Five Baldwin County non-profit organizations have been forever changed with a gift of $109,000 each from Impact 100 Baldwin County.

Each October the organization awards five grants, worth nearly half a million dollars in total to improve the quality of life across Baldwin County. The money comes from organization members, women who each donate $1,000. The women work together for several months to interview and research the organizations before choosing the recipients.

This year the members picked several non-profits that have applied repeatedly over the years and worked to fine tune and improve their projects.

"We did have a little more of a diverse group this year and that was exciting to me to see," said Sandy Stepan, Impact 100 Baldwin County vice president / president-elect.

The recipients for 2022 are the Lillian Recreational Park, the Alabama Sheriff Youth Ranch – Baldwin County Boys' Ranch, the Stapleton Volunteer Fire Department, Ecumenical Ministries and the Ruff Wilson Youth Organization in Daphne.

Stepan said the crush of setbacks from the spread of COVID-19 impacted many non-profit organizations across Baldwin County leaving many struggling to stay open rather than focus on a large project. This year Impact 100 saw the return of many of those groups as they rebuild and look to expand.

"I think we are seeing some resurgence and a little more hope and a little more activity of people getting back out there again," Stepan said.

She said the organization really examines the needs across Baldwin County and how the money can benefit as many people as possible.

"We recognize how varied the needs are in Baldwin County," she said. "When you look at the Boys' Ranch and the fire department and the others these are needs that are impacting a lot of families," she said.

Impact 100 is now in its 15th year of giving. Its membership has donated over $4 million to Baldwin County organizations since 2008.

"We're very excited about it," Stepan said. "It was a fun evening celebrating 15 years and selecting finalists was lots of fun. It never gets old."