Kris Daise started planning for Dec. 20, her 40th birthday, a little early this year. But what she’s planning isn’t a huge party to mark the milestone occasion.

Kris is planning to make a difference.

The Cosby, Mo., resident hopes to recruit 40 women to join the new charitable group Show Me Women Who Care. Kris first learned about the local group in an e-mail from its founder, Mary George of St. Joseph. That group is dedicated to helping those in need in Buchanan and Andrew counties. “There is no reason at all that I can’t do this,” she says. “I can help other people as I’m celebrating my 40th birthday.”

Kris had planned to do something out of the ordinary to mark the milestone of turning 40, but she was considering an athletic endeavor. She thought about the Susan G. Koman Foundation three-day breast cancer marathon in San Diego — where participants walk a total of 60 miles in three days — or the Lance Armstrong 5K in Houston.

“Then, I thought, 'Why am I focusing my efforts so far from home?’” she says.

A member of Show Me Women Who Care since its inception, Kris says it seemed like a no-brainer to focus her attention on finding new members for the group. Mary received an e-mail from Kris on Aug. 21 with her recruitment idea.

“Of course, I loved the idea and appreciate her enthusiasm,” Mary says.

So, Kris begin talking to women at her church and at Heartland Health, her place of employment, and as of Nov. 10, she had recruited 20 women to join Show Me Women Who Care.

Show Me Women Who Care was founded earlier this year. Mary got the idea for the local organization from a friend who belongs to a similar group in Dayton, Ohio. The first meeting in May attracted about 40 women, and the August meeting had 39 women in attendance. Mary says that Show Me Women Who Care now has 48 total members. About 25 women attended the Nov. 10 meeting, and those who couldn’t sent in their contribution.

“Right now, it’s pretty much word of mouth,” Mary says. “It’s really just a matter of the members talking about the group to their friends.”

What the group is all about is women who meet once a quarter at 5:30 p.m. on a Monday in the cafeteria of the American Family Insurance headquarters on Mitchell Avenue. Meetings this year were held in May, August and November. Each member pledges at least $25 at each meeting to donate to a local charity. Show Me Women Who Care isn’t a social group. There is no food, no group expenses to come out of the money raised. Meetings are brief and to the point. In fact, the Nov. 10 meeting lasted for about 30 minutes.

“The meeting is designed to be as quick as possible,” Mary says.

During the meeting, members submit the names of charities they would like to be considered for a donation. Three are drawn, and the women representing the charities have a few minutes to talk about the organization and its needs. Members then vote, and the charity receiving the most votes receives the money. During the May meeting, the Northwest Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center was presented with $2,375. During the August meeting, America’s Second Harvest Backpack Buddies was the chosen charity, and it received $2,425. During the November meeting, members chose the Social Welfare Board Home Unit.

“Our goal is to give $10,000 to an Andrew/Buchanan County charity per meeting,” Mary says.

That goal, she feels, is obtainable.

“Obviously we’re going to need more than 100 women to reach $10,000,” Mary says, “but I believe we can find 100 women who care.”

And Kris is definitely helping the group edge closer to that goal. She has recruited co-workers Tama Wagner and Jessica Bahrke to join. The November meeting was Jessica’s first, and although Tama couldn’t attend, she did send her contribution. Tama says she has even recruited a person to join the group.

“The minute she suggested it, I thought it was a great idea,” Tama says.

Jessica adds that it’s an easy way for women to make a difference in the community.

Kris has a little more than a month to recruit another 20 women. And she isn’t giving up if she doesn’t meet her goal of getting 40 women to join Show Me Women Who Care. She’ll just keep on spreading the word about the group and its mission. She knows there are people out there who need help and she knows that there are women in the community who can help.

“I just think that people need to be more aware that there are people out there who struggle every day, struggle every day to live.”

For more information or to join Show Me Women Who Care, e-mail Mary George at mgeorge263@hotmail.com or Barbara Scott, a member of the group’s board of governors, at bittybaba@yahoo.com; call Mary at (816) 262-2461; or write to Show Me Women Who Care, P.O. Box 8965, St. Joseph, MO 64508-8965. A Web site should be up and running soon.

Lifestyles reporter Cathy Woolridge can be reached

at cathyw@npgco.com.