Dear Friends,

As we close out another powerful year of collective giving, we are reminded of the strength, compassion, and vision that women in our community bring to philanthropy every single day - the Power of WE.

Together, WE continue to build a vibrant, inclusive, and generous giving circle - one that strives to uplift women and girls and strengthen Howard County in meaningful ways.

This year, WE:
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• Engaged many new and current donors, all of whom expanded our collective impact as a fund of The Community Foundation of Howard County.
• Hosted the WGC's Big Give 2025, where women and girls explored philanthropy and made over $35,000 in collective grant decisions. The WGC's Big Give 2026 is already open and we hope you'll join us!
• Gave nearly $75,000 in grants, including through our WGC Emergency Response Network, supporting women and girls in our community. See our 2025 grantmaking here.
• Published “Elevating to Evolve” - a groundbreaking report in partnership with the Horizon Foundation, amplifying the voices and leadership of Black women nonprofit leaders in Howard County. Read the report here.
• Advanced menstrual equity through our WGC Break the Cycle Period Product Drive and the inspiring leadership of the WGC's Young Women’s Giving Circle. Learn more here.

As we look ahead to 2026, your year-end gift of any size will strengthen our ability to meet the moment, respond to community needs, and continue building our giving circle, grounded in generosity, equity, and the Power of WE.

Thank you for your ongoing support of women and girls - click here to give today!

With appreciation,

Jennifer Woods, WGC Chair
Candace Dodson Reed, Incoming WGC Chair
Kashonna Marrow, Incoming WGC Vice Chair
Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz, WGC Executive Director
WGC's 2025-2026 Board of Directors
 

• P.S. Your gift today helps fuel our work year-round - please consider making a one-time or recurring donation before December 31 to support our collective impact.

• P.P.S. You can also support the WGC by becoming a 2026 Sponsor! Sponsorship includes tickets to our March 4, 2026 Annual Celebration & Pink Party, "The Power of WE: Courageous Philanthropy for Complex Times,” featuring keynote speaker Hali Lee, author of The Big WE. Join us as a sponsor and be part of an unforgettable evening celebrating women’s philanthropy.

Thank you to everyone who showed up this frosty morning to support the Women's Giving Circle/Young Women's Giving Circle's "Break the Cycle" Period Product Drive Up & Drop Off!

Our amazing YWGC interns were out in full force collecting and organizing products from the many donors and volunteers who joined us to support women and girls in Howard County. As Incoming Chair Candace Dodson-Reed said, "it may be cold, but you could feel the warmth!"

The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC) hosts our Young Women’s Giving Circle (YWGC) for high school aged young women to learn about philanthropy, leadership, community, and specific issues like women’s health and period poverty. 

"Since its launch, the Women’s Giving Circle’s Break the Cycle Period Product Drive has addressed a critical and often overlooked need - access to menstrual products for women and girls experiencing poverty" said WGC's YWGC and Break the Cycle Chair Paula Seabright. "This initiative not only provides essential supplies but also breaks down stigma, builds awareness, and strengthens collective action around menstrual equity in our community."

Through this effort, WGC has raised over $10,000 to provide directly to nonprofit partners that support women and girls with period products - ensuring they can purchase what is most needed through their suppliers at lower costs. In addition, we have collected hundreds of pounds of donated products that are distributed to schools, shelters, and community agencies across Howard County.

Today's WGC/YWGC "Break the Cycle" Period Product Drive Up & Drop Off brought in 100+ pounds of products and several hundred dollars to purchase products to provide to our nonprofit partners in the county who serve women and girls. Special thank you to Daria J. Willis and Howard Community College for giving us space to collect products for our drive. 

Thank you to everyone who supported today's drive - including our YWGC interns, WGC leaders, donors, volunteers, and our many elected officials, candidates, and a cute puppy or two who stopped by to show their support, and even to dance a little in the cold - we appreciate you all!

The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC) hosts our Young Women’s Giving Circle (YWGC) for high school aged young women to learn about philanthropy, leadership, community, and specific issues like women’s health and period poverty. 

Last night, YWGC intern Ellie Vernick, on behalf of the WGC's YWGC, testified to the Howard County Board of Education regarding the availability of period products in Howard County schools.

“The best philanthropists work for change" said WGC YWGC and "Break the Cycle" Chair. "That's just what our YWGC interns did last night as they testified at the Howard County Board of Education meeting, urging the school system to fulfill the requirements of state legislation and stock period products in school restrooms.”

Here's what YWGC's Ellie Vernick said, on behalf of the WGC's Young Women's Giving Circle:

"My name is Ellie Vernick, and I am here representing the WGC's Young Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County, a high school student intern group dedicated to addressing women’s health and combating period poverty in our community.

• Under Maryland House Bill 205, each county board of education is required to ensure that each public school provides, at no charge to students, menstrual hygiene products via dispensers in the women’s restrooms at the school. However, throughout the past few months, many HCPSS students have noticed that the menstrual hygiene dispensers available in schools have failed time and time again to be restocked. More often than not, the dispensers are left empty, or broken. Starting in June of 2025, my fellow interns from the Young Women’s Giving Circle have been tracking the status of menstrual product dispensers. Our audit - which covers majority of HCPSS high schools (including Hammond, Long Reach, Marriott Ridge, Howard, River Hill, Atholton, Glenelg, Guilford Park) and several middle schools - found that, on average, none of the 1–4 dispensers installed per school were stocked. At best, only 1 or 2 of the dispensers were filled per school. Since the beginning of this school year in September, our reevaluation of the dispensers shows a very similar trend, with the dispensers continuing to go unstocked. 
• Additionally, there are no ways to let the relevant staff know that the dispensers need restocking, causing this problem to continue to stay unresolved. Even more concerning, we have found that 50% of schools often lock the bathrooms that contain dispensers, so that even if the dispensers were stocked, the students are still prevented from reaching them. 
• As long as students are unable to access these facilities and the corresponding products that are supposed to be found within these dispensers, these girls remain at a significant disadvantage, directly contradicting the intent of the law. Menstrual products are not a luxury- they are a necessity. This isn’t a problem that girls need to be thinking about during the school day; they are here to learn, and it is the county’s responsibility to ensure that these students can do just that, comfortably and with dignity. 

Thank you for your time, and we urge you to take immediate action to restore consistent access to menstrual hygiene products in all HCPSS schools."