WOMEN'S FUND February 2019 E-NEWS
Meet Julie Keller
Greetings from the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region. I am honored and excited to lead this amazing organization. My journey to this role started many years ago as a young professional working in New York City in the Finance field. I started volunteering for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Manhattan and was a mentor to a 10 year old girl who lived in the Bronx. Most of our time together was spent at the Center which was located in a nice part of Manhattan. One Saturday we did an outing to the Museum of Natural History. I took the subway to the Bronx to pick her up. I had been to the Bronx before, Yankee Stadium, the New York Botanical Gardens, the Bronx Zoo, all were highlights. But never to the housing projects. When I went to her apartment no one seemed to know or care that a stranger was there to pick up a 10 year old girl. We stopped at a bodega so she could get something to eat for breakfast. Then it was back on the subway to the museum. It was a magical day experiencing the museum with this young girls with different life experiences than my own.
 
This experience impacted me so deeply that a move back to my home state of Wisconsin was also a transition in my career path to the nonprofit sector. I have had the opportunity to work in the fields of domestic violence, mental health and healthcare, and have learned so much about the challenges impacting so many in our community, especially women and children. I’m excited to take my experiences and continue to build a strong and robust Women’s Fund to create positive and lasting change for women and girls in our community. 
Outside of work my husband and I keep busy with 5 children ranging in age from a Freshman at college to 7 th grade. We also have a dog, cat and my daughter has a pet snake (something I thought I would never say). I also enjoy traveling, reading and cooking. In the summer we enjoy spending time on Washington Island at the tip of Door County, where my husband’s family has a cottage. 
 
Thank you for your support of the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region. I look forward to connecting with you, please reach out at any time. 

Julie Keller, Executive Director
Join us for Philanthropy Matters
Learn about current needs within northeast Wisconsin and get inspired about ways you can make a difference. Hear from four local women who will share their experiences and offer suggestions for how you may want to give, or get involved.

Panelists: Debra Michiels, Kris Hietpas, Sara Micheletti, Brooklyn Massey
Moderator: Kim Wetzel

Scholarship Opportunities
Ashley Marie Abraham Scholarship - $2,000 
Established in loving memory of Ashley Marie who attended Oshkosh West High School. Female students graduating from Oshkosh North or Oshkosh West high schools majoring in nursing or pre-medicine are eligible to apply. 

Helen Spasoff Kratzer Scholarship - $2,500 
Established by Helen and Carl Kratzer in 2006 to support female students pursuing a degree in education at a UW-System school. Mrs. Kratzer is an Appleton resident and former teacher who wishes to help other young women become quality teachers. Female students from Appleton East, Appleton North, Appleton West, Fox Valley Lutheran, Hortonville, Kimberly, Little Chute or Xavier high schools are eligible to apply. 

The Women's Fund is honored to have helped the Abraham and Kratzer families put their philanthropic dreams into action.

Women's Fund Project Grants
The 2019 Women's Fund grants program is underway! The grants committee will be hard at work over the next month carefully reading and reviewing final applications. A total of $60,000 will be awarded to programs addressing at least one of the issues identified in the 2017 Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin Report.  

We will announce the 2019 projects and grantee organizations on May 7 at the Women's Fund Grants Celebration event. Save the date and join us! Watch for more information in our upcoming newsletters.

Upcoming Events
March 7, 2019
May 7, 2019
September 5, 2019
Philanthropy Matters
Grants Celebration
Women's Fund Luncheon
Women's Fund Board of Directors
Beth Bowers
Janelle Fuhrmann
Jenny Haas
Lori Hoersch
Lisa Jermain

Florence Makope
Sara Micheletti
Sarah Paulson
Irene Strohbeen
Marjorie M. Sutter
Amy Van Straten
Gina Vanden Heuvel
Kim Wetzel
Lora Zimmer