November 2025 Newsletter Content | | | |  | |
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Renew, Recharge, Rise
“Renew, Recharge, Rise” was the theme of the Impact100 Global Conference that four of us attended in Miramar Beach, Florida, in October. We met fellow Impact100 members from across the world — including New Zealand — and came away with new friendships, valuable insights, and a renewed sense of purpose.
We participated in workshops covering membership, grants management, social media tools, ChatGPT, and chapter governance, among many others. The keynote sessions focused on being the CEO of our own health, overcoming obstacles, and using lessons from our past to help us rise to future challenges. Honestly, I hadn’t attended an in-person conference in years, and it truly RENEWED me!
Impact100 Founder Wendy Steele shared a simple yet powerful lesson from her “Grammy.” When walking on the beach, walk into the wind first, so it will be at your back on the return. The moral of the story? Do the hardest thing first.
The women who started our chapter did the hardest things first. Through their vision and diligence, we are an established 501(c)(3) organization with a strong foundation. As we begin Season 9, we know there is still much work to be done. Our local nonprofits continue to face increasing needs amid federal cuts, and the more members we have, the more grants we can award, and the greater impact we can make. The bigger our impact, the stronger and more resilient our beloved community becomes. Please invite a friend or neighbor to join us this year!
Speaking of Season 9, we officially kicked off at the Kane Center on November 12. Our board members and committee chairs shared updates on the work they’ve been doing over the summer, and I hope you had a chance to meet our Season 8 grant recipients and hear about the progress of their funded projects.
We were also inspired by Lisa Holland, President and CEO of Sheltair, who shared how her company is putting philanthropy into action and helping the next generation of young women interested in aviation RISE. Being in a room filled with women of impact while hearing Lisa share her story of resilience, tenacity and perseverance moved me to tears and truly RECHARGED ME.
Click Here to View Photos of Kick Off
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. How wonderful it is to have a day dedicated entirely to gratitude. Every morning, when I say my prayers, I give thanks for the women I’ve met through Impact100 Martin, and I mean that sincerely. I’m deeply inspired by each of you, both as individuals and as part of this collective force for good that helps people we may never meet.
As we move into the holiday season, I hope you take time to rest, reflect, and reconnect with those you love. And that together, we will Renew, Recharge, and Rise as we continue to create positive, lasting change in Martin County.
Make Each Day Count!
Warmly,
| | President, Impact100 Martin | | |
Together, we are creating positive, lasting change through collective giving.
As of November 6, we are thrilled to share that 188 women have joined Impact100 Martin for the 2025/26 giving year — including 37 new members! We’re already ahead of last year’s pace, so let’s keep the momentum going! Be sure you’ve renewed, invite a friend to join, or consider gifting a membership this holiday season.
Welcome to New Members
Barbara Anderson- South Martin County - Rocky Point
Sharon Griffin - Stuart
Angela Kacprowicz - Biz Professional
Kathy Kenny, Dottie Hernandez and Sandra Porceng - Harbour Ridge
Valerie Gaynor-South Martin County - Hobe Sound
Joyce Ruggeri-MDCC - Crane Creek
Thank you to these members for the referrals:
Carol Scarola, Callaway Houtenbos, Arati Hammond, Joan Gibbons, and Yvonne Orr.
Give the Gift of Membership
Looking for the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for person on your holiday list?
Give the gift of Impact by purchasing an Impact100 Martin membership in their name. It’s a meaningful way to introduce your children, grandchildren, or friends to the power of philanthropy and collective giving. The membership can be gifted anonymously if you wish.
To make this happen, you fill out the donor form in the link below, get us a check for $1100, and we’ll take care of welcoming your recipient to our community of women creating positive, lasting change in Martin County! If you have questions, please contact Stephanie at administration@impact100martin.org.
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Did you bring a friend/potential new member to KICK OFF? Is there anything that the Membership team can do to help you follow up with this person to join?
Would you consider hosting a Meet & Mingle at your home or office or clubhouse? We are gearing up for a BIG new member drive in January and February and our Membership Team would love to tell the important Impact100 story to your friends/colleagues. You provide the people, venue and a little snack, and we will do the rest! Email Kallie Jurgens at kalliejurgens@icloud.com if you would consider helping us out in this way.
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Banner Lake Connects
Seventeen members and guests attended this inspiring visit. The organization shared exciting news — their new van, Josephine, has been purchased, equipped, wrapped, and is officially on the road!
Our Impact100 Martin logo is proudly displayed on the vehicle, which carries up to twelve passengers, plus a wheelchair passenger and driver.
Banner Lake Connects is now providing transportation to seniors and individuals who are transportation disadvantaged. In September alone, rides included trips to House of Hope for food assistance, transportation for ten individuals to two funerals, and community outings such as the Bohemian Festival. Click here to view Photos
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Project LIFT
Nineteen members and guests attended the Project LIFT visit, highlighting the organization’s BuildUp: Empowering Martin County’s Next Generation of Skilled Workers program.
Thanks to their $100,000 Impact Grant, Project LIFT has purchased a forklift and launched a certification program that is already operational. Sixteen young adults (ages 18–24) have earned their forklift certifications, with twenty more currently enrolled in the program on a rolling basis.
Click here to view Photos
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Kristen Winter
One of the marvelous and extremely enjoyable aspects of our Impact100 chapter life is the outstanding quality of our membership. We attract women who not only have interesting personal lives but also have created successful careers that are significantly supportive of individuals in their communities. One of our very active members, Kristin Winter, is a Floridian who has raised (along with her husband, Tom) two young men, loves exercise (not just walking and Pilates, but strength training), and travels as much as her work allows. The couple spent their honeymoon in Tahiti and Bora Bora! She earned her Master’s degree in speech pathology at Florida Atlantic University, and practiced as a medical speech pathologist at the Cleveland Clinic for 13 years. She then followed in her entrepreneurial father’s footsteps (he was an optometrist) and opened her own company, Speech Rx- Adult Speech and Swallowing Therapy, right here in Stuart.
She became interested in getting to know the women in our organization and joined in 2021, just when COVID hit. While there was not much activity during those years, a friend in Palm City, Allison Warren, encouraged her to increase her participation by joining Allison as Co-chair of the Martin Downs Impact100 community. Increasing our membership and encouraging women to pool their resources for charitable giving takes time, but Kristin still finds opportunities to take a special interest in the Elder Care Mobile Outreach Program at the Kane Center and supports Safe Space's efforts.
We are blessed in our membership, and Kristin is certainly among those we appreciate and value.
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Featured Event Series
A Call to Nature: Launching the Impact100 Martin Nature Club
Following the success of our Impactful Conversations - Environment, Preservation, & Recreation event, Impact100 Martin is thrilled to introduce a new way to connect with our community's commitment to conservation: the Impact100 Martin Nature Club! This new club invites our members and guests to step out of the meeting room and actively explore all that Martin County is doing to protect and preserve our precious environment.
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Birding & Photography Guided Tour
Saturday, December 6, 2025
12:45 pm – 5 pm
Palm City
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Discover Indian River Lagoon Boat Tour
Saturday, April 11, 2026 12:45 pm – 2:30 pm
Fort Pierce
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Blowing Rocks Preserve Tour & Nature Hike
Saturday, May 16, 2026
9:30 am – 10:30am
Hobe Sound
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Member Engagement Events Listing
Casual Golf - Play 9 holes for all skill levels
Friday Mornings 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Sailfish Sands in Stuart
Please let Brenda know by Wednesday of each week if you plan to play, so she can book a tee time. Just text Brenda at 914-337-0490. It's pay-to-play directly at the course ($25 per person for 9 holes).
A Call to Nature: Launching the Impact100 Martin Nature Club
with a Birding & Photography Guided Tour
Saturday, Dec 6, 2025, 12:45 pm – 5:00 pm
C-44 STA, Western Martin County, ~2 miles east of 710 on SW Citrus Blvd, Palm City
Welcome Circle: Your Gateway to Impact100 Martin Member Orientation
Tuesday, Dec 9, 2025, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Virtual Event - A link will be provided to registered attendees. Please add the Zoom link from the Confirmation email to your calendar (as it is not included in the meeting download link).
See Your Impact!
Edudome: Friends of the Everglades
Thursday, January 8, 2026, 11:00 am
The Kane Center, Stuart
Culture Club – Art Exhibit
Opening Night & Awards Reception
35th Annual All Florida Juried Art Show
Friday, January 9, 2026, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Cultural Courthouse, Stuart
Thursday, January 15, 2026, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
The Kane Center, Stuart
See Your Impact!
Preserving Healthy Food: House of Hope
Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 10:00 am
Growing Hope Production Farm, Palm City
Welcome Circle: Your Gateway to Impact100 Martin Member Orientation
Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Virtual Event - A link will be provided to registered attendees. Please add the Zoom link from the Confirmation email to your calendar (as it is not included in the meeting download link).
Social Hour at the Pearl
Thursday, January 22, 2026, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
We're excited to host you, and to ensure we can accommodate everyone comfortably, we kindly ask that you register.
The Pearl, Stuart
Impact Book Club – What Kind of Paradise! by Janelle Brown
Monday, February 2, 2026, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location details will be provided to those registered by Friday, January 30, 2026.
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The Firefly Group: Illuminating Ideas for Glowing Results
At The Firefly Group, we delight in sparking ideas, igniting creativity, and helping our clients shine. From our “jar” in Stuart we’ve been successful storytellers for businesses, environmental initiatives, government projects, landowners and nonprofits causes throughout Florida since 2003.
What began at founder Stacy Weller Ranieri’s kitchen table has grown into the Treasure Coast’s largest full-service public relations and marketing firm of its kind. Today, Firefly is powered by a talented all-woman team, supported by a trusted circle of partners in design, photography, videography, and web development. Together, we create customized communication and outreach strategies that fit each client’s mission, message, and budget. (And yes, we love collaborating with the great men in our orbit, too!)
This summer, we were humbled and honored to receive the Florida Public Relations Association’s Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award, the organization’s highest statewide recognition, for our work on the Martin County Forever initiative to acquire and preserve environmentally significant lands. This award celebrates the most outstanding public relations program across Florida—and it was a joy to bring it home to our community.
Impact100 Martin holds a special place in our story, too. Stacy stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the very first organizational meeting and is one of its founding members. Firefly has been cheering and supporting Impact100’s mission ever since. Through eight years of extraordinary growth, we’ve had the privilege of helping communicate its vision and celebrate its impact.
At Firefly, we like to say we’re bright, creative, and passionate about helping others shine. But the real glow comes from the work we do together—as partners, community members, and friends—illuminating ideas that make a difference.
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Help us grow our Impact100 Martin network—let’s reach 100 LinkedIn followers by next month!
Follow us, like our posts, and invite your friends to join in. Every connection helps spread the word about the incredible impact we’re making together.
Ready, Set, LINK-
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Let’s expand our reach and continue creating lasting change—together.
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