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WGC OF HOWARD COUNTY
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WGC 2021 Snapshots!

12/31/2021

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WGC 2021 Grants - $110,000+

12/22/2021

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In 2021 we gave over $110,000+ to our nonprofit partners in Howard County.

​Learn about our 
new grant partnership with The 3rd and The Highland Project. 
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"We are proud to support our nonprofit partners on the ground focusing on women, girls, and families in our community." 

- Candace Dodson-Reed & Alison Canning,  
2022 WGC Grants Committee Co-Chairs
Here's our 2021 Grants Snapshot: $110,000+

  • Leadership U Scholarship: ($1,000) 
  • Young Women's Giving Circle/Youth in Philanthropy: ($5,000) 
  • JA Rising Women: ($20,000) 
  • HCC Continuing Education: ($7,750) 
  • ERN Matching Grants: ($2,500) 
  • HopeWorks: ($2,100)
  • Columbia Community Care: ($12,000)
  • Bridges to Housing Stability: ($1,000)
  • Community Action Council: ($1,000)
  • Grassroots: ($1,000)
  • Luminus: ($2,000)
  • JustLiving Advocacy: ($6,000)
  • Howard County Autism Society: ($1,600)
  • United Way of Central Maryland Family Center ($5,000) 
  • The 3rd - Community Partnership, Sponsorship: ($5,000) 
  • Community Foundation of Howard County: ($4,000) 
  • Black Philanthropy Month: ($1,000) 
  • Changemaker Challenge: ($10,000)
  • Girls on Fire Howard County: ($1,000) 
  • Girls on the Run of Central Maryland/Howard County: ($1,000)
  • Howard County EcoWorks: ($1,000)
  • The 3rd - Social Justice Grant: ($20,000) 
  • The Highland Project: ($10,000)
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It's because of you ... thank you!

12/21/2021

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December 21, 2021

Friends,

It’s been a challenging year as we continue to be affected by the global pandemic, racial and social injustice, gender inequality, and political upheaval. However, it’s also been a successful year as we’ve attempted to address and support these and other issues by
 developing creative solutions to ensure our work continued to make an impact throughout the year. 

We did this by:
​
  • Giving Grants - we gave $110,000+ to support women, girls and their families to our nonprofit partners, including our new social justice grant partnership with The 3rd and The Highland Project. And, we gave $60,000 to encourage social innovation through the Changemaker Challenge in partnership with the Community Foundation of Howard County, Horizon Foundation and United Way of Central Maryland.
  • Engaging Members - we engaged and increased our membership, raised $152,000+ from 368 members, held twelve virtual events, invited giving through 8 Emergency Response Network requests, and developed and reinforced our membership structure, with an enhanced menu of giving and engagement options moving into 2022.
  • Strengthening the Circle - we invested in and focused on our core strength by growing our professional staff, developing our volunteer leadership, and advancing and enhancing our diversity, equity and inclusion framework throughout all of our work. And, we amplified and elevated our voice through increased marketing and communications efforts.

You can read more about our 2021 efforts here

Our work in 2021 has assured us that partnership and generosity is alive and well in Howard County and that philanthropic investment in our community is more important than ever. As we get ready to mark our 20th year of impact in 2022, we are proud to reach these milestones:
  • Over 1,600 individual donors who have given to the WGC the last 20 years that has allowed us to collectively give ...
  • Over $1,000,000 in total to programs that benefit women and girls in Howard County ...
  • Through 250 grants to our nonprofit partners, and ...
  • Who have helped us build a $1,300,000+ endowment to ensure there will be funds for women and girls in Howard County in perpetuity

​This has all happened because of you!

Please consider a year-end gift to the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County so that we can continue to give more grants, engage more members, and strengthen the circle for the future, especially as we enter our 20th year of impact in 2022.

One option for an end-of-year gift is to sponsor our upcoming WGC 20th Anniversary Year in 2022 which supports our two signature celebratory events: WGC's March 8, 2022 Virtual Annual Celebration and our Summer 2022 Pink Party in the Park, where we will celebrate and highlight 20 years of impact. And, a sponsorship of $500 and above includes support of our upcoming 2022 State of Women and Girls in Howard County Report, which will be listed on the report website. Find sponsorship information here, starting at $200 - thank you to our 22 sponsors to date!

Thank you for supporting women, girls, and families in Howard County. We are making a greater difference together than we might otherwise make alone. 

It's because of you ... thank you!

Wishing you the very best this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair
Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, WGC Executive Director
www.womensgivingcircle.org

2021/2022 WGC Advisory Board: Kim Agnor, Dee Athey, Laura Bacon, Jennifer Bodensiek, Melissa Curtin, Alison Canning, Maxine Clark, Jillianne Crescenzi, Candace Dodson-Reed, Lee Draminski, Alice Giles, Kashonna Holland, Mireille Grangenois, Jade McDuffie McClary, Christine Meket, Hina Naseem, April Pardoe, Barbara Peart, Lynne Schaefer, Judy Smith, Nette’ Stokes, Mary Thompson, Beverly White-Seals
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WGC 2021 Year in Review

12/20/2021

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Click Here to Download the WGC 2021 Year in Review 

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WGC 2022 20th Anniversary Sponsors - Please Join Us!

12/3/2021

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It takes a special individual or business to understand the value of investing in women and girls by sponsoring the WGC's 20th Anniversary Year overall, which includes our signature Virtual Annual Celebration on March 8, 2022 and our WGC "Pink" Party in the Park Outdoor Birthday Celebration in the Summer of 2022.

Sponsors will not only be investing in the WGC's 2022 signature celebratory events, but our learning, networking and giving events as well throughout 2022. This includes sponsor promotion throughout the year, and sponsors receive the same number of tickets to both signature events.

And, all $500 or above sponsorships include support of our upcoming 2022 State of Women and Girls in Howard County Report and will be listed on the report.

Thank you to our sponsors to date!

We have a number of sponsorship levels and will be honored to highlight your name/business/logo on our website, on our social media pages, in our eNewsletter,  and before, during and after events. 

We believe sponsoring our 20th Anniversary Year is a meaningful way to support the WGC, and thus women and girls in Howard County. Please join with us!

Learn more about WGC 2022 20th Anniversary Year sponsorships here. 

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Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County Announces New Advisory Board Members

12/1/2021

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Columbia, MD - The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Advisory Board, as well as the full slate of Executive Committee and Advisory Board members for 2022. 

The newly elected Advisory Board members are Laura Bacon, Kashonna Holland, and Jade McDuffie McClary, Esq.  

“I am thrilled to welcome these three talented women, each of whom bring diverse experience and unique backgrounds to the Women’s Giving Circle” said Women’s Giving Circle Advisory Board Chair, Barb Van Winkle. “Each of them has deep community knowledge and a passion for philanthropy, and we are fortunate to have them by our side as we work to shape the future for women and girls in Howard County through the power of collective giving.”

We are very grateful to Jillianne Crescenzi, Mireille Grangenois, Christine Meket, and Hina Naseem, who are leaving the WGC Advisory Board after years of dedicated leadership. 

The Women’s Giving Circle 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.

Joining the WGC Advisory Board to help us meet our mission are:
​

Laura Bacon is the Founder and CEO of The 3rd, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, co-created, community of Women of Color entrepreneurs. The 3rd believes Women of Color need a space to build, execute, and thrive: “We need access. We need skill building. We need funding. We need collaboration. We need accountability. We need sister friends. We need a community that understands our unique gifts and the unique challenges we face.” Laura creates spaces where people can show up as the best version of themselves. Her life and work centers around community building. For 14 years, she channeled that through her work in education. She’s also worked as company manager in theaters, an artists' manager at an opera, a mentor teacher, and most recently she’s settled into her passion, entrepreneurship and community building. Her talent is in putting all the right people in a space to make something special. Laura is a member and currently serves on the WGC’s Events Committee.

“I am interested in joining the WGC because I believe that the entities we build should be as strong and as profitable as we'd like them to be, and above all, that they have a lasting impact on our communities,” said Laura.

Kashonna Holland is an engaging keynote speaker, an inspiring coach, a motivational author, and an insightful corporate trainer. Kashonna is the President & CEO of Simply Kashonna, a business built to promote BOLD, FEARLESS and COURAGEOUS living. She goes beyond surface issues to address the pink elephants that inhibit personal, professional and spiritual potential. Kashonna has helped many people walk through the ambiguity of their lives and on to defining their life’s purpose by discovering their authentic self. Both, in the corporate arena and in the nonprofit world, strategic growth and development of people have always been the focal point of her service. Corporately, she has held positions in both Human Resources, as well as the Staffing industry. Additionally, Kashonna spent years in an executive pastoral role where crisis intervention and spiritual guidance were her primary responsibilities. Understanding that leadership training and development is essential to any corporation or organization’s growth, Kashonna launched SK Leading Forward, which is dedicated to enhancing employee engagement, performance, productivity and morale. Kashonna is a member and currently serves on the WGC’s Membership & Development Committee.

“I believe in the mission and the focus of the Women's Giving Circle” said Kashonna. ” I believe in building community and I understand that it takes financial capacity to do so … providing philanthropists with a platform that supports their efforts to address the deficiency of resources many women have, is both humbling and an honor.”

Jade McDuffie McClary, Esq. is an attorney for the Home Preservation Project at the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland. Jade is responsible for training and mentoring volunteer lawyers to help homeowners with estate planning and homeownership loss prevention issues, such as tax sale and foreclosures. She is committed to helping low-income homeowners preserve their intergenerational wealth, which oftentimes, is the family home.
Previously, Jade practiced family law in Howard County, drafted bills for the Maryland General Assembly, and clerked for the Honorable Cathy H. Serrette in Prince George’s County. Jade has a degree in Mass Communications from University of South Carolina and a law degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She currently serves as a member of the Carey Law Alumni Board and is committed to mentoring students interested in public interest law. 
Jade is a member and currently serves on the WGC’s Events Committee. From 2020 to 2021, Jade also served on the WGC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee where she carefully analyzed the Events Committee’s practices. She is continuing her DEI work by helping the Events Committee implement the initiatives she and her team recommended. 

“I am interested in joining the Advisory Board because I am passionate about WGC's mission and want to get more involved in spreading the message about collective giving to benefit our community,” said Jade.

WGC's 2022 Advisory Board:

WGC Executive Committee

Officers:

Barb Van Winkle, Chair
Jennifer Bodensiek, Vice Chair
Kim Agnor, Treasurer and Governance Committee Chair
Lee Draminski, Secretary
Judy Smith, WGC Strategist

Alison Canning, Immediate Past Chair, Grants Committee Co-Chair
Melissa Curtin, Membership & Development Committee Chair
Mary Thompson, Events Committee Chair
Candace Dodson-Reed, Grants Committee Co-Chair
Lynne Schaefer - Finance Committee Chair

Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, Executive Director *Ex Officio

WGC Advisory Board Members

Laura Bacon
Maxine Clark
Alice Giles
Kashonna Holland
Jade McDuffie McClary
April Force Pardoe 
Barbara Peart
Beverly White-Seals, CFHoCo President & CEO - Advisory Board Liaison *Ex-Officio
Nette’ Stokes

Dee Athey - CFHoCo Director of Grants and Community Engagement - Staff Liaison  

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"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving​." - Jennifer Woods, 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 and partner with 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
    • WGC - Get Involved
  • Give
    • WGC's 4 Distinct Ways to Give >
      • WGC Community Member >
        • WGC In Her Honor >
          • In Honor and Memory of WGC Supporter Jackie Melonas
        • WGC Core Support
        • WGC Impact 2024
      • WGC Sponsor Member >
        • Thank You 2025 Sponsors!
        • Thank You 2024 Sponsors!
        • 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's Emergency Response Network
    • WGC's "Break the Cycle" Period Product Drive
    • WGC's Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund
  • Grants
  • Events
  • News
    • WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County
    • WGC's Our Giving, Our Stories Series >
      • Monthly OGOS Profiles
      • Black Philanthropy Month OGOS Profiles
      • OGOS Nominations
    • WGC's 20 Years, 20 Stories
    • WGC's (S)hero Mosaic
  • Blog
  • Contact