Our Founding Story
In 2013 I was introduced to the 100 Who Care Alliance by the Hawkeye Chapter of 100 Men Who Care in Iowa. It was a great feeling to get together every quarter with more than 100 philanthropic minded men helping to fund the greatest needs in our community. I not only made friends and expanded my network, I really got close to organizations who were doing important work in my backyard. I also learned from the front line stories about what our community’s most pressing needs were. The best part? We got to answer many needs in one evening by combining our $100 per member donations, and voting on which nonprofits were most deserving of our sizable gift. It was energizing.
When I relocated to Walton County in 2020 I looked for a local chapter, and found that the Impact 100 for women and 100 Women Who Care were established and doing great things, but that there was no dedicated giving organization for men in our area. We knew it was time to make something happen. Working with Drew McDowell of Mariner Wealth Advisors, we launched 100 Men Who Care — Emerald Coast and our inaugural donation was chosen in our first quarterly meeting at the Palms of Destin on October 26, 2021. Since then, we’ve awarded a meaningful gift every quarter to a host of great local nonprofits and made many new friends in the process.
“Our giving model is ideal for men who are short on time but long on compassion.”
As a Florida 501c3, 100MWCEC is well underway in our mission to support worthy organizations serving Walton and Okaloosa Counties. I encourage you to join up and discover for yourself how great it feels to make an immediate impact where you live. Our giving model is ideal for men who are short on time but long on compassion. They call it “The Power of 100” because with just a $100 quarterly donation, together, 100 of us can make a $10,000 impact for the local nonprofits who need us most. There is no required time investment but we hope you’ll come out for 90 minutes per quarter to gather at a fun local venue hole, hear our three nominees pitch, and cast your vote. Giving back has never been so efficient and enjoyable! Come join us and discover for yourself “The Power of 100” and what your $100 can do to impact our beautiful Emerald Coast community.
Scott Rude
Founder, 100 Men Who Care - Emerald Coast
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
The Emerald Coast Chapter, established in 2021, is one of over 700 chapters worldwide in the 100 Who Care Alliance.
The Hawkeye Chapter of 100 Men gathered in Kinnick Stadium for a presentation.
Members checking in at our inaugural meeting held at The Palms of Destin, October 2021.
Steering Team member David Glinka pitches at Q2 2023.
Members awarding One Hopeful Place with our 1st Quarter 2024 Gift. This is the most rewarding part of what we do — giving direct support to real people in our community whose stories we get to hear, and whose progress we get to follow.