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The WGC is proud to be a sponsor: GIRL RISING FILM & DISCUSSION - June 30, 2019 2:30 - 4:30 pm Smith Theatre, Horowitz Center Howard Community College Join in saluting the founding of the Columbia Film Society and HoCoPoLitSo with an afternoon that celebrates the education of girls, the beauty of story, and the power of collective action. This joint anniversary event features a talk by one of the writers of Girl Rising and a showing of the documentary film that inspired global awareness about the importance of education for girls. Novelist Aminatta Forna wrote the portion of the film about a girl from her home country, Sierra Leone, and her dreams of education and independence. Forna will also read from one of her novels that pertains to social justice around the world. After the author talk, there will be an intermission, refreshments, and a book signing, followed by a screening of the film. The documentary Girl Rising, featuring the voices of actresses including Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Kerry Washington, Selena Gomez and Salma Hayek, focuses on the power of education for nine girls from Haiti, Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Peru, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan, telling their stories through writers from their home countries. For early-bird tickets, available exclusively for Women's Giving Circle donors, visit http://www.columbiafestival.org and enter code FEST32 on the ticket purchasing page. The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is a sponsor of this program. 
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 Dear WGC Donors and Friends, As we wrap up the first half of the year, I am grateful for all we've done together to support women and girls! READ THE FULL ENEWSLETTER HERE We had a great time celebrating philanthropy in our county two weeks ago at the Community Foundation of Howard County's Spring Party -we are proud to be a fund of the Community Foundation! We also had a great time last weekend volunteering and helping to support the Girls on the Run 5K! Great news - we have a few spots that have opened up for the upcoming Journey Camp for Girls. Please help spread the word if you know any rising rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls who may be interested in attending July 14-July 30. Additional information is below! And, it's back! We are currently accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC), which is sponsored by the WGC. The group is composed of girls in 7th - 12th grade who share the same passion: helping women and girls in need. I hope to see you at some of our upcoming activities: - June 30: Join us for a viewing and discussion of Girl Rising to salute the founding of the Columbia Film Society and HoCoPoLitSo - we are sponsoring an afternoon that celebrates the education of girls, the beauty of story, and the power of collective action. - October 14: Save the Date for WGC's Annual Celebration with Keynote Speakers: Howard County's first female Police Chief, Lisa Myers and first female Fire Chief, Christine Uhlhorn at Howard Community College, Horowitz Center - stay tuned for more information! Thank you for your support of the WGC! We are committed to growing a community of empowered philanthropists that are building on the past, and working today to shape the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving. I look forward to seeing many of you soon! Sincerely, Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair WGCChair@womensgivingcircle.org  The Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC) is sponsored by the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County. The group is composed of girls in 7th - 12th grade who share the same passion: helping women and girls in need. The YWGC raises money and makes grants to nonprofits organizations in Howard County whose missions support the needs of women and girls. We meet regularly, hold several fundraisers throughout the year, and have ongoing community service and volunteer activities. We have provided grants to a variety of groups, including Girls on the Run of Central MD and HopeWorks.
We are currently accepting applications for YWGC members for the 2019/2020 school year! We have three opportunities for girls grades 7-12 to participate in the YWGC - as a full participant, as an ambassador or on a committee. Interested? Learn more here! WGC at the Girls on the Run 5K! We had such a great time at the Girls on the Run 5K on June 1! We love partnering with this amazing organization!  Journey Camp for Girls, or “Journey” is a week-long camp for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls in Howard County, MD that is run by Maryland Leadership Workshops and conceived of and funded by the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County. The idea behind Journey is to bring girls, in their formative years together to learn about leadership, empowerment, and community. At Journey each student identifies her own leadership skills, strengths, and challenges in a supportive and fun environment that fosters self-esteem and confidence. Journey 2019 will be held July 14-July 20:
A week at Journey includes:
SCHOLARSHIPS IN MEMORY OF CINDY HANKIN The WGC is honored to have begun a program this year to provide scholarships in memory of former WGC Advisory Board Member Cindy Hankin. In 2018 the WGC provided $5,005 in scholarships. Funded by Cindy’s family, friends, and WGC donors, these scholarships are provided in her memory in perpetuity to qualifying Journey Camp participants. Cindy was a staunch supporter of the Journey Camp for Girls. A former teacher, and school principal, 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. “I am thrilled that we were able to increase our scholarships this year, which means we are achieving our goal of reaching girls from different demographic and socioeconomic groups across the county” says Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair. “We are honored to be able to give so much in the first year that we began offering scholarships in memory of our friend Cindy Hankin.” Support for Journey provided by the Women’s Giving Circle, a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County. Contact information for Maryland Leadership Workshops: 301-444-8623; office@mlw.org; mlw.org  It was great to see so many WGC leaders and donors at the 2019 Community Foundation Spring Party at the Horowitz Center at Howard Community College on May 30 as they celebrated 5 decades of giving!  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 we are proud to be a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County as our partner in meeting our mission. Great to see everyone promoting philanthropy in our community!   The First Thursday Book Club of Howard County has come up with a uniquely appropriate way to memorialize the club’s beloved founder, Mary Margaret Kamerman, who died in 2008 after a stroke.
On Mary Margaret’s birthday each year, the remaining members each contribute a dollar to the Women’s Giving Circle for every year since Mary Margaret’s birth. The money supports scholarships for girls who want to attend Journey, the camp founded by WGC. Mary Margaret was an original donor of the Women’s Giving Circle and nominated two girls in her neighborhood to attend the first Journey camp in 2006. At Mary Margaret’s memorial service, one of the girls’ mothers tearfully recalled Mary Margaret’s generous encouragement of her young daughter. The idea for the memorial contribution came from book club member Mary McGraw, who explained, “Mary Margaret had three daughters and believed strongly in opportunities for young girls to grow and find their true worth.” Mary Margaret’s daughters include Columbia residents Jacki Deblasio and Jill Belk and Virginia resident Jeannie Kinn. A Columbia resident since 1971 and a counselor at Long Reach High School at the time of her death, Mary Margaret started the book club in 1992, and the remaining members have been meeting monthly since then. In addition to Mary McGraw, club members include Sandi Berman, Kathy Flanagan, Phyllis Greenbaum, Helen Mitchell, Jean Moon and Francine Sheppard. For information about WGC, visit www.womensgivingcircle.org  Dear WGC Donors and Friends,
We've had a busy and important Spring. We had our first Educational Happy Hour of the year on May 7: Nourishing Those Who Nourish Others: Tools to Keep Your Best Self with Dr. Jyothi Rao, of the Shakthi Health and Wellness Center. Thanks you to all who attended! READ THE FULL ENEWSLETTER HERE And, we have a number of opportunities for you to get involved in WGC activities coming up: - May 30: Mark your calendars and plan to celebrate philanthropy in our county at theCommunity Foundation of Howard County's Spring Party - we are proud to be a fund of the Community Foundation! - May 31: We are excited to fund Journey Camp for Girls each year, which is now accepting applications for another amazing week of leadership and empowerment for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls. Applications are due May 30 - please help us spread the word! - June 30: And, finally, join us for a viewing and discussion of Girl Rising on June 30 to salute the founding of the Columbia Film Society and HoCoPoLitSo - we are sponsoring an afternoon that celebrates the education of girls, the beauty of story, and the power of collective action - purchase early-bird tickets available exclusively for WGC donors, and enter code FEST32 - October 14: Save the Date for WGC's Annual Celebration with Keynote Speakers: Howard County's first female Police Chief, Lisa Myers and first female Fire Chief, Christine Uhlhorn at Howard Community College, Horowitz Center - stay tuned for more information! Thank you for your support of the WGC! We are committed to growing a community of empowered philanthropists that are building on the past, and working today to shape the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving. I look forward to seeing many of you soon! Sincerely, Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair WGCChair@womensgivingcircle.org We had a packed house tonight for WGC’s Educational Happy Hour - "Nourishing Those Who Nourish Others: Tools to Keep Your Best Self" with our wonderful Keynote Speaker Dr. Jyothi Rao - thanks to everyone who joined us!   As Popularity of Giving Circles has Tripled, Women's Giving Circle of Howard County Joins Historic Gathering of American Giving Circle Networks to Co-Design Vision for Scaling & Strengthening the Movement Further Seattle, Washington (April 2019) – Supported by a lead grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 19 other funders, 82 participants from dozens of American giving circles and giving circle networks came together for a historic gathering in Seattle, Washington to connect with and learn from each other, and to build a vision for amplifying, strengthening and scaling giving circles across the United States. Recent studies by the Collective Giving Research Group demonstrates that giving circles have exploded in popularity in America, and that they offer a way to meaningfully engage people in giving and in investing in their communities. A recent report from the Lilly School of Philanthropy found that giving circles tripled In number from 2007 to 2017, to 1,500, and have donated as much as $1.29 billion in that time. “Giving circles are a major part of the future of American philanthropy,” said Marsha Morgan, chair of the Community Investment Network, one of the 5 networks co-leading the initiative. “Neighbors, friends, family, church and synagogue members - these are all ‘everyday givers.’ People are coming together, pooling their money, networks, and expertise, and investing in the change they want to make in the world. Giving circles are democratizing and diversifying philanthropy, and engaging tens of thousands of people in shaping their communities.” The gathering marked a milestone within a year-long “co-design” process for the giving circle movement, shepherded by five Giving Circle Networks: Amplifier (a network of circles inspired by Jewish values), Asian Women Giving Circle, Catalist (formerly the Women’s Collective Giving Grantmakers Network), Community Investment Network (a network of African American circles), and the Latino Community Foundation (a network of Latinx circles). The co-design process is engaging dozens of giving circle leaders, networks, and stakeholders to collectively design ways to strengthen and expand the giving circle movement. The process itself reflects the collaborative spirit of giving circles: dozens of diverse stakeholders from across the giving circle movement, from different communities and affinity groups, with different funding areas and approaches, are joining forces to design the common strategy and tactics needed to support the growth and sustainability of giving circles nationwide. Together, participants represented thousands of people already in giving circles who believe in the power of collective giving and are changing the face and the future of philanthropy. “My favorite part of the gathering was hearing the stories of hope and impact that so many giving circle leaders shared about their communities,” said Paula Liang, Chair Elect of Catalist, a network of 68 women’s funding groups. “There is a rich history of generosity and collective action in all of our communities and throughout American history, and this project can help us move that work forward while opening it up to so many more people. Joining a giving circle makes your giving more informed, more influential, and more impactful.” Giving Circle membership also leads to greater civic engagement. Dr. Anthony C. Hood, a member of the Birmingham Change Fund giving circle and Director of Civic Innovation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told the story of the current Mayor of the City of Birmingham, Alabama, Randall Woodfin who is the youngest mayor in the city in 100 years. Woodfin’s first step into civic involvement was as a member of the Birmingham Change Fund, which exposed him to the issues facing his community and the civic pathways to addressing them. Masha Chernyak, VP of Programs at the Latino Community Foundation, shared the story of Martin Vargas Vega, a child of farm-workers parents in Watsonville, California, who joined the Latinos in Tech Giving Circle with his first tech job. Vargas Vega is launching another giving circle with Latino leaders in his hometown. “We are helping to reclaim philanthropy for the Latino immigrant community and grounding the work in love and justice,” said Chernyak. Over the two-day convening, leaders shared ideas and resources for a field-wide infrastructure that will help inspire more grassroots philanthropy, strengthen communities, and increase American giving overall. The vision includes:
# # # Participants Included: Giving Circle Networks:
Individual Giving Circles:
Supporting Institutions & Thought Leaders:
20 Funders Co-Invested in this Process: Institutional Funders:
Giving Circles, Networks, and Members:
Contact: Isis Krause, isis@kneadpartners.com ###  The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County has received the following request to help with an immediate need in the community through our Emergency Response Network (ERN) – can you lend a hand? Our partners at HopeWorks are requesting $1,000 in assistance for a woman who recently left a violent relationship — if she breathed wrong, he would punish her. On one occasion, he broke the television and injured her young son. She has five kids altogether; although two have passed away. Her mother and grandmother also passed away just two weeks after her son died leaving her with little to no support. She now resides in HopeWorks’ emergency shelter and hopes to find secure, safe housing to move forward with her remaining children. She and her children are in need of immediate financial support to help pay for a security deposit and part of the first month’s rent for a new and permanent safe home. On behalf of our partners at HopeWorks we are asking for $1,000 from the Emergency Response Network to help support this woman in need. Can you help? If so, please DONATE HERE. WGC will pool your contributions and send the funds directly to the nonprofit. We will only accept enough funds to cover this request. Thank you! The WGC Emergency Response Network was created to provide an opportunity for WGC donors to directly help women in need. When our nonprofit partners are working with a woman or girl with an immediate need, they submit a request to the WGC. Emergency Response Network Requests:
Thank you for your support of women and girls in our community through the WGC’s Emergency Response Network (ERN). We are making a bigger difference together than we might otherwise be able to alone – the reason for our giving circle! If you have any questions about the WGC or our Emergency Response Network, please email wgcchair@womensgivingcircle.org.   Dear WGC Donors and Friends,
Wow, what a month! Last month we celebrated Women's History Month and International Women's Day with lots of activity: READ THE FULL ENEWSLETTER HERE - CATALIST WOMEN: We joined Catalist Women, a national network of over 60 women's giving circles that support the creation, development, and expansion of women's collective giving nationwide to build women's leadership and amplify the power of giving together. - GIRL POWER!: We helped to fund Girl Power! again, where over 1,100 girls came to learn about and experience STEM careers. - VISIONARY WOMEN: We helped to fund this year's powerful Visionary Women Art Exhibit at the Columbia Art Center, and attended the Gala Reception on International Women’s Day! - WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME: We attended the Howard County Women's Hall of Fame, which honored three Howard County women having an impact in our community, including WGC founder Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, along with Cathy Hudson and Georgia Eaker. It was great to have women's philanthropy and the WGC highlighted at this event - congratulations to all! - BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION: The WGC was represented by WGC's Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz in Seattle at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the National Giving Circle Co-Design Convening that brought together collective giving experts from across the country who are working to build a national infrastructure to strengthen and grow the giving circle movement. And, we've got some great things coming up: - April 30: We are excited to fund Journey Camp for Girls each year, which is now accepting applications for another amazing week of leadership and empowerment for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls. Applications are due April 30 - please help us spread the word! - May 7: We have a great Educational Happy Hour coming up on May 7: Nourishing Those Who Nourish Others: Tools to Keep Your Best Self with Dr. Jyothi Rao, of the Shakthi Health and Wellness Center - purchase tickets today! - May 30: Mark your calendars and plan to celebrate philanthropy in our county at theCommunity Foundation of Howard County's Spring Party - we are proud to be a fund of the Community Foundation! - June 30: And, finally, join us for a viewing and discussion of Girl Rising on June 30 to salute the founding of the Columbia Film Society and HoCoPoLitSo - we are sponsoring an afternoon that celebrates the education of girls, the beauty of story, and the power of collective action - purchase early-bird tickets available exclusively for WGC donors, and enter code FEST32 Thank you for your support of the WGC! We are committed to growing a community of empowered philanthropists that are building on the past, and working today to shape the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving. I look forward to seeing many of you soon! Sincerely, Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair WGCChair@womensgivingcircle.org  The Sweetness of Circles, Medium, March 26, 2019 - Beautiful, important piece on the history, strength and growth of black-led giving circles by authors Valaida Fullwood, Tracey Webb, and Akira Barclay. Equal Pay Day, NBC News, April 2, 2109 - As we reflect on Equal Pay Day today, let’s take a moment for a little bit of history: A little over 30 years ago, women earned 64 cents for every dollar a man earned — a pay gap of 36 cents. Kresge Pledges to Increase Portion of Endowment Invested With Firms Owned by Minorities or Women, Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 4, 2019 - The Kresge Foundation has announced that by 2025, a quarter of its U.S. assets will be invested with firms owned by people of color or women.The decision is based on equity, opportunity, and returns. Teen Girls are Leading the Way. How Can Philanthropy Support Them? Philanthropy Women, April 8, 2019 - Teen girls are becoming movers and shakers across the globe in areas like gun violence, environmental activism, and gender equality, as well as advocacy for inclusiveness and systems change of all kinds. The Most Effective Way You Can Give To Charity, Even On A Super Tight Budget,Mindfulness, April 9, 2019 - Small donations can have a big cumulative impact. Even though the big $100 million gifts are what get the most attention, about 70 percent of all charitable giving comes from individuals. The WGC was represented by one of WGC's founders - Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz - in Seattle at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the National Giving Circle Co-Design Convening that brought together collective giving experts from across the country who are working to build a national infrastructure to strengthen and grow the giving circle movement. Read more about this effort. Stay tuned for further information as WGC takes a leadership role in helping to grow the movement nationally to benefit communities, the field, and our circle!  WGC has joined Catalist Women, a national network of over 60 women's giving circles representing over 17,000 women who have given over $125 million across the US. Catalist empowers women by supporting the creation, development and expansion of collective giving through informed grantmaking. Catalist gives a national voice to the high-impact collective giving movement and accelerate the power of our network of independent affiliate organizations. We are excited to learn and grow with other women's giving circles across the country, and to bring shared learning and resources to the WGC, and to all of you!  April 2, 2019 By Jean Chatzky, NBC News As we reflect on Equal Pay Day today, let’s take a moment for a little bit of history: A little over 30 years ago, women earned 64 cents for every dollar a man earned — a pay gap of 36 cents. Today, we earn 80 cents, making the gap 20 cents — or about half of what it used to be. For women of color, the gap is even greater. Black women earn 63 cents for every dollar that men do, Native American women earn 58 cents and Hispanic women make just 54 cents. Note: You may see slightly different numbers floating around out there, and that’s because of different data sets used. For example, The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t count bonuses, while the Census Bureau does, and some calculations use hourly wages while others rely on salary. The important thing to note is that the gender pay gap is still here and it’s still big. But there is good news — according a 2019 report from Glassdoor Economic Research, the gender pay gap is shrinking in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and four other countries — it’s nearly 3 percent narrower today than it was three years ago. Read the full article ..  Charlestown Retirement Community celebrated #InternationalWomensDay by welcoming Diana Bailey, Executive Director of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center, and WGC Advisory Board Member, as a guest speaker. Her enlightening presentation focused on the social, political and economic experiences and contributions of Maryland Women in history. #womenshistorymonth  Friends, Today we received this lovely note from a woman we helped in partnership with Grassroots, through our Emergency Response Network. This is why we do this work, together! Thank you all! Sincerely, Barb Van Winkle WGC Chair   Dear WGC Donors and Friends,
It's been a busy Women's History Month - thanks to all our donors, partners, and friends who have supported our efforts in so many ways! We started the month on the heels of raising $1,000 in two hours to support a woman in need through our Emergency Response Network - thank you for your ongoing support! We were proud to be a funder again of Girl Power! where over 800 girls came to learn about and experience STEM careers. And, we were honored to fund this year's powerful Visionary Women Art Exhibit at the Columbia Art Center, and to attend the Gala Reception on International Women’s Day! I hope you get a chance to stop by before it ends at the end of March. READ THE FULL ENEWSLETTER HERE We've got some great events coming up that I hope you can promote and/or join us!
Have you noticed our fresh look this month? I hope you like our just-launched, new, updated website - let us know what you think! Also, please make sure to follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram - we post information consistently about our work, events, grants, and topics of interest to our donors, partners, and the community. Thank you for your support of the WGC, which is growing a community of empowered philanthropists that are building on the past, and working today to shape the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving. I look forward to seeing many of you soon! Sincerely, Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair WGCChair@womensgivingcircle.org "I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life" – Maya Angelou W WOW! What a day at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) on March 10, 2019 for GIRL POWER! We are honored to be a long-time sponsor of this wonderful #STEM event for girls! #womenshistorymonth #girlpower  WGC is proud to sponsor this event. Friday night’s Gala Reception on International Women’s Day was powerful! Visionary Women will be available to view through March: VISIONARY WOMEN – March 8-31, 2019 Gala Reception: Friday, March 8, 6-8:30pm The Journey, Art About Women By Women Main and Window Galleries, Columbia Art Center #iwd2019 #visionarywomen #womenshistorymonth  Celebrating International Women's Day! "I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life" – Maya Angelou Your support of the WGC is growing a community of empowered philanthropists that are building on the past, and working today to shape the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving. #internationalwomensday Thank you for your support!  WGC is proud to sponsor this event: VISIONARY WOMEN – March 8-31, 2019 Gala Reception: Friday, March 8, 6-8:30pm The Journey, Art About Women By Women Main and Window Galleries, Columbia Art Center An invitational art exhibit and series of events celebrating the talents and art of women from Howard County and Maryland during National Women’s History Month. March 8, International Women’s Day, has been chosen as the focal point of the observance and is an opportunity to amplify women’s voices and recognize and honor the contributions of women in our community.
The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is sponsoring the Juror Awards for the Visionary Women Art Exhibit.   WGC Emergency Response Network Request – We Did It! Many thanks to everyone who took action today and donated to help a woman in need in our community. We asked, and you, our network of women philanthropists, responded – and we quickly raised $1,000! Thank you all! #WGCERN
EARLIER REQUEST: The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County has received the following request to help with an immediate need in the community through our Emergency Response Network (ERN) – can you lend a hand? Our partners at the Howard County Autism Society are requesting $1,000 in assistance for a client in need of respite supports. She is a single mother with a disability who has three children with disabilities (one of them with autism). On behalf of our partners at the Howard County Autism Society we are asking for $1,000 from the Emergency Response Network to help support this mother in need. Can you lend a hand? WGC will pool your contributions and send the funds directly to the nonprofit. We will only accept enough funds to cover this request. The WGC Emergency Response Network was created to provide an opportunity for WGC donors to directly help women in need. When our nonprofit partners are working with a woman or girl with an immediate need, they submit a request to the WGC. Emergency Response Network Requests:
Thank you for your support of women and girls in our community through the WGC’s Emergency Response Network (ERN). We are making a bigger difference together than we might otherwise be able to alone – the reason for our giving circle! If you have any questions about the WGC or our Emergency Response Network, please email wgcchair@womensgivingcircle.org.  WGC is proud to fund this amazing program again this year: JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) hosts Girl Power, a STEM expo for middle and high school girls, with support from the Maryland Space Business Roundtable and Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County.
The event features hands-on activities, cool demonstrations, and take-home material for the girls to encourage an interest in STEM careers. Girls have the opportunity to talk to professional women in STEM careers such as aerospace, computer science, electrical engineering, geology, information technology, and space mission engineering. There is no registration required. Girl Power is scheduled for March 10, 2019, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Mark your calendars and help spread the word! More information will be available soon. This event attracted over 700 elementary and middle school students for a crowd of 1,000+ We appreciate all the work you have done in the past to celebrate and highlight women in STEM! |
Location"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving.."- Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair
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