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WGC OF HOWARD COUNTY
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    • 4 Distinct Ways to Give >
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          • In Honor and Memory of WGC Supporter Jackie Melonas
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        • Thank You to Our Sponsors!
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        • WGC Big Give $1,200 Individual Donation
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        • WGC Big Give Process and Grantmaking Guidelines
  • Grants
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      • #1 - WGC Founders
      • #2 - WGC Advisory Board Chairs & Members
      • #3 - Fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County
      • #4 - Learning, Networking, Celebrating
      • #5 - Creative Engagement
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • 2022-2021 OGOS Monthly Profiles
      • 2021-2020 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
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Find all the good we are up to on our blog.

July 2021 WGC eNewsletter

7/27/2021

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The latest news from the WGC.

​While we are all enjoying the slower pace of summer, we are also hard at work planning for upcoming events, and our 20th Anniversary in 2022! We are also continuing to engage our community in pooling dollars so that we can have a greater impact together than we might otherwise have alone on programs that benefit women and girls. Many thanks to those who have given to the WGC recently - you are appreciated!

This is the value of a giving circle. Read the full eNewsletter here.


We are excited to celebrate Black Philanthropy Month throughout August as we elevate the voices and stories of women philanthropists in our community through WGC's "Our Giving, Our Stories" profile series. And, we are hosting a free virtual Happy Hour on August 2 at 5:30 pm to kick-off our Black Philanthropy Month celebration - please join us! 

We've partnered with JustLiving Advocacy to support kids in our community with back-to-school supplies. Please consider donating and/or joining us on August 7 at an event to distribute our goal of 750 backpacks! This is a great opportunity to engage your kids in a philanthropic effort this summer.

And, we've funded the Youth in Philanthropy initiative at the Community Foundation of Howard County, and in particular helped to merge WGC's Young Women's Giving Circle into YIP with a track specifically focused on women's philanthropy. YIP just announced $25,000 in grants and we are honored to support the next generation of philanthropists in our community!

Finally, do you have a big idea for social change in Howard County? Pitch it to us by August 29 for a chance to win up to $25,000 through the Changemaker Challenge! We are excited that one $10,000 grant will be awarded to an entry for a project created by or serving women and/or girls in Howard County!

As we enter the last month of summer, be sure to connect with us on social media and read our blog to learn more about our efforts and how you can get involved in the coming months.

Thanks for all you do on behalf of our community!

Sincerely,
Barb Van Winkle
WGC Advisory Board Chair
www.womensgivingcircle.org
give * connect * engage ​

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WGC-Funded "Youth in Philanthropy" at CFHoCo Awards $25,000 in Community Grants

7/27/2021

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A student panel from the Community Foundation of Howard County’s Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program has selected nine nonprofits for its community grant awards. The grants total $25,000, with funding coming from the Youth in Philanthropy fund and the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, two field of interest funds under the Community Foundation of Howard County umbrella.

Youth in Philanthropy, a second-year program of CFHoCo, was established in 2019 to provide opportunities for high school students to learn about philanthropy firsthand. The YIP class consists of 26 students representing 13 different Howard County high schools. The students learn about community nonprofits, explore the fundraising and grant process and tackle local issues such as homelessness, hunger, domestic violence, environmental issues, arts and cultural opportunities.

“Our YIP students did a tremendous job throughout this process – learning about needs of our community and awarding grants that can make a real impact,” said Dee Athey, CFHoCo’s Director of Grants and Community Engagement. “I was so impressed and proud of their thoughtfulness, focus and competence during the review and interview processes.”

Youth in Philanthropy empowers students to solicit and evaluate grant applications and award funds based on need and effectiveness to nonprofit organizations in Howard County. The group met virtually to talk through the nominations, discuss the merits of each application and interview finalists. This year the group placed a premium on programs that enable access to basic needs, address mental health and help young girls and women.

This year Youth in Philanthropy merged with the WGC's Young Women's Giving Circle (YWGC), which included a meaningful track throughout the year specifically for young women about women's philanthropy.

“YIP participants were able to actively learn about the entire lifecycle of the grant process from the grant submission, review, interview and award phases.  In the end, they were able to gain consensus as a collective group to make decisions about contributing financially to causes they felt address basic needs in their own community. They were able to gain insight into the reasons why these non-profits were requesting the money, and how the grants would be used if selected, while becoming more aware and learning more about the various struggles these organizations and the populations they serve encounter “ said Lee Draminski, WGC Liaison to the YIP Committee.

The WGC has funded the Youth in Philanthropy program and has helped to shape and guide its growth jointly with the Community Foundation's YIP Committee.

"The WGC is proud to be a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County, and this partnership continues to leverage and strengthen our joint efforts to promote philanthropy in the community to focus on programs that benefit women and girls" said Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair.

Click to see the nine Howard County nonprofits selected and to read more.

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Having a Greater Impact Together, Thank You!

7/27/2021

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Many thanks to all of our members - long-time and new - who have given to the WGC recently. 

Megan Bruno, Tracey Diep, Sherine Hargrove, Kim Agnor, Alison Canning, Robyn Peters, Stephanie Schultz, Charmayne Anderson, Carlessia Hussein, Betsy Fetchko, Aquanetta Betts, Wendy Ryan, Arlene Sheff, Carolyn Bourg, Arielle Karp, Lynne Rosen, Tanya Rapacz, Nicole Berger, Irene Griff, Susan Hobby, Roslyn Jones, Susan Porter, Dana Sohr, Kashonna Holland, Deanna Peel, Angie Kozlowski, Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Ann M. Bromery, Colleen D'Agrosa, Rhonda Neubauer, Lori Fuchs, Martha Lohaus, Paula Seabright, Lynne D'Autrechy, Georgia Bupp, Terri Hill, Christina and Jim Beaudoin, Vivian Lawyer, Judy Barnett, Theresa Billow-Supple, Hima Jain, Michele G. Crosby, Anne Gould, Patricia Altner, Beatrice Dane, Beth Harbinson, Sharice Hammond. You are appreciated!
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WGC's Virtual Happy Hour Celebrating Black Philanthropy Month - Monday, August 2 at 5:30 pm

7/26/2021

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Join us on Monday, August 2 at 5:30 pm for a virtual happy hour to celebrate Black Philanthropy Month and kick-off our month-long "Our Giving, Our Stories" profile series! We'll hear from Tracey Webb and Valaida Fullwood, co-architects of Black Philanthropy Month about BPM and their 10th anniversary this year. And, Kimberly Prescott of Prescott HR will kick-off the event with a special drink presentation in celebration of Black Philanthropy Month!

The primary aims of Black Philanthropy Month, which is observed every August, are informing, involving, inspiring and investing in Black philanthropic leadership to strengthen African-American and African-descent giving in all its forms. Beginning August 1 and each day in August thereafter, the WGC will share daily profiles of Howard County philanthropists in celebration of Black Philanthropy Month 2021. Here's what we did last year. Registration is now closed.

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WGC ERN Request to Support Women in Need - $2,000 - Can You Help?

7/16/2021

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The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC) is working to raise $2,000 or more through our Emergency Response Network (ERN) to help our nonprofit partner Grassroots Crisis Intervention support two women clients in need. 

CLIENT #1: Grassroots has a client who is a 31-year-old single mother with a 3-year-old son who entered the Grassroots shelter after having lived in her vehicle for about eight months. She is under a lot of stress, but that does not stop her from having a positive spirit or getting herself up early in the morning, moving her unregistered vehicle from the back lot to the front of the building, and carrying her sleeping son to the car to put in a day’s work at a daycare. She is trying to focus on the steps in front of her and is climbing them bit by bit. Because of her circumstances she has not been able to pay the lease on her vehicle and the debt has built up for over 9 months. She has citations that have added up and she is living in fear that the vehicle that she uses every single day that allows her to travel the fifty minutes to work will be repossessed. She has been met with a difficult journey, with few supports that she can truly rely on. Her main goal is stability for she and her son and she needs her vehicle to keep moving towards this goal. She owes about $3,000 but Grassroots has already secured $1,000 from a local organization, and a church is helping with another $1,000. Although she faces other challenges, the removal of this debt would be a huge weight that would be lifted off of her and would allow her to move on and work on getting stable housing for herself and her son.

On behalf of our partners at Grassroots, we are inviting donations totaling $1,000 or more to help this client with debt removal that will allow her to continue working on obtaining stable housing for she and her son.

CLIENT #2: Grassroots has another client in the shelter who relies on her car to get to work and it is on its very last leg. Her car was her home for the last year before she came to the shelter. It  currently has over 100,000 miles, has failed two emissions tests, and several mechanics have told her that it will be too costly to repair. She is vibrant and remains grounded and optimistic despite all the hardships that she has faced including the loss of a child and the separation from a spouse. 
Grassroots is working toward housing for her but she will soon be left without transportation, and while she is resilient and will find a way to continue going to work, it will pull her further away from securing housing. 
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On behalf of our partners at Grassroots, we are inviting donations totaling $1,000 or more to help this client purchase a used vehicle that is available through a contact at the Day Resource Center.

Can you help? 

All donations will go directly to this effort.​ Any amount is valued and appreciated, thank you!

Barb Van Winkle, Chair
Candace Dodson-Reed & Alison Canning, WGC Grants Committee Chair & Vice-Chair​
Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Executive Director
www.womensgivingcircle.org​
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3 Questions With Philanthropist, Dr. Lillian Norris-Holmes for WGC's "Our Giving, Our Stories" Series in Celebration of Independence Day/Spirit of Independence

7/7/2021

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In honor of Independence Day, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is proud to recognize Dr. Lillian Norris-Holmes as part of the WGC's "Our Giving, Our Stories" profile series.

Dr. Norris-Holmes is a life-long advocate and activist for children, with a passion and commitment to lift up families and communities to improve the welfare of children. She is a professional educator whose Doctoral Dissertation was "Implementing High-Quality Afterschool Programs in a High Poverty Public School District. She is also a political activist who has served on state and county political campaigns promoting candidates and elected officials who lift up families and citizens in need.  She feels her political responsibility is to "keep a finger on the moral pulse of political leaders.”  Her political work is both local and statewide, encouraging and mentoring young women to engage in the political process. She has received numerous recognitions and appointments, including being named as an Obama Fellow-Organizing for America (OFA). She serves as a Board Member of Maryland’s Advocates for Children and Youth and Common Cause Maryland where she is President-Elect, and is on the Howard County Democratic Central Committee.

We are fortunate that we have Dr. Norris-Holmes in our community working with us to elevate the voices of women and girls.

Thank you for joining us in recognizing her by clicking on this image to read her full WGC "Our Giving, Our Stories" profile, and learning more about all of the amazing women who are part of  WGC "Our Giving, Our Stories"!

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WGC Partners with JustLiving Advocacy for School Supply Drive

7/2/2021

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WGC has partnered with JustLiving Advocacy for a Back-to-School supply drive and we invite WGC members to help support it and help us hit our goal of filling 750 backpacks before August 2nd!

This is a great opportunity to engage your kids in a summer giving activity - buying school supplies for other kids. Here's 4 ways you can participate:

  • Purchase school supplies online through JustLiving's Amazon Smile Wish List
  • Purchase/collect and drop off school supplies
  • Donate online to JustLiving
  • Mail a check to JustLiving
  • Supplies can be dropped off and/or checks can be mailed to:  9770 Patuxent Woods Dr. #319, Columbia, MD 21046

We are collecting: Crayons, Pencils and Pens, Highlighters, Erasers, Rulers, Multi Colored Folders, Notebooks, Index Cards, Composition Notebooks, Scissors, and Glue.

Last year JustLiving distributed over 500 backpacks with supplies to family and children in need with the support from Howard County families. This year JustLiving, with support from the WGC, will host the Back-to-School Supply Give-Away on Saturday, August 7 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm - learn more here.

Thanks for your support!

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"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving​." - Barb Van Winkle, 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
    • Advisory Board
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    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Community Foundation of Howard County
    • WGC Herstory
  • Give
    • 4 Distinct Ways to Give >
      • WGC Community Member >
        • WGC ERN
        • 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 to Our 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
  • Grants
  • Events
    • WGC's Membership Mondays!
  • News
    • WGC - Celebrating 20 Years
    • WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County
    • WGC's 20 Years, 20 Stories >
      • #1 - WGC Founders
      • #2 - WGC Advisory Board Chairs & Members
      • #3 - Fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County
      • #4 - Learning, Networking, Celebrating
      • #5 - Creative Engagement
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • 2022-2021 OGOS Monthly Profiles
      • 2021-2020 OGOS Black Philanthropy Month
      • OGOS Nominations
    • WGC's (S)hero Mosaic
  • Blog
  • Contact