Ivy House grows thanks to 100 Women Who Care | News, Sports, Jobs

Despite not receiving the nomination, members of Ivy House’s board were optimistic they would receive the donations another time.

On Sunday, their hope paid off. The crisis nursery was once again nominated by 100 Women Who Care and this time they were selected to receive the $10,000.

Every six months, the 100 Women Who Care meet to decide which nonprofit should receive a combined donation of $10,000. Each woman in the organization pays $100 to be involved in the event.

With this donation, members can write down the name of a local nonprofit on a slip of paper. Once everyone was signed in, three nonprofits were chosen at random to be considered for the donation.

Ivy House representatives Anna Friese, Amber Collins and Trisha Homan give a presentation to 100 Women Who Care on Sunday night at New Ulm Country Club. The 100 Women Who Care would ultimately select Ivy House to receive the $10,000 donation.

This time Ivy House, B the Light, and The Grand were selected for consideration. Each of the three nonprofits was given five minutes to tell the women about their organizations and needs. Later, the speaker takes questions from those in attendance.

For the Ivy House presentation, founder Amber Collins, Executive Director Trisha Homan and board vice-chair Anna Friese told the story of Ivy House.

Ivy House is a nonprofit that functions as a 24/7 crisis nursery home. The organization can provide up to 72 hours of childcare for families in need.

“When a parent is facing a stressful situation or a crisis, they can call Ivy House and say, ‘I need help,’” founder Amber Collins said. “Free of charge we offer 24/7 care for children zero through 12.”

Collins said every stressful or crisis looks different from family to family. There are several reasons why a family might need emergency childcare. In some extreme cases, children might be fleeing abuse. Sometimes, a parent has a medical emergency. Other times a single parent might need to work an extra overtime shift.

“The reasons people ask for help is so wide and diverse,” Collins said. “It is the greatest blessing to be able to provide support for a family.”

Ivy House provides a family advocate. The advocate will stay in touch with the family to provide additional support if needed.

Since Ivy House opened in 2017 they have watched over 300 kids. In 2022, Ivy House cared for 96 children in 54 families.

Ivy House was named after Ivy Friese, the daughter of Steve and Anna Friese. Ivy died in 2015. Following Ivy’s death, her family wanted to give back to the community that was supportive of them in a difficult time. The Friese family used the remaining money from Ivy’s memorial fund to cover the remaining cost of the downpayment on a house for the crisis nursery. It was decided to name the home after Ivy in memory of the Frieses’ daughter, but also to make it feel more welcoming.

After it was announced Ivy House would receive the money, Collins, Homan and Friese were overjoyed.

Homan said the money received by 100 Women Who Care would be used to expand services and programming for Ivy House. Since the Ivy House has seen usage of its crisis nursery has increased within the last year, the funding will help grow and meet the needs of the community.

Ivy House is the fifth nonprofit to receive money from 100 Women Who Care. In the two and half years since 100 Women began holding events, they have given out nearly $50,000.

The next 100 Women Who Care event will be held on April 7, 2024.