WOMEN TRANSFORMING SONOMA COUNTY THROUGH COLLECTIVE PHILANTHROPY | JANUARY 2022 | ISSUE 52
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
January 18th by 5:00 p.m.
Community Grant Nominations Due!

NextGen Happy Hour
January 20 - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Beer Baron in downtown Santa Rosa
Click here to register

New Member Orientation
Zoom Event
January 26 - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Click here to register

General Membership Meeting
Zoom Event
February 22 - 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Click here to register

ED TALK
Feb. 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Malinalli Lopez Arriguin,
SSU Professor
"Looking at Art through a Social Justice Lens"
Click here to register
Welcome New Members!

Mary DeVincenzi
Theresa Lyn Gannon
Marcia Ellis
Toby Flax
Eliska Meyers
Carol O’Hara
For More Information!

Don't forget to check out our website and Facebook page for:
  • Grantee and member news
  • Bio/photos of our 2022 Leadership Team and Committee Chairs
  • The most up-to-date calendar of events
  • And much more!
Co-President's Message

2022 - A Year to Celebrate
 
We wish we could say 2022 will begin with a blank slate, but it appears the Coronavirus hasn’t finished with us yet. Although we will start this year with Zoomed events, we are hopeful we will have in-person events later in the year.
 
Impact 100 Redwood Circle has prevailed over the past two years of disruption to our lives. Of course, it hasn’t always been elegant or fun – but the important thing is that we rallied and made lots of things happen for the betterment of Sonoma County and our membership.
 
We can also say our leadership retreat was successful and produced many action items. These specific plans include taking a close look at the infrastructure required to recruit and increase our size, keep our members (old and new) informed and engaged, and develop an action plan to define our goal of inclusion and diversity as defined in our values.
 
2022 will be a year of celebration for Impact 100 Redwood Circle! You don’t want to miss this year with us. In May, we will celebrate donating more than $1M to support our local non-profits. We can also celebrate that we achieved this in seven years. One Million Dollars - that is a significant amount of money and investment we have been able to make as a collective women’s giving circle to Sonoma County. Few of us could say that we could have achieved this level of impactful giving on our own. 
 
Collectively, we are creating transformative, lasting change in Sonoma County. 

Cindy and Mindi
2022 Co-Presidents
Did you Know?

December is often the busiest time of year for donations — particularly as the year comes to a close. Around 31% of donations are made in December alone and 12% come in the final three days of the year.
 
But how do we know that our donations are going to the people and programs who need it most? A December Press Democrat article provided some perspective on how to look closely, then pick a viable charity. One paragraph that stands out in relation to Impact 100 Redwood Circle: “The safest bet is to donate directly to local charities whose work you can observe.” 

Read the entire article by clicking on this link: Skelton: Look closely, then pick a charity (pressdemocrat.com)
Community Grants Committee
Nominations Due by January 18th at 5:00 p.m.

The Community Grants Committee is now in full swing. By the end of April, we’ll be announcing the recipients for the 2022 cycle!
 
Thank you to all Impact 100 Redwood Circle members who attended our January 5 Zoom presentation, which provided an overview of the Community Grants process from beginning to end. We hope it was found to be informative.
 
We are currently receiving nominations of deserving nonprofits to invite to apply for a Community Grant. The window to submit your nomination closes on January 18 at 5 pm. If you are planning to nominate an organization, but have not yet done so, this link will take you to the nomination form. Click here

Looking forward to another successful Community Grants cycle!
Liaison Committee

Our 2017 Impact Grant winner was Food for Thought and once again Liaison Committee members and friends personalized holiday messages in greeting cards for their clients. One of the messages on the card reads, ”I call clients on the phone, and I can say efforts like these really make a difference!”
 
The 2021 “Dining Out for Life” on December 2nd more than exceeded the goal for this event - $190,000 and still counting! Thanks to all Impact 100 Redwood Circle members who supported it.
 
Mark your calendar for June 12, Food for Thought’s 2nd largest fund raiser is “Our Long Table”, a sit- down dinner and auction at Vine Hill House in Sebastopol. Click here for more information.
 
Forget Me Not Farm (2019 Impact Grant recipient) would like to thank all members who donated boots, gloves, and other Farm supplies during the holidays. Carol Rathmann, CEO, has asked if anyone has access to office equipment? The Farm is in desperate need of a new copy machine.
 
Our friends at 4Cs (2020 Impact Grant winner), report that 2022 is their 50th Anniversary. Stay tuned for celebrations later this year. Childcare providers are being kept up to date via zoom with the latest Covid protocols. PPE supplies are being distributed including hand sanitizer, adult & child masks, and at-home test kits.
 
The Liaison Committee is looking forward to meeting with Letitia Hanke, CEO of LIME Foundation (our 2021 Impact Grant winner), on January 20th. We will be partnering with them on the NextGen Trades Academy project for the next 2 years.
Events Committee
First Member Meeting for 2022!

Please mark your calendar for the first Member Meeting of the new year on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm on Zoom.  
 
We are very excited to welcome State Senator Mike McGuire to our meeting. He will give a brief overview of funding priorities at the state level and his perspective on how philanthropic groups could “fill in the gaps”.  In addition, our Co-Presidents, Cindy Schmidt and Mindi Lewis will share important and exciting information for the upcoming year.
 
Guests are welcome to attend but must register in advance to receive the Zoom link. You may forward the Zoom link here or on the website to your guests.
 
Click here to sign up for the Zoom Meeting
Click here to upload Senator McGuire's Bio.
 
We have great hope for a return to in-person events again later this year. In the meantime, as we cope with this latest surge of the COVID Omicron strain, thank you for registering and for your continued engagement and support. Together, we continue to make a profound impact in our community!
Membership Committee
New Member/Seasoned Member Refresher Orientation -- Zoom

Being knowledgeable about Impact 100 Redwood Circle enhances your membership experience.

Begin your adventure or get a refresher course in this powerful movement of collective philanthropy. Join recent and seasoned members via Zoom on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 5:30-6:30 PM. Meet members and learn about grants, the committees, the education program, and the incredible impact this vibrant organization has on our community. We’ll show you the many ways to engage in and stay informed of Impact 100 Redwood Circle activity.

Click here to register
Education Committee
EDTALK: Looking at Art Through a Social Justice Lens
Thursday, February 24th at 4:30 pm via Zoom
 
Please join us to hear Malinalli Lopez, film producer and adjunct professor of Chicano studies and multiculturalism at Sonoma State University, discuss Looking at Art Through a Social Justice Lens.
 
Malinalli Lopez is interested in how stories serve as a powerful way to change and determine identities and offer new narratives of hope. Through her scholarship and filmmaking, she examines areas of displacement - immigration, crossing borders, mental health, gender politics, indigenous systems of survival.
 
Her films give a platform to communities often overlooked. The documentary "Islands of Loneliness"(2018) is based upon interviews with immigrants who share their stories of crossing the border and what it was like to resettle in the U.S. “True Humans” (2019) gives voice to the patients and caregivers who lived at the Sonoma Developmental Center until it closed in 2018 and how it was a special place for them.
 
In 2018 Malinalli Lopez was the recipient of the Jackie Hoffner Heart and Hope Award from the Alexander Valley Film Society for her work combining film and social justice.
 
Malinalli Lopez is Founder, Film Producer & Director of XQL media. To view her bio, click here.
 
To register for the EDTALK click here
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