COMMUNITY News:

Nonprofits that spend time fundraising instead of serving the community have a new partner in town. 100 Men Who Care – Los Alamos is a new group for men dedicated to providing immediate and meaningful financial support to local organizations.

“The 100 Men Who Care model is a simple and fun way for men to get together, spend a little bit of time together and make a big difference to our community,” said Ryan Tatro, one of the founding members of the organization.

“It’s like a Shark Tank for nonprofits,” Tatro said. “In 90 minutes, we will select one of several organizations to fund. Each person present will write a check for $100, and the selected organization receives up to $10,000.”

It is modeled after a similar Los Alamos group for women. “There are quite a few chapters for women, but just a few for men,” said David Izraelevitz, another organizer. “As far as I know, we are starting the first men’s chapter in New Mexico

“Seven of us decided to make this our class project as part of our Leadership Los Alamos program,” Izraelevitz said. “It is a laid-back opportunity to meet new people while making a difference in our community.”

Here’s how it works: Each quarterly event begins with a 30-minute social with simple food and drink. Three organizations are selected in advance to make a five-minute contribution. The group then votes on the one with the most compelling need and each writes a check for $100 directly to the selected organization.

Teams can form to share in the $100 quarterly contribution, and a rotating team member then attends the event and votes on the team’s behalf.”  

Izraelevitz added that the women’s group is supportive and excited.

“We’re coordinating our efforts with 100 Women Who Care – Los Alamos, and we’ve talked about some joint activities,” he said.

The 100 Men Who Care – Los Alamos is open to all men interested in participating. Each member commits to contributing $100 once a quarter. Members may nominate their favorite local charity.

“If you want to help your community, but have little time and funds, this is a great way to make a huge impact,” Izraelevitz said.

In addition to Tatro and Izraelevitz, other founding members from the Leadership Los Alamos class of 2019 are Bob Harmon, Andrew Harnden, Tony Mitchell, Todd Nelson and Evan Spence.

The inaugural meeting will be held Thursday, April 11 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Building 2 of the UNM-Los Alamos campus. For more information and to sign up, visit www.100menwhocarelosalamos.org.