Journal Staff
Founded in November of 2014, Women Helping Others (WHO) is an organization formed to help others in need.
“Our organization was formed when one precious lady, Casey Warford, decided that she wanted to form a group to help others in North Webster Parish,” said Pam Jenkins, one of WHO’s founding members. “Casey’s husband Heath was burned in a terrible accident. So many in the community surrounded them with love, prayers, financial support and so many other things that Casey wanted to develop a way to ‘give back or pay it forward.'”
Jenkins said Heath told her to just do it, if that was what God was telling her to do. Casey then reached out to a few local women and started making some plans.
“In November 2014, about 10 women met to have our first planning meeting,” Jenkins continued. “A name was developed and things got rolling. WHO has grown from a group of about 14 the first year to now … we are 40 members strong.”
Jernkins said the group has been a learn-as-you-go experience and is full of ladies with huge hearts.
“We have done major fundraisers over the past 6 years for many in need – the first year our biggest project was Maddy Matters,” she said. “This was a barrel race and roping event held to help with medical expenses for Madeline Mouse.”
Madeline was 13 years old and had Cystic Fibrosis. She was quite ill and the family knew that a lung transplant was in the near future. WHO raised enough money to assist this family with their hotel stays and trips back and forth to Houston when the time came for Maddy to have the lung transplant. Maddy is now a vibrant, healthy 18 year old.
WHO continued to have fundraisers in the area when needed and helped others in any way possible for the first two years.
“Then things seemed to really grow for our organization and we realized that as a group, funds were needed for so many other things in our community,” Jenkins said. “Up until this point, we mainly depended on members and some donations to help when a need should arise.”
So an annual fundraising event was born– a huge women’s event held yearly between August and October – for women only. It is a themed night with food, friends and fun for all the ladies. A date and theme have not been chosen yet for this year.
Another event is the annual golf tournament. It will be held September 10 at Springhill Country Club. It’s a 3-man scramble for $300 per team. For more information, check out WHO’s website or like them on Facebook.
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