Author: SJWomen100

Meet Colleen Connell, proud charter member of Impact100 SJ.  Colleen first learned about Impact100 from Kyle Ruffin, who serves on the board of the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) with Colleen’s husband, John. She was immediately attracted to a business model in which every member’s vote counts equally toward selecting grantees, making tremendous impacts toward their missions. Also, the opportunity to meet other local South Jersey women who are passionate about philanthropy and volunteerism was very appealing. Colleen finds inspiration in women who are leaders in their communities. “Just like the Milky Way, we are all single stars working together to create beautiful outcomes collaboratively.”     Colleen is an active member of Impact100. She has co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) Task Force with Nina Cohen, where she was able to draw on…

Paula Fairly is not new to charity, non-profits and philanthropy.  Paula gives both time and money because she is able to, and she is committed to the mission. Paula is a semi-retired executive involved in working with others on developing their exciting, new life chapters. She is a former member of the Moorestown Rotary Club.  During a Rotary presentation featuring Cindy Quinton and Kyle Ruffin, Impact 100, South Jersey was presented.  Paula was impressed with what she heard and decided to provide support to the group.  She appreciates the idea of tapping into women and encouraging them to give back to local organizations in need.   In addition to a full professional employment background at organizations such as Travelers and General Electric, Paula has served on several Boards and community committees. …

Abby Cohler joined Impact 100 SJ in 2019. At the time, she was looking to get involved with a local charitable organization and do more than just “write the check."  She discovered that Impact 100 SJ filled that need for her.  She was intrigued by the fact that IMPACT 100 SJ is solely run by women volunteers, allows each member the choice to be as involved with the organization as she wants to be, and gives out impactful grants to local organizations.   At that time, she went on-line, looked up our local chapter and joined immediately. After she joined, she learned that some of her friends/colleagues were also members, After joining, Abby jumped right in and got involved.  For the first two years (even impacted by COVID shut-downs) she became a member…

Volunteerism, community engagement and philanthropy are baked into Kimberly’s DNA. From her earliest days, Kimberly recalls that her mother and grandparents instilled in her a “service to others” mindset. She worked alongside family members to give back to their community which inspired Kimberly to follow suit. Throughout her adolescent and young adult years, she often helped out at local fundraisers and other philanthropic initiatives in her native North Carolina community. It was through these early experiences that led Kimberly on a long journey of supporting charitable causes and decades of hands-on community engagement and volunteerism. Interested to build community with other South Jersey women and explore a collaborative approach to philanthropy, Kimberly was intrigued to learn about Impact100 South Jersey’s mission and collective giving model from a SJ Magazine article…

Upon reconnecting with a South Jersey friend after a 20-year gap, Terri Shirley-Summerhayes learned that her old friend was a member of Impact100 South Jersey. Terri had belonged to a supportive group of young mothers, the South Jersey Mother’s Network, in Marlton when her children were very young. She was also an active and engaged member of the Marlton community serving on the school board, volunteering in community organizations and local civic activities, while raising her children. Fast forward a couple of decades, Terri serendipitously met up with former SJ Mother’s Network member, Valerie Buickerood, and learned about Impact100 South Jersey - another group of like-minded women. Now in both a personal and professional position to give back financially, Terri was inspired to join. When asked why she joined in…