 By Lucia Denmeade, WGC Student Intern This year, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County launched a year-long Feminine Hygiene Product Drive as part of our 20th anniversary. This drive is built upon the work of the Young Women’s Giving Circle in 2019 and 2020. Information about the drive can be found here. In short, we are collecting products and money to distribute to women and girls in the community who need them through the Community Action Council/ Howard County Food Bank. So far, we have collected $258.76 through our online donations. We are hoping to raise $2,000 by the end of the year. This money will go directly to the Community Action Council/Howard County Foodbank, and Columbia Community Care, to purchase items for women and girls in our community. Click here to donate, and learn about other ways to contribute. Additionally, we have collecting products at each of the six libraries in the Howard County Library System. A special thank you goes to the people who have been helping along the way to ensure our drive is as successful as possible. They are as follows:
We have been fortunate enough to receive lots of donations through the drop-off boxes, and are excited for the rest of the year. All donations were given directly to the Community Action Council/Howard County Food Bank. Thank you to everyone who joined us on May 12 at Bra-La-La for a fun and festive happy hour toast! It was great to network, socialize, and be together in person, while supporting a woman-owned business and women and girls through the WGC! Check our Events Calendar for our upcoming events - hope to see you soon! 3 Questions With ... Philanthropist Sue Song in Honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month5/10/2022
 Women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights. And we are all entitled to human rights. These include the right to live free from violence and discrimination, to be educated, to own property, to vote, to earn an equal wage, and to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The leaked draft decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade will be a direct assault on the rights, lives, dignity, and personal authority of women in our country. We may soon find ourselves in a time where women and girls actually have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers had, in a country with the highest maternal mortality rate, no paid maternity leave, no universal child care, no continued birth parent care, and the need for increased mental health care. As highlighted in the WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County, many women and girls continue to face discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Gender inequality underpins many problems which disproportionately affect women and girls, including lower pay, lack of access to education, inadequate healthcare, domestic and sexual violence, and reproductive health. 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. With a vision for women’s philanthropy to shape the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving, our goals are to:
We believe:
We also believe that we are stronger together. Read our Statement of Unity here. And, we believe women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights. We must and will continue to support the fight for women's rights ... now, more than ever. - The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County Advisory Board H/T: Amnesty International, Hillary Clinton, Tocarra Mallard
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"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving." - Jennifer Bodensiek, Chair
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