Greetings!

We are mid-way through our 25 th  Anniversary year and activity abounds! I have had the pleasure of traveling throughout Vermont this spring and into the early summer, meeting with grantees and community leaders, as well as women entrepreneurs who are growing their businesses in every corner of the state. It's an exciting rich tapestry of women and activity and never ceases to energize me!

As we look forward to celebrating our 25 th  Anniversary this year on Oct 16 th , we also want to give homage to one of our founders and tireless champions – Sallie Soule – who left this earthly plane in June. We are honored to represent Sallie's steadfast commitment to women's rights and send our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. Read more about her legacy below.

Meanwhile, enjoy Vermont's spectacular summer season!

Cheers!
~Meg
Meg Smith, Director 
Save the Date: October 16, 2019
Our 25th Anniversary represents a quarter century of leadership, collaboration, and learning on behalf of women and girls in Vermont, an accomplishment we truly want to share with all of you!

In gratitude to the women who founded this philanthropic legacy and to the thousands of you who have supported it, our anniversary event will focus on where we are today as a funder, a leader, and where we are heading in the future.

And here’s the best part— it’s a full circle tale. Our guest speakers for the 25 th celebration are Jodi Kantor AND Megan Twohey, the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times reporters who broke the Harvey Weinstein story (among other excellent reporting). Their book She Said will be released on October 1 st, and before they head off on a national tour, they are coming to Vermont to celebrate with us. Jodi Kantor is a longtime friend of the Vermont Women’s Fund, and together with Megan Twohey, they will share their story from the very epicenter of the massive cultural shift they initiated.

Join us this October 16 for a most memorable occasion to celebrate the Vermont Women’s Fund, purchase a copy of their new book, and hear from the two reporters who helped change the world!
Welcome New Council Members
We are thrilled to welcome new Council Members to the Vermont Women's Fund.

Zoe Kaslow 
Zoe is grateful to call Vermont home. A graduate of Middlebury College, Zoe served for two years as an AmeriCorps member at a college access non-profit in Portland, OR. Once she moved back to Vermont, she served as the Executive Director of Addison Central Teens, which supports the Teen Center in Middlebury in providing a safe, healthy afterschool space for youth. She now works at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England as a Philanthropy Officer. Her commitment to equity and access to opportunity drives her professional work and personal life, as well as in her service to the Women’s Fund Council. She lives in Vergennes with her husband, cat, and six chickens. 

Drusilla Roessle
Dru lives in Burlington where she likes to read (too many books at one time), listen to music, make collage art, play backgammon with her partner, and cross-country ski. Dru volunteers with the Burlington Community Justice Center and is on the board of Vermont Access to Reproductive Freedom.

Dru is the Director of Performance Improvement at the Vermont Agency of Human Services. She has worked with Results-Based Accountability for five years to embed a culture of outcomes-oriented accountability across and within six health and human services departments. In January 2017, Dru was assigned to develop Governor Phil Scott’s statewide Program to Improve Vermont Outcomes Together (PIVOT), initiated by Executive Order to coordinate cross-agency outcomes-oriented planning and performance improvement activities. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Women’s and Gender Studies. Prior to her work with the Agency of Human Services, she worked in Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin’s Office.
Celebrating Sallie
Sallie Soule: May 13, 1928 – June 11, 2019

The State of Vermont, and the Vermont Women’s Fund lost a very dear friend, Sallie Soule.

Sallie was a trailblazer and a straight shooter who loved Vermont and worked tirelessly to uplift its residents, particularly women. She ran for the State Legislature from the Charlotte/Shelburne area in 1976, and after two terms, she went on to run successfully for the Vermont Senate in 1980. She was particularly well known for her support of issues important to women and Vermont's mental health system.

Sallie was a founding member and ongoing supporter of the Vermont Women’s Fund. I had the good fortune to see Sallie in the summers in Charlotte at church. She had these beautiful, crystal-clear blue eyes that locked right into mine when she asked, “How is the Women’s Fund doing?” I knew it was not a rhetorical question. She really wanted to know. And I had the pleasure of telling her! I continued to keep her updated after she moved full-time to Florida as I knew the organization was so near and dear to her heart.

Sallie’s legacy stretches far and wide. Outside of her role on the Appropriations, Energy, Natural Resources, Administrative Rules Committee, and the Vermont Judicial Nominating Board, she became the Commissioner of Employment and Training (now the Department of Labor) during Governor Madeleine Kunin’s administration.

In addition to the Vermont Women’s Fund, she was a founding director of the Vermont Women’s Health Center, and the Vermont Community Foundation. The list of nonprofit boards are too numerous to mention here but suffice to say, Sallie Soule had a deep, abiding love for Vermont and a lengthy record of public service to show for it!

The Vermont Women’s Fund grieves for the Soule family, especially her daughter, Sarah, who carries on Sallie’s achievements in her work with youth at Middlebury Union High School, along with many other pursuits to help Vermonters, especially young women, achieve their very best.

We will be carrying on Sallie’s memory in our hearts as well as in our philanthropic grant-making. Our mission to help Vermont women and girls rise and thrive is very much aligned with Sallie’s spirit and we are honored that she chose the Vermont Women’s Fund to be the beneficiary of gifts made in her name. We send our condolences to the family, friends, and all those whose lives were touched by her love and dedication.

A gift in honor of Sallie Soule can be made here or by mail to:
Vermont Women’s Fund
3 Court Street
Middlebury, VT 05753. 
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