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    • WGC's 20 Years, 20 Stories >
      • #16 - Our Giving, Our Stories
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      • #20 - Celebrating 20 Years of Impact!
    • WGC's 20 Years in Photos - A Snapshot
    • WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • 2023-2021 OGOS Monthly Profiles
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WGC OF HOWARD COUNTY
  • Home
  • About
    • WGC Mission, Vision, Values, Goals
    • WGC Advisory Board
    • WGC Committees
    • WGC 2023-2026 Strategic Plan
    • WGC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • WGC is a Fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County
    • WGC - 20 Years at a Glance
    • WGC Herstory
  • Give
    • WGC's 4 Distinct Ways to Give >
      • WGC Community Member >
        • WGC's 20th Anniversary
        • WGC In Her Honor >
          • In Honor and Memory of WGC Supporter Jackie Melonas
        • WGC Core Support
        • WGC Impact 2024
      • WGC Sponsor Member >
        • Thank You 2023 Sponsors!
        • Thank You 2022 Sponsors!
      • WGC Legacy Member
      • WGC Big Give Member >
        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Individual Donation
        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Team Donation
        • WGC Big Give Process and Grantmaking Guidelines
    • WGC Emergency Response Network
    • WGC Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund
  • Grants
  • Events
  • News
    • WGC's 20 Years, 20 Stories >
      • #16 - Our Giving, Our Stories
      • #17 - State of Women and Girls in Howard County
      • #18 - Local Funding Partnerships
      • #19 - First Executive Director
      • #20 - Celebrating 20 Years of Impact!
    • WGC's 20 Years in Photos - A Snapshot
    • WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • 2023-2021 OGOS Monthly Profiles
      • OGOS Nominations
      • 2022 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
      • 2021-2020 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
    • WGC's (S)hero Mosaic
  • Blog
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Find all the good we are up to on our blog.

WGC's 2023 Big Give: Nonprofits, Apply by April 30!

3/28/2023

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Women's Giving Circle of Howard County's Big Give 2023 
Letter of Interest for Funding - Submit by April 30, 2023
​
  •  - Are you a nonprofit in or serving Howard County that focuses on women and girls?

 - And/or, do you have a program that supports women and girls?

 - Apply for the opportunity to receive up to $10,000 in potential funding from members of the WGC's Big Give 2023

Learn more and download the WGC Big Give 2033 Letter of Interest here

Questions?
Contact Dee Athey: dathey@cfhoco.org 

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WGC's 2023 Big Give: Donors, Join Us by April 30!

3/27/2023

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The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County's 2023 Big Give is designed for women who want to learn more about grantmaking to women and girls in our community in a fun, fast-paced, "pop-up" giving circle learning and giving experience.

WGC 2023 Big Give Overview:
  • Big Give Members will each contribute $1,200. (1 vote)
  • Teams of up to 4 women can be formed who collectively give $1,200 as a team. (1 vote per team)
  • The amount of grants given will be determined by the number of women participating.

​2023 WGC Big Give Members Will: 
  • Meet on May 16 and June 6, 2023 to learn about the philanthropic landscape and collectively decide on funding for nonprofits with a focus on women and girls in Howard County.​
2023 WGC Big Give Membership Sign-Up:
  • Those interested can sign-up and give an individual $1,200 payment here or a team payment here.
  • Registration is open until April 30, 2023 - we hope you can join us!

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WGC Joins Women's Affairs Breakfast Panel

3/21/2023

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The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County was honored to be invited to sit on yesterday's powerhouse panel at the Women's Affairs Breakfast hosted by The Maryland Commission for Civil Rights and The Howard County Office of Human Rights and Equity.

WGC Chair Jennifer Bodensiek spoke on the panel about the WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County and how we are utilizing the data to inform our grantmaking and providing the data to others  - underscoring the value of partnership, collaboration, and support of and for women.

It was great to be surrounded by so many women leaders in our community and across the state, and to have Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller with us!
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WGC's Emergency Response Network - $1,000, Can You Help?

3/16/2023

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The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County  invites you to join with us to raise at least $1,000 to support a woman in need at Grassroots through our WGC Emergency Response Network (ERN).

This woman is a single mom with one child that owes back rent debt of $9,962. After losing her housing due to landlord issues, this client was temporarily self-paying in a motel until she lost her job due to lack of childcare. She and her child were then staying in her car. Last month she and her daughter came into the Grassroots Cold Weather Shelter program. She's been driving for Uber while her child is in school to make some money to pay for other bills besides housing but just last week her car was repossessed. She is currently interviewing for jobs but can't get housing until this debt is cleared.

Grassroots has been working with other organizations to help her pay off this debt as it is a barrier to her getting housing and while they know that they can't pay all of her back debt, they are attempting to help her pay as much as possible. To date, Grassroots has raised $5,325 toward her debt.

Grassroots is requesting $1,000 to help this single mom alleviate her debt. 

On behalf of our partners at Grassroots we invite you to join with us in raising at least $1,000 to support this woman in our community. We will leave this ERN request open for several days and 100% of all gifts will go directly to Grassroots to support their client in need.

Can you help?
Any amount is valued and appreciated!

​Thank you!


Jennifer Bodensiek, WGC Chair
Candace Dodson-Reed and Alison Canning, WGC Grants Committee Co-Chairs
Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, WGC Executive Director
www.womensgivingcircle.org
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WGC on Panel Discussing The Role of Philanthropy in Funding Global Women's Movements

3/14/2023

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Women's Giving Circle of Howard County Executive Director Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz participated in this NGO CSW Forum adjacent panel on March 14, 2023 with Jeannie Infante Sager, Director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute and Susan Benford, Chair of Philanos where they discussed "The Role of #Philanthropy in Funding Global Women's Movements". Learn more here 
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What a Night! WGC's 2023 Annual Celebration & Pink Party

3/9/2023

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We had a fabulous night on March 8, 2023 at WGC's Annual Celebration & Pink Party - on International Women's Day!

It was wonderful to have so many of us together again for WGC's Annual Celebration at Howard Community College in the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center - in a beautiful sea of pink! 

View photos from the event here

WGC Chair Jennifer Bodensiek declared that the state of the WGC is strong and underscored our impact the last 20 years - $1M in grants, $1.3 endowment, and 1,600 donors that are collectively building community.

WGC leaders Mary Thompson, Kashonna Marrow, and Jade McDuffie McClary provided an overview of our recent successes, plans for the future, how to give, how to get involved, and the why of it all - why we are doing the work we do, and how we are focusing on building community through collaboration with our donors, nonprofit and community partners, and the broader community.

And, we reviewed the WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County, and how we are utilizing the data to inform our grantmaking. 

When you consider basic statistics like:
  • Women make 82 cents for every dollar a man is paid.
  • Women's reproductive health is controlled by the government.
  • We lack affordable child care for women who work outside the home and women in school.
  • We lack federal paid family leave for new mothers, and
  • Half a million women and girls age 12 and over are the victims of sexual assault every year.

We know that we need to continue to gather and utilize data for change, and we are committed to doing so. Find examples of how data from the State of Women and Girls in Howard County has helped direct and/or underscore some of our recent grants.

WGC Executive Director Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz introduced our Keynote Speaker Victoria Vrana who laid out a powerful presentation on the importance of community, and how we are all playing a role in building it through collaboration. And WGC Vice Chair Candace Dodson-Reed did a wonderful job facilitating an inspirational panel conversation with Victoria who was joined by Dr. Daria Willis, President of HCC, Tonya Aikens, President & CEO of the Howard County Library System, and Lee Draminski of the  WGC and Vectorworks.

We honored immediate past WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle for Women's History Month, and we enjoyed delicious food from Chef Jamila of The 3rd, non-alcoholic Rose' from Beth Harbinson and Sobar, and women-made wine from The Wine Bin.

And, we had a great response regarding WGC's Feminine Hygiene Product Drive - all three bins for the Howard Community College Foodbank were filled to the brim - thank you all for responding to the call!

Many of you asked how you can get or remain involved in our collective work.

Here's 5 Ways to Get Involved Today:


  • Sponsor the WGC in 2023
  • Support the WGC Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund
  • Register for WGC's April 24 Membership Monday Call
  • Join the WGC 2023 Big Give by April 30
  • Register for WGC's Black Philanthropy Month Happy Hour on August 1

Many thanks to all of our sponsors so far this year, to all those who attended the event, and to everyone who supports the WGC and all that you do to build community in Howard County. 

We collectively underscored that we are all growing community together through collaboration, and while it is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day, there is not just one time to celebrate women’s successes and discuss solutions to ongoing challenges. We must continue to do this each and every day, and the Women’s Giving Circle will be here to be your partner in supporting women and girls in Howard County. 

There is strength in numbers, and we are all in this together. As our distinguished panel said, “a rising tide lifts all boats." 

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WGC 2023 Feminine Hygiene Product Drive - March Update

3/4/2023

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The WGC’s Feminine Hygiene Product Drive continues to bring in needed supplies for women and girls in Howard County. You can support this effort in two ways:

  • Donate Products: We are collecting donated products on a regular basis and bringing them to the Community Action Council/Howard County Food Bank, Columbia Community Care, and other places to distribute to women and girls in our community. 
​
  • Donate Money: We invite donations to the WGC that we will provide to our nonprofit partners so they can purchase products for their clients.

The WGC has chosen to continue our focus on this because it's a need that is easily and often overlooked.

Did you know ...
​
  • 29% of girls miss school due to lack of supplies needed.
  • 39% cannot provide period products for themselves.
  • Some are forced to use towels and plastic instead of proper supplies.

You can read more about this important issue here.

Many thanks to our partners at the Howard County Library System, that has bins in all branches, as well as our partners at Bra-La-La and The 3rd who are collecting products regularly. 

Thank you to everyone who donated money and/or products at locations around Howard County in 2022 and 2023. So far, we've been able to donate hundreds of pounds of products and $4,000 dollars to WGC nonprofit partners to purchase products for their clients.
And, a big welcome to our new WGC Student Interns Isabella Farro and Jess Ndiritu who are managing WGC's 2023 Feminine Hygiene Product Drive!
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3 Questions With Philanthropist Barb Van Winkle for WGC's "Our Giving, Our Stories" Series in Honor of Women's History Month

3/1/2023

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When did you start giving to issues that are important to you? 

"While in college, I volunteered at Planned Parenthood in Baltimore and was deeply moved by the power of helping women in need.  When I moved to Howard County to open my business, a friend invited me to be on the Board of The Family Life Center in Wilde Lake, and thus began my local volunteering!​ " - Barb Van Winkle

Organizations that Barb currently supports:
​
  • Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County
  • Howard Community College Educational Foundation
  • Community Action Council of Howard County
  • Grassroots Crisis Center
  • HopeWorks
  • Just Living Advocacy
  • The 3rd
  • Howard County Library System

Learn more about the WGC's "Our Giving, Our Stories", an ongoing series of giving profiles designed to celebrate women's philanthropy and amplify the voices of women and girls in Howard County.
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Click here to read Barb's full profile.
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"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving​." - Barb Van Winkle, Immediate Past Chair
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WGC is proud to be a fund of the
​Community Foundation of Howard County - cfhoco.org

EIN Number: 52-0937644
Find us on Guidestar Here
​​​WGC is a proud member of several local, regional and national philanthropic organizations 
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  • Home
  • About
    • WGC Mission, Vision, Values, Goals
    • WGC Advisory Board
    • WGC Committees
    • WGC 2023-2026 Strategic Plan
    • WGC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • WGC is a Fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County
    • WGC - 20 Years at a Glance
    • WGC Herstory
  • Give
    • WGC's 4 Distinct Ways to Give >
      • WGC Community Member >
        • WGC's 20th Anniversary
        • WGC In Her Honor >
          • In Honor and Memory of WGC Supporter Jackie Melonas
        • WGC Core Support
        • WGC Impact 2024
      • WGC Sponsor Member >
        • Thank You 2023 Sponsors!
        • Thank You 2022 Sponsors!
      • WGC Legacy Member
      • WGC Big Give Member >
        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Individual Donation
        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Team Donation
        • WGC Big Give Process and Grantmaking Guidelines
    • WGC Emergency Response Network
    • WGC Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund
  • Grants
  • Events
  • News
    • WGC's 20 Years, 20 Stories >
      • #16 - Our Giving, Our Stories
      • #17 - State of Women and Girls in Howard County
      • #18 - Local Funding Partnerships
      • #19 - First Executive Director
      • #20 - Celebrating 20 Years of Impact!
    • WGC's 20 Years in Photos - A Snapshot
    • WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • 2023-2021 OGOS Monthly Profiles
      • OGOS Nominations
      • 2022 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
      • 2021-2020 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
    • WGC's (S)hero Mosaic
  • Blog
  • Contact