to preschool children in Erie County.The next meeting of the chapter will be on April 13 at the Sandusky Yacht Club. More information is available at the local club's website, 100womenwhocareineriecounty.com/. Supporters can also follow the group on Facebook.