Several years ago, I was part of a group in Saint John that started a fundraising initiative called 100 Men Who Care. The idea was to bring together men to fundraise for non-profit organizations in the community. We were inspired by a group of women who had founded a similar group in Saint John in 2013 – the 100 Women Who Care of Greater Saint John.

We had a good run, hosting a series of events over a two-year period.

But we didn’t have the staying power of the women, who are still going strong after nearly 10 years … and close to a million dollars in funds raised for local organizations doing essential work in the community.

But we didn’t have a Debbie Rathwell, one of the founders of the women’s group.

Debbie runs a company called “Red” that does corporate event planning as part of its services – she has the kinds of skills and experience you need to make this kind of initiative successful and sustainable.

I’ve always admired the work of this group and have been planning to have Debbie on the show when they hit the million-dollar mark.

They’re not there yet, but they’re close as Debbie told me in our chat recorded the week after their most recent meeting.

The group voted to give $26,000 to an organization called “The Compassionate Grief Centre”, which works with people struggling with illness, grief, loss and life’s challenges.

That meeting took the 100 Women Who Care group over the nine-hundred-thousand-dollar mark.

In our chat, Debbie talks about the power and inspiration of women coming together to help people in their community.

We also talk about her career journey, which began with her childhood dream of becoming a professional figure skater.

And we discuss our personal connections too. I grew up down the street from Debbie - she was actually one of my babysitters when I was a kid.