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 I had the opportunity to join women's foundations partners and leaders around the country for a Prosperity Together Executive Meeting at the White House.
Invited by Senior Advisor to the President Valarie Jarrett and Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Tina Tchen, this invitation only meeting served as a continued effort to support the work of women's funds across the county. Both women also serve as leaders on the White House Council of Women and Girls.
The members of the Prosperity Together
Executive Committee are Teresa C. Younger, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women; Lee Roper-Batker, President and CEO of the Women's Foundation of Minnesota; Ana L. Oliveira, President and CEO of The New York Women's Foundation; and Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, President and CEO of the Washington Area Women's Foundation.
Prosperity Together focused on women's economic security through high wage employment, entrepreneurship for low income women and educational opportunities. These priorities align with WFGM's Vision 2020 Strategic Plan. The overarching goal to reduce poverty in a single zip code has garnered local and national interest to collaborate and support successful program models.
We are proud of the growing support of both local and national partners to make the greatest impact in Memphis.
We look forward to
Moving the Vision Forward
at the Annual Tribute Luncheon on Friday, April 29.
Ruby Bright, Executive Director and CAO
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PHILANTHROPY
WFGM Announces the 2016 Annual Tribute Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Meade is a broadcast journalist, philanthropist, author and singer-songwriter. For over 15 years she has reported on many of today's most pressing issues - from world events to momentous pop culture occurrences. Her body of work includes, New York Times best sellers, Emmy Awards and debut country music albums. Through her philanthropic endeavors, Robin has become a strong and confident role model for young women and aspiring journalists. Robin Meade is a graceful guiding force for 21st century women.
"What really struck me is the number of women and children, every year, who receive help from the Women's Foundation for A Greater Memphis. If that's the number who get help, that means that the need is even greater," Meade said. "I think about the child whose daily experience is probably a struggle from sun up to sun down; whether it be for food, a place to sleep, or a school that helps them thrive. And then I think about the mother, stressed and trying to stay afloat. If we can help that mom realize her and her family's full potential, then let's do so, and amplify that with a can-do spirit."
Legends Award Reception to Honor Legendary Memphis Women
Join us at the
Legends Award Reception
on Thursday, April 21, from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at The Columns at One Commerce Square
.
The Legends Award pays tribute to women whose work embodies the mission of the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis. The award was created in 2009 to honor
trend-setters, visionaries and innovators.
The purpose of the Legends Award is to applaud these Honorees, whose visionary and innovative work is paramount in their specialized areas of outreach. Legends Award Artists and Writers create works of art and prose that personify the Legends Award Honorees' accomplishments and contributions to this community.
A body of art and prose that communicates their strength, grace and vision will be on permanent display at The Hall of Legends located in Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women.
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Legends Award
Reception
Thursday, April 21, 2016
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Columns at One Commerce Square
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Annual Tribute Luncheon
and Symposium
Friday, April 29, 2016
11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Memphis Cook Convention Center
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Women Helping Women
Moms Move Memphis - Mother's Day 5K
The Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis will benefit from the Mother's Day 5k hosted by
All Community Events
. It
will be held
at Shelby Farms on Sunday, May
8
. What a great way to honor your mom, women of your family, or a friend. Represent love, leadership and women helping women make change in your community.
Use special registration code: WFGM572483 and 10
percent
of your registration fee will go to WFGM! You can also volunteer for the race at
www.wfgm.org.
Include
"Mother's Day 5K"
in the comments section.
We
'll see you at the finish line!
Young Women's Philanthropist, #MDWC16, Road to 2020 a Success
YWP used social media to link practitioners of various skills and life experience. Bold entrepreneurs, dreamers and like-minded professionals connected to influence each other on the roads to finding their futures.
"It is very important for woman to connect with other professionals at every point in their careers," said Tiffany Futch, chair of Young Women Philanthropists. "The Modern Day Woman's Conference provided that opportunity. We can all help each other and in turn help our communities."
More than 150 women who attended The Modern Day Woman's Conference, Over 80 percent learned about the events on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter and registered online. The social media networks raised awareness, engaged discussion and participation. Attendees learned life skills from over 30 panelists at the top of their professions.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, including presenting sponsor Kroger and venue sponsor, Baptist Hospital for Women.
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Women's Foundation Board Members Recognized
for Excellence
Susan Stephenson
, co-founder of Independent Bank, was featured in the
Memphis Daily News
in March.
Read the article ...
WFG
M Board Member Anita Vaughn
retired as CEO of
Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women after 43 years of service. Vaughn, who started her career as a RN, guided the planning and development of the Baptist Women's Hospital that opened in 2000 and the addition of the children's hospital that opened in January 2015.
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ADVOCACY
 Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) Launches Interactive Database about the Wage Gap
IWPR launched
www.womenandgoodjobs.org
,
an interactive, searchable database of middle-skills jobs, allowing users to identify pathways for women workers to access better jobs.
Report on the Status of Women in the South
The Institute for Women's Policy Research and the Women's Research and Resource Center released the first ever Status of Women in the South report in Atlanta, GA. The report grades each of the 14 southern states in six topic areas related to women's political, economic, health, and social status.
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COLLABORATION
Women in Transportation
Shante
K.
Avant,
Deputy Director
at WFGM
served as a panelist at Preparing
Transportation Professionals for the Future
, hosted at the
Fogelman Executive Center by the University of Memphis.
During the session, "Moving the Needle: Increasing Representation
of Women in Transportation," Avant highlighted the importance of access and opportunity for women in the transportation workforce. Connecting with employers to drive strategies that will equip and employ women with higher wage jobs in a high growth industry is important and ties into one of the goals of the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan to equip residents with marketable job skills to gain living wage employment.
No Easy Answer for City's Poor
A March article in the
Commercial Appeal focused on the collaborative efforts of the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Memphis Housing Authority (MHA). Together, the organizations have secured grants to revitalize public housing in 38126, the poorest zip code in the city. They have also provided residents with tools and resources to break generational poverty.
Women's Funding Network Summit
The Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis participated in The Women's Funding Network Summit on March 28-29 in New Orleans.The Summit focused on economic security for women, the collective impact of women's organizations around the county and education for women around the world. Ruby Bright, Executive Director and CAO of WFGM, shared the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan at the summit.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Catalyzing Community Giving Convening
Dr. Marcia Bowden-Marche, Education and Training Committee Chair
(pictured right)
,
represented WFGM at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Cataly
zing Community Giving Convening on March 22-24, 2016. WFGM
was awarded a two-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg
Catalyzing Community Giving (CCG) Initiative.
WFGM utilized the grant to support the launch of an innovative program - Catalyzing Hearts, Hands and Philanthropy (CHHP) - designed to build donor engagement, increase philanthropic partnerships and expand resources among Memphis communities of color.
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GRANTS AND PROGRAMS
WFGM invited 40 organizations to respond to the 2016 Request for Proposals (RFP). Site visits were conducted with the 26 organizations that responded. We will announce our 2016 grantee partners at the
Annual Tribute Luncheon.
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SAVE THE DATES
2016 Annual Tribute Luncheon and Legends Award Reception
"Moving the Vision Forward"
FedEx - Presenting Sponsor
Legends Award Reception
Thursday, April 21, 2016
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
The Columns at
One Commerce Square
2016 Annual Tribute Luncheon
Friday, April 29, 2016
11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Memphis Cook Convention Center
Memphis Mother's Day 5K
Sunday, May 8, 2016
7:00 a.m.
Shelby Farms
The United State of Women White House Summit
"Today, We'll Change Tomorrow"
Monday, May 23, 2016
Washington, D.C.
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WHEREtoGIVEmidsouth
WFGM is a proud partner of
WHEREtoGIVEmidsouth,
directory of nonprofit organizations
in the greater Memphis area.
Discover organizations working on issues important to you. Find information about their mission, staff and board, major programs, and finances, and
donate to support their work.
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KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS
Kroger is committed to helping
communities grow and prosper. Year after year, local schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations earn millions of dollars through Kroger Community
Rewards®. WFGM supporters can earn rewards for our organization every time you swipe your Kroger Plus Card!
Log on to Kroger Community Rewards
and create or renew an account
if you have not already done so already.
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HOW TO GET INVOLVED - VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Join us as a volunteer with Vision 2020. We have several areas of focus within
this strategic plan, including:
Early Childhood Education
Job Readiness
Financial Literacy
Volunteers are also needed for:
Administrative Support
Clerical Work
Communications & Marketing
Data Entry
Upcoming events:
Memphis Mother's Day 5K
Volunteer for the race at www.wfgm.org, and include "Mother's Day 5K" in the comments section.
To volunteer, complete the online form
or call 901.578.9346
.
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WE WANT TO HEAR
FROM YOU!
Each month we receive information about incredible women doing
incredible things.
If you have a story about a
phenomenal woman who is impacting the community, transforming women's lives and the face of poverty and supporting the work of the
Women's Foundation, we want to
hear from you.
Please make suggestions or submit information regarding potential
e-news stories to
Brittany Tuggle
or call 901-969-2399.
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ABOUT WFGM
Established in 1995, WFGM is one of the fastest growing women's foundations in the country that is dedicated to securing and granting funds to programs that enable women and their families to become economically stable.
We are considered to be on the leading edge of economic and community development focused on moving families living at or below the poverty level above the lines toward economic security. Building on what we have learned over the past 20 years, we collaborate with stakeholders from across the city to coordinate strategies to reduce poverty in Memphis. Our vision is for Memphis to become a city of choice, where poverty decreases as educational attainment, wages, business partnerships and inclusion increase.
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