WGC Happy Hour at Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom by Fretz- July 17
Please join the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County for Happy Hour! Location: Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom by Fretz, 9204 Berger Road, Suite H, Columbia, MD 21046 Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2018 Time: 5:00 -7:00 pm Cost: $35 /includes 2 glasses of wine and appetizers Register here Join us for great food, drink, company and conversation! Hear a brief overview of WGC’s recent accomplishments, continued plans for 2018 including our newly enhanced Emergency Response Network, and why and how you can participate! We are looking forward to a warm, inviting and personal group conversation – we expect to sell out so don’t delay in purchasing your tickets! The charitable portion of this event is $15. This event is a fundraiser – the net proceeds will go toward WGC grants in 2018. We’ll be doing a happy hour series this year so we can give our current donors and those who may wish to become donors an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about the WGC. We look forward to seeing you!
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![]() Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman and the Department of Community Resources and Services honored individuals and programs that have made a difference in the lives of children at the 19th annual “Celebrating Successes for Children” ceremony held last night. Coordinated by the Department’s Office of Children and Families, the ceremony recognized the contributions and dedication of more than 60 honorees, including child care providers, local businesses, teachers, volunteers, students and coaches. WGC-Funded Journey Camp for Girls was honored in the Middle and High School Aged Children Category: Journey, a Leadership Development Program: Journey is a week-long youth leadership development program designed for rising 7th, 8th and 9th grade girls to help foster increased self-esteem and confidence. Founded by the Women’s Giving Circle – a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County, Journey strives to break down stereotypes that girls face. Each year, 25 promising young women participate in peer-led workshops to develop leadership skills and build self-confidence. A robust scholarship fund ensures participation is not limited to just those who can afford it. Graduates of Journey are equipped with the necessary leadership skills, tools and motivation to help them enhance their schools and communities. Congratulations to all the honorees recognized at the 19th annual “Celebrating Successes for Children” ceremony! Read about all the honorees here. Photo courtesy of Howard County Government ![]() Dear WGC Donor and Friends, Today, April 10 is Equal Pay Day. That means women had to work all of 2017 and until this day in 2018 to catch up with what men earned in 2017 alone. We care about this because one of the goals of the WGC is to raise the awareness of gender disparities in our community. As I walk through my personal and professional travels each day, women who don’t know us ask me what the WGC is and what we are trying to do. My answer is our mission: the Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. The next question naturally is how we are doing this, which gives me an opportunity to discuss our goals and accomplishments, which you can read more about here. What is perhaps the most important question that often follows is why … why are women partnering to support programs that benefit women and girls? My answer is comprehensive, which you can read here, but in a nutshell, because programs for women and girls have historically been underfunded, and philanthropy and social change needs to continue to more fully recognize and include women’s voices in order to spark greater investment in issues affecting women and girls in our community, including issues like equal pay. When I’m done answering these questions, I always have one of my own … “so, do you want to get involved?” I hope many of you do. In fact, one easy way you can get involved today is to help spread the word about ourJourney Camp for Girls. Journey is a week-long summer leadership camp for girls entering 7th, 8th and 9th grade, in partnership with Maryland Leadership Workshop. You can read more about it below, and on our website here. Here are 3 ways you can help – please:
Thanks for your help with securing another wonderful Journey Camp class! READ THE APRIL 2018 ENEWSLETTER HERE Please know I’m always here to answer your questions about the WGC and to help you determine the best way to get involved in whatever way is meaningful for you. Don’t hesitate to contact me or anyone on the WGC Advisory Board at any time. Thank you for your partnership and support! Sincerely, Alison Canning, WGC Chair [email protected] ![]() Each month we are speaking to our donors to learn more about how they are participating in WGC efforts, and why it’s meaningful to them. This month, please meet WGC Advisory Board Member Kim Agnor: 1. How long have you been involved with the WGC, and what is your role now? Barb Van Winkle introduced me to the WGC about six years ago. Barb asked if my daughter Rachel would be interested in the Young Women’s Giving Circle (YWGC). Rachel was very interested and participated in the program during her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school. Through this connection, I became more familiar with the WGC and was asked in 2015 to serve as treasurer for the advisory board. I currently hold that position and am also the chair of the WGC’s Youth Development Committee. 2. What is your favorite WGC grant or effort, and why? My favorite WGC effort is all the work we do supporting middle school and high school aged girls in Howard County. We raise funds for JA Rising Women and the Journey Camp for Girls programs. Both of these programs increase life skills of girls and encourage their healthy development and personal authority. They also provide philanthropy and mentoring opportunities for women of all ages. 3. Why should women in Howard County give to the WGC and get involved in WGC efforts? Women have come a long way, but we have further to go. We want to reach as many Howard County women and girls as we can through our wonderful initiatives. Of course, growing any non-profit like this requires funding and volunteers. We are so grateful to those who have already generously contributed their resources, time and talents to our efforts. Kim welcomes the opportunity to answer any questions about the WGC – feel free to contact her! [email protected] Kim Agnor, Treasurer and Chair of Youth Development Committee, is an accountant with Fisher Ring LLC where she specializes in tax preparation and accounting work for small businesses and non-profits. Kim has served in assistant controller positions at St. John Properties and Questar Builders. Kim earned a BA in Economics and an Accounting Certificate from UMBC. She became licensed in MD as a CPA in 1993 and is a member of the American Association of Certified Public Accountants. In addition to serving as treasurer of the Women’s Giving Circle, Kim is one of the current advisors to the Young Women’s Giving Circle. She has also served on the Grants Committee of the Community Foundation of Howard County and on the board of directors of the Clarksville Elementary School PTA where she held the position of Treasurer. She has also served as a volunteer at the Therapeutic and Recreational Riding Center in Glenwood, Maryland, and has worked on various projects for Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Kim has lived in Howard County since 1978. She currently lives in Clarksville with her husband Jeff and her two children, Rachel and Michael. She enjoys golf, running, cooking and reading when she gets the chance. ![]() As I walk through my personal and professional travels each day, women who don’t know us ask me what the WGC is. My answer is simply our mission: the Women’s Giving Circle is building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. And then, they naturally ask how we are doing this, and I love to highlight our goals. For 15 years, together, we have worked to:
These questions are exciting to me, and I believe the answers are to those I speak with, especially when I get into more specifics about how over 1,000 women have raised over $1 million and leveraged our dollars to have more of an impact on women and girls than we might otherwise have alone … or how we’ve given hundreds of grants focused on women and girls in Howard County, including grants for programs like Girls on the Run of Central Maryland and Girl Power! STEM Event … or how we’ve called upon our network of women in Howard County and raised over $50,000 through the years as part of our WGC Emergency Response Network to assist over 70 women in need … or how we started and now fund Journey Camp for Girls, that has provided leadership and empowerment skills for hundreds of rising 8th and 9th grade girls … and how we’ve funded a women’s scholarship program, providing financial aid to women seeking job-related courses, in partnership with Howard Community College … or how we gave a $100,000 multi-year grant to start JA Rising Women, a 13 week after-school entrepreneurship program for girls grades 9-12, in partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Maryland … or how we started one of the first Young Women’s Giving Circles in the country … honestly, the list goes on and on, and I love to talk about the great work the WGC has done and is doing. What is perhaps the most important question that often follows is why … why are women partnering to support programs that benefit women and girls? And my answer is this. Because:
When I’m done answering these great questions, I always have one of my own … “so, do you want to get involved?” As I always say, it’s easy – here’s 5 ways you can participate in the good work of the WGC:
Contact me anytime with questions … I’ll be happy to provide all the answers that I can, and will always end with that question of my own – “so, do you want to get involved?” Hope so! – Alison Canning, WGC Chair, [email protected] ![]() JA Rising Women is the WGC’s multi-year grant supporting a 13 week after-school entrepreneurship program for girls grades 9-12, in partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. This is our fourth year of funding JA Rising Women, having invested $100,000 to date. “Since joining JA Rising Women, I have learned skills that will help me thrive in college or in the working world. Being a part of the creation of a company allowed me to experience every aspect of a business, where I uncovered a passion for the business field.” – Paula Shin, River Hill High JA Rising Women meets after school and connects students from across the county with business mentors who help participants develop a product or service, raise capital, deploy marketing and collect profits. Previous Rising Women cohorts, ranging from 12 to 22 girls per semester, developed products including scented pillowcases, recipe books and school spirit wear. “JA Rising Women is exactly the kind of on-the-ground opportunity for young women that we love to support,” said Alison Canning, chair of The Women’s Giving Circle. “It gives girls a chance to roll up their sleeves and learn through experience, empowering them to take the lead and find fulfillment in their future endeavors.” Mentors are an important key to the program’s success, serving as guides to the students as they make decisions that impact the course of their companies. Throughout the months that the program takes place, the students design and execute their own business plans to turn a profit and gain experience in decision making and collaboration, as evidenced by this wonderful article in the Business Monthly. “We’ve watched girls grow from students to entrepreneurs in the JA Rising Women program,” said Jennifer Bodensiek, president and CEO for Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. “Our Rising Women learn the importance of creativity, collaboration and hard work and carry those skills into the future.” Since 2015, JA Rising Women has launched 5 new student-run companies, generated profits over $2,400 and donated proceeds to local community efforts including KIVA, Howard County Food Bank, Special Olympics, and the Linus Project. This is a recent testament to the JA Rising Women program that we are proud to fund: “As a physician, I understand the importance of learning skills though an apprentice-type program. The residency training program is how we learn and transition from young physicians with raw skills into actual practicing physicians. I see the JA rising women program as a beginning apprentice program for young women with the raw skills needed to be developed into successful business women. During this program, I watched my daughter grow through the practical application of business skills needed to become a confident business woman. She learned these skills by the actual practice of starting and running a business with other young women in the program. They learned and applied various skills, including how to deal with difficult situations with colleagues, learning how to write professional emails, learning how to dress in appropriate business attire, and learning how to communicate with other professional business leaders. She enjoyed the program immensely and I loved the fact that the parents are not involved in any way except for transportation and support. The JA Rising Women is an incredible program. Thank you for offering and maintaining this opportunity. It more than delivers on its purpose as it creates the foundation that will support the development of successful business women through the years.” – Ife Omitowoju, MD, JA Rising Women Participant Parent The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is a community of women philanthropists who strategically raise money and pool funds to help women and girls in Howard County. The Women’s Giving Circle works to increase giving by women and build a permanent endowment fund supporting services that help women and girls develop life skills and personal authority. The Women’s Giving Circle fund is an endowed fund at the Community Foundation of Howard County. (womensgivingcircle.hocomojo.org) Junior Achievement of Central Maryland is dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement of Central Maryland provides hands-on programs that show more than 46,000 K-12 students each year the realities of how careers, money and business ownership work. (www.jamaryland.org) Photos courtesy of JA of Central Maryland, at the JA Rising Company of the Year 2017 event. ![]() Dear WGC Donor and Friends, We’ve had a busy month! As we celebrate National Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we’ve had the opportunity to gather at last week’s wonderful WGC Happy Hour, and fund and host over 600 girls yesterday at Girl Power! 2018 in partnership with JHU Applied Physics Lab and the Maryland Space Roundtable. And, we are partnering again with Maryland Leadership Workshop to provide the Journey Camp for Girls this summer. I am pleased to announce that we are also partnering with our donors to provide scholarships to Journey in memory of beloved former WGC Board Member, Cindy Hankin. Cindy was a staunch supporter of the Journey Camp for Girls. A former teacher, Cindy was beloved by her family, friends, students, and community and served as mentor, and long-time advocate for women and girls. Cindy brought a bright and wonderful spirit to the world, enriching it for all who knew her. The Women’s Giving Circle is honored to provide our Journey Scholarships in Memory of Cindy Hankin to qualifying Journey Camp applicants. Funded by Cindy’s family and friends, and WGC donors, these scholarships are provided in Cindy’s memory in perpetuity. We value these partnerships – with our donors, our community partners, and our grantees. They are key to the WGC’s mission of building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. Speaking of permanent legacy, check out the information below regarding a new opportunity to give to the WGC – the Endow Maryland Tax Credit. CLICK HERE TO READ THIS MONTH’S WGC ENEWSLETTER! Thanks very much for your partnership and support! Sincerely, Alison Canning, WGC Chair ![]() The JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) hosted Girl Power! 2018, a STEM expo for middle and high school girls yesterday, March 11, with support from the Maryland Space Business Roundtable and the WGC. The event featured hands-on activities, cool demonstrations, and take-home materials for girls to encourage an interest in STEM careers. Over 600 girls had the opportunity to talk to professional women in STEM careers such as aerospace, computer science, electrical engineering, geology, information technology, and space mission engineering. “Girl Power inspires girls to see what is possible in STEM careers and to start to envision a STEM future for themselves.” – Colleen D’Agrosa, WGC Executive Committee WGC is proud to have funded this amazing program for the 12th year. “We are proud to have supported this wonderful program for years! It falls right inline with the WGC’s vision, mission and core values focusing on women and girls. If you haven’t had a chance to go, I hope you will next year!” – Dee Athey, WGC Grants Committee Chair ![]() Wow – what a night! We so enjoyed spending time with each of you who attended the WGC Happy Hour at Seasons 52 on March 6. It was a great night of learning and laughter with old and new friends and donors. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to learn more about the Women’s Giving Circle, our grantmaking, our programs and events, and opportunities to get involved. If you like what you heard, we invite you to invest in the WGC today – you can DONATE HERE. We also welcome your participation on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, and we hope to see you soon at an upcoming event. Thanks very much for your support. Together we are having on impact on women and girls in our county, our home. Sincerely, Alison Canning, WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle, Vice Chair ![]() Happy National Women’s History Month! In 1987 the US Congress designated March as National Women’s History Month. This creates a special opportunity in our schools, our workplaces, and our communities to recognize and celebrate the often-overlooked achievements of American women. Each year there is a special Theme and women whose lives exemplify that theme are selected as National Honorees – this year is: NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women #NeverthelessShePersisted ![]() International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights,” says world-renowned feminist, journalist and social and political activist Gloria Steinem. We agree. And, it’s the foundation of the philanthropic work we’ve been doing the last 15 years. Together, we have worked to:
“I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.” – Dr. Maya Angelou International Women’s Day is about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action. And, we are so pleased to be doing our part. Will you join us? It’s easy – here’s 5 ways you can make a difference on this day celebrating the achievements of women across the globe, and right here at home:
Thank you for doing what you can to support women and girls in Howard County on this International Women’s Day 2018! Sincerely, Alison Canning, WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle, WGC Vice Chair “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” ![]() Many thanks to all donors who gave to the WGC in 2017 – it’s a long list! We can’t thank you enough: AFP Interiors, Aime Self, Alexander F. Ross, Alison Canning, Alison Cuomo, Allyson Lestner, Anita Anderson, Anjula Batra, Ann M. Bromery, April F. Pardoe, Arlene Sheff, Barb Van Winkle, Barbara J. Wright, Barbara K. Lawson, Barbara Kaplan, Barbara M. Peart, Barbara Worthington, Bernice Kish, Beth Harbinson, Beth K. Leaman, Bita Dayhoff, Boi Carpenter-Mellady, Brenda Martineau, Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Carlethea Johnson, Carolan Stansky, Carole S. Greenhaus, Carole MacPhee, Caroline Sherman, Carolyn Bourg, Caryn Lasser, Charles E. Day, Cheryl D. Nitz, Cheryl Griffin, Christine Christoph, Christine Meket, Claire D. Sinclair – In Memory of Cindy Hankin, Community Foundation of Howard County, Courtney Watson, Courtney Workman and Aaron Tark, Cristine Zvonkovich Fargo, Cynthia M. Lifson, Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny, LLC, Dee Athey, Diana M. Bailey, Dorothy B. Plantz, Dorothy Doub, Dorothy V. Harris, Dr. and Dr. Lee Roy Bronner, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Day, Dr. Cheryl Leonardi, Dr. Diane Matuszak, Dr. Dianne M. Connelly, Dr. Irene C. Griff, Dr. Mary Ellen Duncan, Drs. Ed and Anita Dworkin, Eileen Dewey, Eileen Horowitz, Elaine Bernstein, Elaine Buderer, Eleanor A. Hunt, Ellen Flynn Giles, Erin M. Cassell, Express I DO, Farida Guzdar, Francine B. Sheppard, Gayle Gerdes, Glennor Shirley, Gretta Ferrell, Helen B. Mitchell, Ilana Bittner, Inge R. Hyder, Jackie Eng, Jackie Melonas, Janet W. Peedin, Jennifer Bodensiek, Jennifer S. W, Jessamine Duvall, Jessica Kerry, Jill S. Christianson, Jillianne Crescenzi, Judith Clancy, Julie Forman, Karen Ferguson, Karen Saunderson, Karen Titus, Kelli A. Passalacqua, Kim Agnor, Kristen E. Allen, Kyle Drummond, Kyri Jacobs, Lauren Graybeal, Lawson Fund, Lee Draminski, Linda Odum, Lisa H. Hussman, Lisa Jose Fales, Lisa Smith, Lorraine M. Jones – In Memory of Cindy Hankin, Lorraine Seelaus, Lynn Coleman, Lynne Schaefer, Marcy Leonard, Marianne Moyer – In Honor of Barbara Lawson, Marny and Don Needle, Mary Beth Sola, Mary Gardella, Mary McGraw, Marylea Moore, Maureen Harris, Maurice Simpkins, Maxine Clark, Jean Moon, Meg Moon, Melissa Hooper, Melissa Rosenberg, Mickey Gomez, Migsie Richlin, Miracle Eleven Inc., Morgan Stanley c/o Alison Canning, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Nussbaum, Mr. and Mrs. B Hicks, Mr. and Mrs. Craig A. Moyer, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Trennepohl, Mr. and Mrs. John P. Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Stein, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Goins, Mr. and Mrs. Russell McCally, Mr. and Mrs. Theo Rodgers, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent DiPietro, Nancy Adams Personnel, Paula Skedsvold, Peggy W. Alexander, Phillip Dennis, Phyllis Greenbaum, Pixel Workshop Incorporated, Priti Patel, Rajani Tadimalla Ralph L. Gumpert, Robert and Bach Jeffrey – In Support of JA Rising Women, Robin Goble, Robyn Page, Rosa Snouffer, Sheila Leaf, Shirley M. Chase, Stacie Hunt, Stephen P. and Nuala Duffy, Sue Buswell, Sue Emerson, Tracey Schutty, Trevor Gray, Valda Jungblut, Valerie Montague, Vanessa A. DiFlumeri, Vito Dragone, Wendy Lesko, Wendy Slaughter, Wendy Slaughter Real Estate Group, Whittney Carmer, William Smith, Wise Wealth Management LLC On Behalf of Christine Meket, Yoko J. Horner, Yolanda Bruno Many thanks to the following donors who have given to the WGC so far in 2018: Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Diana M. Bailey, Jackie Eng, Maureen Harris, Mr. and Mrs. James D. Mann, Pearline Atkinson-Stewart, United Way of Central Maryland on Behalf of Lynn Coleman ![]() Please join the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County for Happy Hour! Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2018 Time: 5:00 -7:00 pm Cost: $35 /includes 2 glasses of wine and appetizers Register here Join us for great food, drink, company and conversation! And, hear a brief overview of WGC’s recent accomplishments, plans for 2018, and why and how you can participate. We are looking forward to a warm, inviting and personal group conversation – we expect to sell out so don’t delay in purchasing your tickets! The charitable portion of this event is $15 This event is a fundraiser – the net proceeds will go toward WGC grants in 2018 We’ll be doing a happy hour series this year so we can give our current donors and those who may wish to become donors an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about the WGC. We look forward to seeing you! ![]() Dear WGC Donor and Friends, In 2002, a group of sixteen women decided to start the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County. Now fifteen years later, with over 1,000 individual donors, and over $1 million in donations, the WGC has become a wonderful community of women with a shared purpose: to improve lives of women and girls through collective giving and grassroots action. Together, we have inspired each other to learn about the needs in the community, and have invested more than $300,000 in local community organizations that address the needs and improve the lives of women and girls. Click here to view this month’s eNewsletter in full The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, one of the oldest giving circles in the country, is proud to celebrate the accomplishments that we have achieved together over the past 15 years, and we are looking toward fulfilling larger goals in the future. I hope you will take a look at what we’ve accomplished this past year and think about how you would like to get involved in 2018. Learn more. We’ll have lots of opportunities this year, including our upcoming WGC Happy Hour at Seasons 52 on Tuesday, March 6 from 5:00 – 7:00. You can register here – I hope to see you there! Thanks very much for your support. Together we are having on impact on women and girls in our county, our home. Sincerely, Alison Canning, WGC Chair ![]() WOW! Check out this powerful new blog post by members of the Mayfield Woods Middle School Youth Advocacy Group who attended the WGC’s Annual Celebration – who have a lot of really important things to say. We are so impressed by these young activists! #GirlPower Our New Postcard Campaign & More! January 27, 2018 By Sahara, Danielle, Anjali, Sharvari, Judy, Sage, Sofia, and Ellie – Members of the Mayfield Woods Middle School Youth Advocacy Group The annual meeting of the Women’s Giving Circle in Maryland was an interesting celebration all the way from the fine wine and food to the memorable speaker and book. The book, Wonder Girls, is the reason Paola Gianturco was invited to the Women’s Giving Circle, and why some of the students in our Youth Advocacy group were honored to attend the event. What is the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County? The Women’s Giving Circle is an organization that is working to build a community of philanthropists and a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. The group wants to support women and celebrate days that do this like The Day of the Girl. The International Day of the Girl Child was celebrated on October 11th and began in 2012 through the efforts of School Girls Unite. Paola Gianturco, the speaker at the Day of the Girl event, is a photojournalist who focuses on capturing women around the world in their daily lives. Recently, she published the book Wonder Girls which focuses on the work of girl activists around the world. Paolo visited with girls from School Girls Unite and even included them in a chapter of her book. In Wonder Girls, Paolo portrayed members of School Girls Unite who went to Capitol Hill to advocate for the bill, Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development, more commonly known as the READ Act. After much hard work by these members, the READ Act is now a law. Stories of girl activists like these are the main focus of Paola’s book. She wanted to shine a light on girls around the world who stand up for what is right. Some important topics Wonder Girls features are very serious issues facing girls by girl activists. Some of these topics were child molestation, domestic violence, and the sex trade. As young women, unfortunately, we were not surprised by these issues, because we are aware of the challenges girls face. Though we heard about women in their times of trouble, we also heard about how they overcame those times not only for themselves but to empower others. Education was also one of the big topics of discussion during the presentation. While we were at the meeting, girls from Howard County School Girls Unite groups and Paolo talked about their experiences lobbying for the READ Act, and what it was like to talk to representatives. The READ Act was enacted to provide girls around the world with education. There is now another bill that is being worked on to not only make sure girls complete elementary school but to help older girls continue their education. The Keeping Girls in School Act, which is Senate Bill 1171 of the 115th Congress, supports empowerment, economic security, and educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world. Our Mayfield Woods Middle School Youth Advocacy group created a postcard campaign that reaches out to our US Maryland Senators asking them to sponsor this bill. We were inspired to do this by the SGU Summit we attended last year and the Women’s Giving Circle meeting we attended this year. We listened to other SGU members give presentations on what stands out to legislators. They said that handwritten letters and postcards stand out more than emails. Using these ideas, our group decided to write postcards. One of our group members, Anjali, designed a picture to go on every postcard. It shows a picture of a girl dreaming of all the things that she can accomplish. If you decide that a postcard campaign is something you would like to participate in, too, you are more than welcome to use our postcard design template. We encourage other groups to support this bill and ask their US Senators to co-sponsor this legislation. Click here to find the names of your lawmakers and if/once this proposal moves forward we need to begin asking our US Representatives to support this Education for All bill. Check out this new report, “Giving By and For Women” which examines why and how leading female philanthropists are choosing to invest in the future of women and girls.
The report for the Women’s Philanthropy Institute is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Women Moving Millions. WGC had a great 2017 and are looking forward to an impactful 2018, together. So much good work, so many reasons to give. Take a look at what we’ve accomplished this past year. Thanks to all our donors for your support!
In 2002, a group of sixteen women decided to start the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County. Now fifteen years later, with over 1,000 individual donors, and over $1 million in donations, the WGC has become a wonderful community of women with a shared purpose: to improve lives of women and girls through collective giving and grassroots action. Together, we have inspired each other to learn about the needs in the community, and have invested more than $300,000 in local community organizations that address the needs and improve the lives of women and girls. The Women’s Giving Circle, one of the oldest giving circles in the country, is proud to celebrate the accomplishments that we have achieved together over the past 15 years, and we are looking toward fulfilling larger goals in the future! |
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