Please RVSP to the Cooper Ridge Visit by September 1st and Fall Forum by September 29th!

Issue: Fall 2023

Our Mission

Create an awareness of the needs of women and children in the CSRA.

Our Vision

Give hope to every woman and child for the future through

Collaboration
Connection and
Community

Upcoming Events

Membership & Guest Tour

Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023

Location:

Cooper Ridge Farm

2203 Plemmons Rd Appling,Ga

12 Noon-2:00pm

RSVP by Sept 1 to Jane Ellis at jane.ellis224@gmail.com

Fall Forum -Showcasing Current Grant Recipients & Social

October 5th 4:30-6 pm

Location: The Hub for Community Innovation

Address:

631 Chafee Ave Augusta GA

RSVP by Sept 29 Jan Bentley at jbentley122@gmail.com

or 706-401-2477

Membership & Guest Tour

Oct. 26

Locally Grown

Location: The Hub for Community Innovation

More Details to come

Welcome WIP Members to the Fall Newsletter

From your Chair – Jackie Cohen

Every season is busy here at WIP!! We hit the ground running after the Spring Annual Luncheon and have kept up the pace through the Summer and into Fall. Let me catch you up.

Most gratifying and rewarding is the level of partnership and teamwork on our board. Joint efforts to face what are seen as joint responsibilities are common. At first, they may have thought I was teasing when I said that each office and committee was the most important, but they soon learned that it was no joke. All are important and each of you, as members and potential members, are valued. Only together can we meet our goals and fulfill our mission.

Here at WIP, we have been careful to look both ways! A devoted past Board member of WIP, Lou Cheek, authored an awe-inspiring history of the first 10 years of WIP and immediately produced a 5-year update to bring it up to this year! This incredible document – a valuable asset for WIP – will be available on our newly refurbished website. And our chair-elect is stepping up to assist in continuing the WIP History project.

This brings me to looking forward: We must constantly update to be ready for the future. The Communications Committee is updating our website and enhancing our presence on social media. Membership, Special Events and Education committees work to support, grow, and involve our membership. While Rebecca Rule, Governance Chair, organizes job descriptions and calendars to improve the workings of the board. Finance Chair, Avis Yount, is developing a 2023-2024 working budget and Chair Elect, Penny Wasden, is stepping up to support continuation of the History Project. Read more here about the incredible work of the grants committee and watch for your opportunity as a 2023 member to make a difference by voting for next year’s recipients!

I could go on, but it is time for me to give you your three assignments:

RSVP right away – if you haven’t already – and attend the visit to Cooper Ridge Farm – more info elsewhere in this letter and on WIP’s website
DO NOT MISS the Fall Forum – Thursday afternoon, October 5^th at the HUB! See the full invitation in your mail and at the end of this newsletter
Share the joy and satisfaction of being a WIP member – spread the word – bring new members. You and they will be part of something important PLUS the more members we have, the more we can do to fulfill our mission!

Communications Committee

Please "Follow", "Like", "Comment" and "Share" WIP posts on Facebook (FB). Hallet Badger, communications committee member, has been working hard on our WIP social media communication. Please send any WIP Facebook posts to Hallet.Badger@gmail.com.

Our new website is being designed. The board answered a detailed questionnaire from Forum Communications, our web contractor. Forum is using the board's feedback to create our new website. Pat Harris, Communications chair, would love your input on our new website, too. Email your website input to harrispat888@gmail.com.

We are keeping our current website up to date while building our new one. Our website is a resource for keeping up with the WIP grants process, upcoming events, and WIP news.

Are you looking for a place in WIP to serve? The communications committee needs you! Contact Pat Harris Harrispat888@gmail.com

Watch for news on website update!

We have 23 New Members this year!

Do you know our new members? Please reach out and Welcome them to WIP!!

Leslie Campbell Lambert, Sheree Wright, Sallie Capers Metzel , Victoria Bedder, Jennifer Dunstan, Marilee Hatcher, Catherine Field, C. Fanning, Hannah Jillella, Elizabeth Klemann, Bobbie Ingenito, Deborah Bashinski, Lisa Maddox, Suzanne Honeymichael, Katherine Trotter, Angela Ewart, Mary Morrison, Donna Barlett, Donna Farr, Joellen Schildkraut, Camille Sutton, Sheri McLeod

Grants Committee Update

From Pamela Dorminey-Uros, Grants Chair

Your GRANTS Committee has begun their challenging work for the 2023-2024 grants cycle. Thank you, again, for over two thirds of our membership, a record, making your voices heard by exercising your ballot voting last year. Your membership ballot will continue to offer you choices for voting. All members who pay their dues by December 31, 2023, are eligible to vote on the 2024 Grants Recipients.

The grant application will open on September 6, with a deadline of October 27. We are grateful for the diligent service of nearly twenty committee members who will be serving on your behalf. Our GRANTS Focus Area Leaders for this year are Arts-Crystal Eskola, Education-Floride Dickert, Health-Carol Bennett, and Social Well-Being-Dr. Deborah Bates.

GRANTS meets weekly from November 1^st through December 13^th reviewing and vetting each application to be certain they meet WIP funding guidelines. In January 2024, site visits are conducted, and final applications selected for ballot. Watch for your ballots which will be mailed to all 2023 WIP members on February 1, with a voting deadline of February 27. GRANTS recipients will be announced at our annual Awards Luncheon on March 22, 2024. Your ballot voting details are forthcoming

Project Refresh to speak at Fall Forum

2023 Grants

Awards

Project Refresh

Cooper Ridge

RISE August

Augusta Locally Grown Reach Out & Read Georgia

Via Cognitive Heal

Burn Foundation of America

From the Membership and Special Events Chairs:

Our June 2023 new member social was held at Beth Evans home. Beth, one of the original founders of Women In Philanthropy (WIP), continues to be active and one of its most enthusiastic supporters. She graciously opened her home and shared her warm hospitality with WIP new and prospective members, the events and membership committees and board members. Beth Huggins, Membership Chair, welcomed everyone with a new WIP marketing brochure and enrolled new members. Jan Bentley, Special Events Chair, coordinated a lovely spread of goodies and beverages for all. The best part of the event was when Chair Jackie Cohen asked members to share their reasons for joining Women in Philanthropy. The responses were unequivocal support for those helping women and children in the CSRA. Everyone shared the strength and impact of combined giving. The social attendees expressed amazement at how much they have learned about organizations that support women and children in the CSRA. Thanks to Beth Evans and all that attended the social!

Education Committee

From Jane Ellis, committee chair:

The Education Committee has been very busy this year:

We made a visit to Project Refresh on May 13th and observed Director, Tracy Showman, and her staff offering showers to homeless people. It was special to see the warmth and respect they accorded the guests and the lively rapport they have with guests who come for showers regularly.

Tracy Showman will be our speaker at the Fall Forum on October 5th. It will be a real treat to hear her describe Refresh and their activities.

!! Please don’t forget to RSVP to jane.ellis224@gmail.com for our visit to Cooper Ridge on September 23rd - from 12-2 pm!!

Cooper Ridge is a farm near Appling that services challenged children in a lovely natural

environment. Director, Josephine Fuller, has asked to receive RSVPs by September 1st because they are planning an open house with refreshments. This promises to be an excellent opportunity for WIP members to see what our grants are accomplishing.

Our third visit of the year will be to Locally Grown on October 26th, shortly after the Fall Forum is held there. Finally, we will visit VIA Cognitive Health (formerly Jud C. Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s Care) on February 13th.

We are convinced making these visits and seeing what our funding is accomplishing in the community gives a boost of confidence and pride to WIP members. So please join us!!