What a Night! WGC's 2023 Annual Celebration & Pink Party

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:

• Women make 82 cents for every dollar a man is paid.
• Women's reproductive health is controlled by the government.
• We lack affordable child care for women who work outside the home and women in school.
• We lack federal paid family leave for new mothers, and
• Half a million women and girls age 12 and over are the victims of sexual assault every year.

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:

• Sponsor the WGC in 2023
• Support the WGC Barb Van Winkle Leadership Fund
• Register for WGC's April 24 Membership Monday Call
• Join the WGC 2023 Big Give by April 30
• Register for WGC's Black Philanthropy Month Happy Hour on August 1

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." 

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