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Women Transforming Sonoma County Through Collective Philanthropy - Jul/Aug 2019   

Impact 100 RC members enjoy NextGen's June 18th Cocktails & Conversation at Fernbar
(L to R) Thea Hensel, Suzy Marzalek, Kendall Webster (guest), Robin Wendler, 
Camelia Patino, Susan Churchill & Carol Orme
President's Message
   
I was so moved by listening to the 10 community grant recipients from 2018/19 at our meeting on June 24th. It is just incredible how much can be accomplished with $100,000. We rarely see any public works project - even fixing a pot hole - for less than $1 million. In comparison, to learn that so many agencies can accomplish so much for Sonoma County with so much less made me proud to lead this organization. I hope we can all celebrate the successes and future promise of our community grants recipients.
 
I also took note that every segment of our grant categories was represented over the last two years. We collectively voted to fund human services, health, education, arts and environment. We have given to children, teens, women and the general population with our grant monies. In fact, our recent survey shows the majority of our membership desire to fund all these categories as we move forward. Your Leadership Team is reviewing all the options to continue to accomplish that goal in the future.
 
The survey revealed other important facts about our membership, one being that 74% of the 115 respondents joined Impact 100 RC primarily because they like collective philanthropy. Your responses indicate that you are not only generous with your personal funds, you are generous with your time - 74% of you are "hands on" volunteers of at least one non-profit in our community. Perhaps not surprisingly, 59% of our members have served, or our serving, in a leadership capacity for a non-profit organization. These results make me feel honored to represent a group of very philanthropic women. Thanks for your membership in Impact 100 RC!
 
Jan Gilman
President, Impact 100 Redwood Circle
Leadership Opportunities 
   
The Nominating Committee is looking for your suggestions for leadership in the coming year. The positions to be considered are: 
  • President 
  • Vice-President of Governance 
  • Vice-President for Nominating 
  • Secretary 
  • Treasurer 
If you would like yourself or someone you recommend to be considered, please get in touch with Sharon Beckman, (707) 539-7484 or skuroki@sonic.net  
 
Sharon Beckman, Nominating Committee Chair 
In This Issue
 Upcoming Events

New Member Orientation 
Saturday, Aug. 3rd
9:30 - 11:00 a.m. 
Shirley Ward's home
3655 Rutherford Way
Santa Rosa
 
 
Summer Social 
Saturday, August 24
10:30am- 12:30pm
Teresa Denniston's home
2131 Smoketree Ct.  S.R.
Speaker: John McCaull, Land Acquistion Program
Manager, Sonoma Land Trust

New Member Orientation 
Saturday, Oct. 26th
9:30 - 11:00 a.m. 
Location TBD

Annual Meeting
Saturday, Nov. 9th
9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Location TBD
* Impact Grant Voting

Welcome to the newest members of our circle!  
 
     Nancy Anderson
     Jeannine Drew
     Theresa Fallon
     Kim Marois
     Emily Menjou
     Laura Whooley

Impact 100 RC's Summer Social with speaker

When:  Saturday, August 24th
 
Where: Teresa Denniston's home
             2131 Smoketree Ct.
             Santa Rosa
             Home # 575-8422 / Cell # 755-1565  
 
Time:    10:30am - 12:30pm
 
Come join us in the garden for a delicious buffet lunch provided by Taste of Perfection Catering. This is an opportunity to meet and socialize with fellow members and listen to a topic of community interest.
 
Our speaker will be Sara Press from the Sonoma Land Trust. She is the Land Acquisition Program Manager for the Russian River and coastal region of the county.
 
Prospective members are welcome to attend this event, but space is limited and an RSVP with your guests name is required.
 
Please carpool if possible; parking is limited.
 
RSVP by August 19th to Pat Edelstein, Co-Chair at impact100events@gmail.com 

Pat Edelstein, Chair
Catholic Charities
An update from our Liaison Committee
 
Thank you!
Our hearts are full of gratitude to and appreciation of everyone who contributed to our "toiletries drive" for Catholic Charities at our last Membership Meeting on June 24. These little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, soaps and lotions, to be used by homeless individuals and families, do more than just support hygiene; they also provide opportunities for a shelterless person to retain dignity, health and hope.
 
Our Impact Grant at work!
"Valerie", a working mom with a two-year old, has had her Grandmother babysitting her little one while she works and looks for housing. While her Grandmother wants to be helpful, babysitting is a hardship for her and it was offered as a temporary solution to help Valerie through her financial and homeless crisis. Catholic Charities Children's Resource Manager successfully enrolled Valerie in 4C's for a voucher that will cover some of her day care costs. Catholic Charities is working to provide a client assistance request for Valerie through the Impact 100 RC grant that will pay the $150 security deposit for this young mother, and pay a portion of her out of pocket costs of $45 a week.
 
Carol Lynn Wood & Kristin Nelson, Co-Chairs  
 
Close to 30 Impact 100 RC members braved the summer heat to attend the second in a series of ED TALKS, hosted by the Education Committee.
 
Kristen Madsen, the director of Creative Sonoma, shared with us the many ways her organization is supporting the creative community of Sonoma County through grants, professional development workshops, arts education, and other initiatives, including the Creative Sonoma Recovery Fund, helping those impacted by the 2017 Wildfires.
 
The results of their recent economic study served to illustrate the significant impact of the arts as a growth sector in Sonoma County, including tax revenue, employment, volunteer opportunities, and tourism. The results of other studies were shared, validating the importance of arts and music education, its positive impact on achievement, health, at risk families, and quality of life within a community.
 
We learned that Sonoma County's Arts Education programs are not as strong as schools in surrounding counties. In response to questions, Kristen suggested that Community Grants consider funding staff training and strategic planning efforts to smaller nonprofits, providing a foundation for sustainability and future program development. In her view there can be several tiers of giving, and operational support can be just or more important to an organization than funding a specific program or project.  
 
The focus of the next ED TALK will be the Health sector - watch for details!  
 
Thea Hensel & Laurie Parish, Co-Chairs 
Membership News
 
The General Meeting on June 24th was well attended by 96 members and 22 guests.
 
Our current Impact 100 RC is up to 204.  Please welcome our new members, who are listed at the top of the Communique.
 
The next New Member Orientation is Saturday, August 3rd, from 9:30-11:00 AM, at the home of Shirley Ward, 3655 Rutherford Way, Santa Rosa.  There will be a discussion of the grant's process, information presented on the various committees' functions, and time for any questions about Impact 100.  Please RSVP to Lynn McIntyre at lynnscv@sbcglobal.net or phone her at (707) 239-4967.
 
A report on our July 18th Cocktails and Conversation get together at Santa Rosa Golf and Country Club will be given in the next Newsletter.
 
Bev Curry & Charlene Staples, Co-Chairs 
 
Don't Forget to Check The Impact 100 RC Website!
www.impact100redwoodcircle.org
 
Did you read the recent Impact 100 RC email announcing the 10 nominated non-profits moving on to the next phase of the Impact Grant selection process? Or attend the June 24 membership meeting highlighting the ten non-profits that received a 2018 or 2019 grant?
 
If you are wondering about all the nonprofits who have received an Impact 100 RC grant, just look to our website for a complete list:
 
Impact Grants - click here 
 
Community Grants -
 
You can also view the full calendar of 2019 events, find out how to sponsor a new member, learn about our NextGen program or read the minutes from Leadership Team meetings (members-only section).
 
Vicki Groninga, Webmaster
 
Contact our Newsletter Editor:
If you have questions or suggestions for The Impact 100 Redwood Circle Communique, please contact Editor, Jan Houts at impact100newsletter@gmail.com