Exactly Who is WHO?
By 
I mentioned in my last blog about having met someone at the Volunteer Awards Ceremony who told me about a local charity support organization named WHO, Women Helping Others. The group was started in autumn 2014 with the mission of giving Safety Harbor women a night out to socialize while having a chance to give back to those in their community who could use a helping hand. What a great idea! Here’s how it works:
Four times a year, WHO holds a potluck dinner where attendees bring a covered dish to share, and a $20 tax-deductible donation for that night’s sponsored charity. Local businesses have supported the group’s efforts by donating raffle prizes such as wine or restaurant gift certificates, and the raffle ticket sales go to increasing the size of the donation for the chosen recipient group. They’ve held three potlucks since their inception, one each quarter, and their first three chosen 501c3 charities were Safety Harbor’s Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center, Paint Your Heart Out Safety Harbor, and Embracing Life Through Love. WHO’s first three potlucks were great successes, raising a total of $2,438 in donations to the charities, quite a tidy sum for a night out with the girls!
Their next potluck event is to raise funds for UPARC’s Harborside Studios and will be held on August 28th at 7:00 pm. The potluck will take place inside the studio itself to give everyone a chance to see the facility, which is located at 176 5th Avenue North. Let’s help spread the word! This wonderful environment is a teaching facility for developmentally disabled local residents and doubles as a gallery displaying their works. During the potluck event, as is usual for Harborside Studios, student’s artwork will be on display for sale, with 60% of the proceeds going to the artist and the remainder going to the studio to purchase additional supplies.
It sounds like a fun way to spend an evening, meeting new friends and helping to make a difference. Mark your calendars, and I hope to see you there! You can stay up to date on WHO’s future fundraisers by checking their web site: http://whosafetyharbor.weebly.com. It’s a terrific organization with a fun and unique way to help make Safety Harbor a wonderful place for all of us.
~written by Barbara Ulmer, Safety Harbor resident blogger
The schedule for the upcoming fundraiser has been updated. The next fundraiser will be held on August 28th at the Harborside Studios. Hope you have a great turnout!
Barb, just wanted to let you know that UPARC has changed it’s name. It is now The Arc Tampa Bay. Here’s a link to their website for those wishing to learn more. http://thearctb.org/ Thanks for this wonderful article!
Thanks Karen, good to know and I really appreciate the link for more info on them, they’re a terrific organization!
Thanks for letting me know about the date change, Karen. I’ve requested the blog be updated and have a note to mention it as a reminder in a new blog the week prior to the 28th. I hope to have the chance to say hello at the event!
I am the founder of WHO and I thank you for your blog post supporting our fund raising gatherings. Unfortunately, just today the date of the August gathering at Harborside Studios was changed from August 14 to August 28. Can we get the word out about the date change? It’s going to be a spectacular gathering and I look forward to meeting more Safety Harbor neighbors.