Bus Tour Showcases Six Nonprofits Benefiting from $100,000 Grants
Seventy-four women. Two buses. Six life-changing missions. One powerful morning of impact.
Impact 100 Palm Beach County members recently stepped off the page and into the heart of their philanthropy during a special Bus Tour visiting six nonprofit organizations that have received $100,000 grants from the women’s collective giving organization.
“Experiencing these programs in person reminds us why we give,” said Janean Mileusnic, President of Impact 100 Palm Beach County. “It’s not just about the grant, it’s about the ripple effect in our community.”
The day began with breakfast and a warm welcome from Mileusnic, who thanked members for their commitment to transformational giving and reminded them that “together, we are not just writing checks, we are changing lives and making real impact, right here in South Palm Beach County.”
Members boarded two buses—one traveling northbound and one southbound—to visit three nonprofits each. By the end of the morning, all six organizations had been toured, stories had been shared, and impact had been witnessed firsthand.
The tour, chaired by Helen Ballerano and Ingrid Kennemer, concluded with a celebratory luncheon at the Dr. André Fladell Civic Center, where members connected and strengthened bonds rooted in shared purpose.
Nonprofits Visited
Morningday Community Solutions
Impact 100 funding helped expand membership outreach in southern Palm Beach County, enabling 44 new nonprofit members to join Morningday. The project resulted in 245 tons of retail waste diverted from landfills and an estimated $312,400 in annual savings for new members demonstrating how environmental sustainability and nonprofit support go hand in hand.
Tomorrow’s Rainbow
This Palm Beach County grief and trauma support organization provides equine-assisted programs for children experiencing loss. Impact 100 funding helped launch a mobile program serving children across partner sites, resulting in 1,385 sessions delivered and 98% of participants utilizing coping strategies learned. The grant allowed the organization to reach vulnerable youth, including undocumented and refugee children, in safe, trauma-informed environments.
Place of Hope
Impact 100 PBC’s $100,000 grant supported initiatives providing essential services to children, families, and youth who have been abused, neglected, or in crisis. The funding aided plans to expand Place of Hope’s Boca-area campus with three new triplex housing units, increasing capacity for families in need and strengthening transitional housing and support services.
Milagro Center (GEMS – Girls in Engineering, Math & Science)
Through GEMS programming, 63 girls in southern Palm Beach County have already participated in STEM-focused workshops and field trips designed to empower young women of color in middle and high school to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. The Impact 100 PBC grant supports hands-on learning, mentorship, and academic readiness initiatives.
Delray Beach Children’s Garden
Through science field trips for Title I students, 391 second through fourth graders have engaged in hands-on environmental education experiences, with 85% demonstrating increased knowledge of science concepts following participation. The initiative fosters curiosity, ecological literacy, and academic growth through immersive outdoor learning.
Roots & Wings, Inc. at Plumosa School for the Arts
The Impact 100 PBC grant supports “Project Uplift,” an artificial intelligence–enhanced literacy initiative serving 3rd and 4th grade students reading below grade level. To date, 358 students have enrolled in the Buddy Books AI-supported reading program, with 24 of 38 teachers underwritten by the grant. The initiative strengthens literacy foundations and academic confidence for some of the community’s most vulnerable learners.
Collective Giving in Action
Impact 100 Palm Beach County brings together women who each contribute $1,000 annually, pooling their resources to fund transformational $100,000 grants. By seeing projects firsthand, members were able to witness the tangible results of their collective investment from housing expansions and environmental sustainability to grief counseling, literacy advancement, STEM education, and food security.
As the buses returned and the morning concluded, one theme rose above the rest: when women come together around a shared mission, impact grows exponentially. Many guests joined as new members, bringing this Impact chapter closer to their goal of 1,000 members in this milestone 15th year of giving.
About Impact 100 Palm Beach County Impact 100 Palm Beach County is a women’s collective giving organization that funds transformative grants to nonprofit organizations serving southern Palm Beach County. Over the last 14 years, its members have invested $7.7 million through 124 grants—including 73 high-impact $100,000 grants and 51 merit grants—each creating lasting, tangible change in the community.
