It's Giving Tuesday! A day dedicated to recognizing and supporting the causes, issues, and organizations that you care about. 

On this Giving Tuesday we hope you will consider donating to the WGC with a gift of $22 (or more!) in honor of the 22 years that we have collectively been supporting women and girls in our community. 

Thank you in advance for considering adding the WGC to your Giving Tuesday support list and donating $22 (or more!) in honor of the WGC's 22 years of community giving!

Once you donate we invite you to download and post this Giving Tuesday #Unselfie on your social media pages with the hashtags #givingtuesday and #wgchowardcounty!

This is commUnity!

The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County was honored and excited to be a part of the beautiful Columbia Association Community Quilt Project and to participate in the community unveiling on Thursday, November 16, 2023.

Seventy partners, all with a commitment to service, are woven into the unique quilt - including the WGC.

The Columbia Association commissioned local quilter Maria O'Haver to weave the stories together to make a statement piece that was unveiled at a reception at the Columbia Art Center.

​Thank you Columbia Association!

The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County invites you to join with us to raise at least $1,650 to support a woman who is a client of HopeWorks and a woman who is a client of Grassroots, both of whom are in need of support through our Emergency Response Network (ERN).

HopeWorks: $650 for a Security Deposit

HopeWorks is working with a client who is a victim of intimate partner violence. She has been able to get shelter from HopeWorks and after working with a case manager, she has been able to find permanent housing. However, she doesn't have the funds for the security deposit. On behalf of our partners at HopeWorks, we are looking to raise at least $650 to help support this woman with her security deposit.

Grassroots: $1,000 for Car Repair

Grassroots is working with a client who was in a car accident and is in need of funding for car repairs. She needs the car to go to work and to look for housing as she had been living in her car and can't while it is being repaired. On behalf of our partners at Grassroots, we are looking to raise at least $1,000 to help support this woman with her needed car repairs.​

Can you help?

Any amount is valued and appreciated! We are going to leave this request open for several days.

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

When Colleen Willoughby founded the Washington Women’s Foundation in Seattle in 1995, she sought to change a philanthropic landscape where women often lacked the confidence to invest broadly and in issues important to them in their communities and were seldom seated at philanthropic board tables.

Through the Foundation and affiliated organizations, Colleen promoted the model of collective giving grantmaking that changed the face of philanthropy.

This year Philanos honored Malynda Madzel of the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, a changemaker who has:

• Challenged the status quo in philanthropy
• Used their collective giving experience to make an impact outside her circle
• Addressed needs that may not have otherwise been addressed, and
• Collaborated philanthropically in her community

This year’s Philanos Willoughby Award was given at PowerUP! Baltimore National Women's Collective Giving conference to Malynda, who has helped to change the status quo for philanthropy in our community through the myriad leadership positions she has held.

The Women's Giving Circle is proud to amplify the voices and stories of women givers in our community through our regular series "Our Giving, Our Stories".  This month we are profiling Lisa Boucher Terry in honor of Veterans Day:

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

​"Our service men and women and their families make so many sacrifices every day to serve our country and protect our freedoms. Most military families move every 2-3 years, some more often, and starting over in a new state or country is really hard on military children. Military spouses are often unemployed or underemployed because of the frequent moves and a deployed parent can be really hard on a family. And if the service member experiences physical or emotional trauma while in uniform, this brings even greater struggles. Military separation or retirement can be a difficult transition and as veterans age, a whole new set of challenges arise. Making sure the needs of our veteran and military families are taken care of while honoring and celebrating their service and sacrifice is why I do what I do. I recently coordinated the first Howard County Veteran and Military Owned Small Biz Expo to support local entrepreneurs and am currently working with HCPSS to improve support for military students with Purple Star School designation in selected schools. I serve on the Ft. Meade Alliance Military Families Committee, as well as the Maryland Military Installation Council and the Crisis Intercept Mapping Service Members and Veteran Families Suicide Prevention team to ensure military connected families have access to resources and services to make them healthy, ready and resilient. Too many stressors affects national security which puts us all at risk. I serve on the Veterans Day Parade committee and am a founding board member of the Howard County Veterans Foundation, whose mission is to have a Veteran and Military Families Monument installed on the Columbia Lakefront in Bailey Park. I work closely with the Commission for Veterans and Military Families and our local veteran service organizations who participate in quarterly flag retirement ceremonies, provide fellowship to isolated veterans in assisted living, and coordinate Memorial Day events and Honor Flight receptions. I want everyone to have access to the resources they need to succeed in life so I will continue to live by my one of my favorite quotes by John Wesley, “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”