The Community Foundation is proud to launch our Women’s Fund. This new fund is the first full spectrum fund in our community dedicated to serving a broad scope of issues facing women and girls in San Benito County.
The Women’s Fund is a unique opportunity for all women to come together in a shared vision as “architects of change”, creating a lasting impact in the lives of many deserving women and girls in our community. Though collaborations, strategic grantmaking, and focused goals, the Women’s Fund will tackle the most pressing needs that face women and girls in our community. It is an opportunity for all women and girls to collectively “pay it forward” in a shared vision of change.
This fund would not have been possible without the generous support of the Women’s Fund Founders. These individuals, community groups, and businesses are remarkable champions for women and girls in San Benito County, and we are profoundly grateful to them for their inspired leadership and generosity in making this new endeavor possible! The Women’s Fund Founders are Sallie Calhoun, Rebecca Medeiros Wolf, Delta Kappa Gamma, Women’s Club of Hollister, Anne Morris, Susan Schwabacher Modic, Nenette Corotto, Beverley Meamber, Mary McCullough, and San Benito Bene.
In San Benito County, did you know…?
· Crimes of domestic violence are higher than gang violence with 1 out of 5 women in SBC suffering from domestic violence;
· Teenage pregnancy rate increased by one third from 43 births in 2010 to 60 births in 2011;
· Twenty-Five percent of the homeless population are women between the ages 18-60; and
· Forty-three percent of single women with children under the age of 18 live below the poverty level.
Sources: 2010 U.S. Census, SBC Sheriff’s office, SBC homeless Coalition 2011 report, First Five SB children’s and family data profile, 2011
The Community Foundation is extremely fortunate to have a group of passionate leaders who will serve as the first Women’s Fund Advisors. The Women’s Fund Advisory will direct all of the Fund’s activities, grantmaking, and impact priorities each year. The Women’s Fund Advisors for 2012-2013 are Sallie Calhoun, Beverley Meamber, Mary McCullough, Anne Morris, Rebecca Medeiros Wolf, Nenette Corotto, Delta Kappa Gamma (Marian Cruz, Linda Smith, and Laura Munoz Velazquez), Women’s Club of Hollister (Jeanne Liem, Terry Keppers, and Anne Brooks), and the Latino Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation (Laura Lee).
The Women’s Fund will rely on the continued support of our community. If you would like to become a Women’s Fund Founder or learn about the many ways to help, please contact Stephanie Hicks at the Community Foundation at 630-1924, email shicks@cffsbc.org, or visit cffsbc.org