 Many thanks to all of our members - long-time and new - who have given to the WGC recently. You are appreciated!
Cyndi Gula, Kate Schulze, Julia McCready, Donna Richardson, Jennifer Bodensiek, Lynne Schaefer, Shirley Harden, Roslyn Jones, Keedra Brown, Sandra te Plate, Shannon Schneider, Melissa Curtin, Megan Bruno, Jacqueline Burrell, Christine Meket, Nadine Green, Jade McDuffie McClary, Kimberly Agnor, Britt Spears, Beatrice Dane, Beth Harbinson, Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Paula Seabright, Kari Staddon, Lisa de Hernandez, Ellen Flynn Giles, Robyn Peters, Susan Clack, Arlene Sheff, Jordan Turner, Hima Jain, Valerie Beyers, Bonnie Bricker, Kay Fandetti, Connie Matheson, Tanya Rapacz, Heather Yeung, Kathryn Ariano, Robin Sturman, Lisa Schoenbrodt, Valerie Montague, Patricia Clifford, Christina and Jim Beaudoin, Carole Fisher, Ulrike Jaller, Howard County Dads, Theresa Billow-Supple, Sharice Hammond, Jade McDuffie McClary, Jessica Feldmark
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 The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County is building a community of philanthropists and creating a permanent legacy to address the needs of women and girls in Howard County. We bring women together to learn about issues impacting women and girls in our community, and pool our dollars to fund programs that address those issues so we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone.
The WGC was founded in 2002 with 16 founding members. We started almost 20 years ago with multiple giving levels as we built an endowment. Today, we have hundreds of members who have given in the last 20 years, have awarded approximately $750,000 in grants to date, and have built a $1.2 M+ endowment. Please Save the Date for March 8, 2022 for our 20th Anniversary Annual Celebration, on International Women's Day, and stay tuned for a number of opportunities to learn more about our history, our impact, our future plans, and how you can join us throughout 2022!
 What moves you to give your time, talent and financial resources? "The Women’s Giving Circle is dear to my heart. It promotes confidence in young girls to help them face the world. I am reminded of my late mother who was very strict about sharing our resources with those less fortunate. She encouraged me to get an education, to make a living and to give back to my community. I am so delighted that my contributions to JA (Junior Achievement) Rising Women have given young girls an opportunity to excel in areas that interest them." - Bach Jeffrey Learn more about the WGC's "Our Giving, Our Stories", a year-long series of giving profiles designed to celebrate women's philanthropy and amplify the voices of women and girls in Howard County. Double click the profile to the right to read it as a large PDF - enjoy! Dr. Jeffrey was born in Saigon, Viet Nam. Her family emigrated first to Switzerland, then to the US. She is a graduate of UMBC and the University of Maryland Dental School. Overcoming language and cultural barriers, she became a dentist with a practice in downtown Columbia. She and her husband Bob have been active philanthropists in Howard County. They were early active supporters of the Women's Giving Circle, underwriting the Junior Achievement JA Women Rising program. Her profile outlines some of their other philanthropic ventures, which includes the Community Foundation of Howard County; FIRN; Leadership, Howard County; Howard Community College and many others dating back over thirty years.
 Like most organizations, COVID-19 has necessitated that the Women’s Giving Circle (WGC) of Howard County conduct the business of the WGC virtually this past year.
While not planned, we have found that not only have we been successful in doing so, but it has allowed more women to engage and participate on a regular basis in our Executive Committee, Advisory Board, Committee meetings, and our virtual events. The WGC Advisory Board has made a policy change regarding the work of the WGC: moving forward, even when we can gather in person again, we will conduct the majority of the WGC business virtually. As a part of our overall Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts, WGC will virtually conduct the Advisory Board, Executive Committee and Committee meetings. WGC will focus on being together in-person for our ongoing Giving, Learning, Networking, and Celebrating events throughout the year. Moving forward, as a women’s organization, the WGC believes that conducting WGC business virtually will be of assistance to women as they strive to reach a healthy work/life balance. We hope that this policy change will remove obstacles presented for women who wish to volunteer and have either traditional workplace commitments or who may have family, health, or other life commitments. “Our goal is to continue to increase inclusivity while having more diverse voices at the 'virtual” table'" said Hina Naseem and Judy Smith, WGC DEI Committee Co-Chairs. “We hope by conducting our WGC operations virtually, we will be providing a more equitable platform for women to engage in the work of the WGC.” We hope that by making this shift in policy, we will encourage other organizations to consider the same - resulting in a more diverse group of women engaging in volunteer efforts in our community now, and in the future. “It’s a win-win-win scenario” said Barb Van Winkle, WGC Advisory Board Chair. “Our organization, our volunteers, and our community all win.” |
"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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