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The Community Foundation of Howard County Spring Party is always one of our favorite events of the year - and this year the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County took over the bar for an hour. Nothing better than having fun for a good cause! Thank you #WGCHowardCounty #CFHoCo #HoCoMD - we love our community! #collectivegiving #philanthropy Wow, what a night to kick off the WGC's Big Give 2023 at The 3rd! The Big Give 2023 is designed for women who want to learn more about grantmaking to women and girls in our community in a fast-paced, hands-on giving experience. The Big Give 2023 has 35 women who have pooled $20,000 individually and as teams who will collectively grant this $20,000 to three nonprofits that support women and girls of Howard County. Big Give members will meet again in several weeks to hear from this year's 3 finalists and determine grant awards - stay tuned! The Big Give 2022 was our inaugural year, where Big Give members gave $20,000 to Grassroots, HopeWorks, and the Howard Community College Educational Foundation. You can learn more about the WGC's Big Give here.
 Women's Giving Circle of Howard County's Big Give 2023
Letter of Interest for Funding - Submit by April 30, 2023 - Are you a nonprofit serving Howard County that focuses on women and girls? - Or one that has a program that supports women and girls? - Apply for the opportunity to receive up to $10,000 in potential funding from members of the WGC's Big Give 2023! Learn more and download the WGC Big Give 2033 Letter of Interest here Questions? Contact Dee Athey: dathey@cfhoco.org  The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County's 2023 Big Give is designed for women who want to learn more about grantmaking to women and girls in our community in a fun, fast-paced, "pop-up" giving circle learning and giving experience.
WGC 2023 Big Give Overview:
2023 WGC Big Give Members Will:
2023 WGC Big Give Membership Sign-Up:
 Women's Giving Circle of Howard County Executive Director Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz participated in this NGO CSW Forum adjacent panel on March 14, 2023 with Jeannie Infante Sager, Director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute and Susan Benford, Chair of Philanos where they discussed "The Role of #Philanthropy in Funding Global Women's Movements". Learn more here
 We had a fabulous night on March 8, 2023 at WGC's Annual Celebration & Pink Party - on International Women's Day! It was wonderful to have so many of us together again for WGC's Annual Celebration at Howard Community College in the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center - in a beautiful sea of pink! View photos from the event here WGC Chair Jennifer Bodensiek declared that the state of the WGC is strong and underscored our impact the last 20 years - $1M in grants, $1.3 endowment, and 1,600 donors that are collectively building community. WGC leaders Mary Thompson, Kashonna Marrow, and Jade McDuffie McClary provided an overview of our recent successes, plans for the future, how to give, how to get involved, and the why of it all - why we are doing the work we do, and how we are focusing on building community through collaboration with our donors, nonprofit and community partners, and the broader community. And, we reviewed the WGC's State of Women and Girls in Howard County, and how we are utilizing the data to inform our grantmaking. When you consider basic statistics like:
We know that we need to continue to gather and utilize data for change, and we are committed to doing so. Find examples of how data from the State of Women and Girls in Howard County has helped direct and/or underscore some of our recent grants. WGC Executive Director Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz introduced our Keynote Speaker Victoria Vrana who laid out a powerful presentation on the importance of community, and how we are all playing a role in building it through collaboration. And WGC Vice Chair Candace Dodson-Reed did a wonderful job facilitating an inspirational panel conversation with Victoria who was joined by Dr. Daria Willis, President of HCC, Tonya Aikens, President & CEO of the Howard County Library System, and Lee Draminski of the WGC and Vectorworks. We honored immediate past WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle for Women's History Month, and we enjoyed delicious food from Chef Jamila of The 3rd, non-alcoholic Rose' from Beth Harbinson and Sobar, and women-made wine from The Wine Bin. And, we had a great response regarding WGC's Feminine Hygiene Product Drive - all three bins for the Howard Community College Foodbank were filled to the brim - thank you all for responding to the call! Many of you asked how you can get or remain involved in our collective work. Here's 5 Ways to Get Involved Today:
Many thanks to all of our sponsors so far this year, to all those who attended the event, and to everyone who supports the WGC and all that you do to build community in Howard County. We collectively underscored that we are all growing community together through collaboration, and while it is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day, there is not just one time to celebrate women’s successes and discuss solutions to ongoing challenges. We must continue to do this each and every day, and the Women’s Giving Circle will be here to be your partner in supporting women and girls in Howard County. There is strength in numbers, and we are all in this together. As our distinguished panel said, “a rising tide lifts all boats."
We are excited to welcome Isabella Farro and Jess Ndiritu as our new 2023 Student Interns! Jess and Isabella are managing our 2023 WGC Feminine Hygiene Product Drive and they recently collected products from our partners at the Howard County Library System where each branch holds WGC bins to collect products, and from our partners at The 3rd - and then they brought the products to our partners at Columbia Community Care. This is how you help build community - thanks Jess and Isabella, and all of our partners! Learn more here  WGC 2023 Annual Celebration & Pink Party
Wednesday, March 8, 2023, 5:00 - 7:00 pm at Howard Community College With Keynote Speaker: Victoria Vrana, CEO of Global Giving, Speaking on: “Building Community Through Cooperation + Collaboration” And distinguished panelists who will discuss "The Keys to Building Community Locally Through Collaboration" Tonya Aikens, President & CEO - Howard County Library System Candace Dodson-Reed, VP Gov. Relations & Community Affairs, UMBC Lee Draminski, Partnership Specialist, Vectorworks Dr. Daria Willis, President, Howard Community College Purchase Tickets and/or Sponsor Here Join us to hear the latest update on the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County as we celebrate our collective efforts this year, and our cooperation and collaboration with our donors, and our nonprofit and community partners to support women, girls and families in Howard County. Hear from Keynote Speaker Victoria Vrana, CEO of GlobalGiving. Formerly the Deputy Director of Philanthropic Partnerships at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she is a global philanthropic leader and innovator who has broad experience overseeing portfolios in policy, data, and everyday giving, and has been a key architect in building the infrastructure and supporting the growth of the national collective giving movement, which includes the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County. And, learn from a panel conversation with Victoria and WGC partners about how we are building community through cooperation + collaboration. Please join us!
 The WGC Advisory Board had a wonderful night at The 3rd celebrating the end of our 20th Anniversary Year! We highlighted WGC's Leadership:
We are grateful to all of WGC's leaders for their generosity of time, talent, and treasure! For anyone interested in honoring Barb and all WGC leaders, please consider contributing to the WGC Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund! We reviewed WGC's 20 Years of Impact - By the Numbers, WGC's 2022 Year in Review & Opportunities for Growth, reviewed and voted on our new WGC 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, and we discussed how Advisory Board members can continue to support WGC's efforts in 2023. And, we celebrated our members and nonprofit partners! We are looking forward to a meaningful year in 2023, together. Check out our upcoming Events, including our March 8, 2023 Annual Celebration and Pink Party with Keynote Speaker Victoria Vrana, CEO of Global Giving, who will discuss "Growing Philanthropy Through Cooperation + Collaboration". Sponsor or purchase tickets here! |
"Women’s philanthropy shapes the future for women and girls through the power of collective giving." - Barb Van Winkle, Immediate Past Chair
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