The challenge of living on $1 a meal in the Washington metropolitan area.

Last year, a number of staff here at The Women’s Foundation participated in the Food Stamp Challenge–living for a week on the food budget allocated to individuals on food stamps–generally about $1 per meal per person. 

A year ago, our staffers and others participating in the challenge found it extremely, well, challenging.  (For more of our staff blogs on the challenge, click here.)

Almost a full year later, though, the challenge of living on food stamps has become even more difficult, as Chris Jenkins outlines in yesterday’s Washington Post article, "Rising Prices Hit Home for Food Stamp Recipients."

It’s no surprise that the woman interviewed in the article is a working single mother–a divorced mother of two.  She had her salary cut in half when she was laid off as a receptionist and had to take a job as home health aid.  She says in the Post, "Our life has changed…My kids notice the changes, there’s no doubt about it.  There are things I can’t buy anymore, little things like desserts, or if I say we have to be careful how much we eat. It’s not just them; we all feel it. We all notice."

Earlier this month, CNN documented a similar story about another local woman who skimps on her own food to feed her young daughter.

The rising costs are a national issue, but in the Washington metropolitan region, families are feeling it even more than in most places around the country.  The article explains that food prices in this region are eight percent higher than the national average.  For example, a pound of ground beef averaged $3.33 for a Washington area shopper, compared with $2.64 nationally. That’s a difference of 26 percent. A dozen eggs were 10 percent higher, while a 10-pound bag of potatoes cost 40 percent more.

As costs rise and food stamp allocations fail to keep up, more families face the consequences of food insecurity–poor nutrition, a decreasing ability to focus at school, work and other activities, and overall poorer health–not to mention the added mental stress of worrying and calculating to try to get the family food budget to stretch as far as possible. 

And who is affected? 

According to Capital Area Food Bank, half of all households in Washington, D.C. receiving food stamps report at least one working adult in the household.  In 2005, 50 percent of all participants in the food stamp program were children, and 65 percent of them lived in single-parent households.  Thirty-four percent of households with children were headed by a single parent, the overwhelming majority of whom were women.  Forty-six percent of participants were white, 31 percent were African-American and 13 percent were Hispanic.  The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $648. 

However the stats break down though, the reality remains the same, that food insecurity is becoming an increasing issue in our region and nation as prices climb and families find wages dropping or face job loss. 

Last year, staff member Sherell Fuller took an international lens to her experience on the food stamp challenge

An interesting lens when one considers that there are an estimated one in three people in the world living below the poverty line–defined as living on less than $1 a day. 

In the United States currently, one in 11 Americans receives food stamps of about $1 per meal.

In either scenario, that’s a lot to ask of $1. 

The Women's Foundation congratulates our hometown heroes!

Here at The Women’s Foundation, we know that our Grantee Partners are heroes–out there every day doing the tough work on the ground that is changing the lives of women and girls for the better.

So, it wasn’t exactly a surprise when board member Jennifer Cortner dropped me a line to let me know that one of our Grantee Partners, Through the Kitchen Door, was just recognized as one of WETA’s Hometown Heroes.  WETA’s heroes are nominated from members of the community and are recognized for committing themselves to making a difference in the Washington, D.C. area.

Thrilled to hear the news, I went to the site to check out the piece.  The video did a great job of showcasing the impact of Liesel’s work on our community and particularly in the lives of the women she trains for careers in the food industry.

But I couldn’t help but notice, as I watched, another name that looked familiar.  For another 2008 hero was Barbara Mason, founder and director of Child and Family Network Centers, one of our amazing Grantee Partners in Virginia providing support and services to low-income families to help make sure their kids succeed in school.

This got me to wondering exactly how many hometown heroes we have in our midst at The Women’s Foundation.

Sure enough, that wasn’t all.  In 2006, Charise Van Liew was recognized for her work with FLY (Facilitating Leadership in Youth) the same year that our African American Women’s Giving Circle gave them a grant for $25,000.

In 2005, it was Jim Clager, a volunteer with Computer C.O.R.E. in Alexandria.  And in 2004, Carmen Fernandez, founder and director of HACAN, Hispanics Against Child Abuse and Neglect, was cited as a hero, along with Lisa Striggles, a volunteer with Covenant House.  In 2002, the Urban Alliance Foundation was recognized.

All of whom are Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.  And in my quick skim, I no doubt missed a few.

But it was a fun inventory to take, largely because it’s wonderful to see The Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partners, and the volunteers that work with them, be recognized out in the community for the incredible impact they’re having.

Every day from within The Women’s Foundation community, we’re aware of  how heroic their efforts are, individually and as a collective, to change the lives of women, girls, families and our community. 

So it’s always nice to see them get the spotlight they deserve in the public eye, since so often, they’re working quietly in neighborhoods, basements and churches throughout our region, known as heroes primarily to the women and girls they serve directly.

But here at The Women’s Foundation, we know better.  Because we know that when you invest in women and girls, when you change the life of a woman and her family, that you make our entire community better.

Currently, The Women’s Foundation has 116 Grantee Partner heroes, and we hope the list will just continue to grow!  We know there are more heroes out there and we’re proud to play a role in fueling their work!

Highlights from the 2008 Women's Funding Network Conference.

Whew, that was a whirlwind!  But alas, the 2008 Women’s Funding Network Conference has ended and those of us who aren’t attending the Council on Foundations Conference this week are back in the office, holding down the fort.

I’ll admit, I’m not generally a big fan of conferences.  I tend to develop short-term attention deficit disorder when trapped for too long in windowless rooms to mingle with strangers and listen to speeches.  I am an introvert, after all.  Meeting too many new people makes me tired.  I am also allergic to nametags.

However, I have to tell you, as far as conferences go, I thoroughly enjoyed this one–and left with lots of new ideas and extra inspiration to execute them.  A few highlights:

1.  Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai‘s keynote speech about her accidental journey into starting an environmental movement, and the collective power of women to change the world.  She’s as inspiring, honest and wise as you can imagine, and funny as well.  She had us laughing and thinking, which is always a great combination.

2.  Meeting colleagues from throughout the international women’s funding movement–from Memphis to a unique group out of Boulder that provides emergency grants for human rights work on behalf of women throughout the world.  The diversity, intelligence and innovation behind all of the work being done throughout this movement is really awesome.

3.  Seeing what amazing work so many women’s funds are doing with very few resources.  Many have a staff of just one or two and are plugging along to continuously grow and improve their grantmaking and effectiveness.  I was struck by the determination and dedication of the women I met. 

4.  Taking tips, ideas and learnings from others from throughout the movement, and being able to offer support and advice in areas where The Women’s Foundation has been fortunate to get ahead due to our amazing pro bono supporters, board and volunteers.  I really took away an appreciation for how fortunate we’ve been to get the support that we have to improve our communications and development efforts, and overall infrastructure, along with everything else–and loved the opportunity to pass along much of what I’ve learned from our community of supporters to other women’s funds.

5.  Hearing Angela Bassett share her story of being raised by a single mother during tough times, and the influence her mother had in shaping her daughter’s very bright future.  Truly inspiring.  (Angela is now a spokesperson for WFN’s new Good Deed brand.)

6.  Seeing the Women’s Funding Network and our Stepping Stones initiative (along with two of our major supporters) in the Washington Post!

7.  Being there when Stepping Stones won an award for Changing the Face of Philanthropy!

8.  Hearing Dr. Geeta Rau Gupta, head of the International Center for Research on Women, talk about the latest research on women’s economic security, health and well-being around the world.  She also told her personal story through the experiences of her two grandmothers–one who was educated, married later, had fewer children due to access to birth control and one who was not educated, had many children, suffered health problems and died young.  Their stories and the impact they each had on their families tells the story of how the health, well-being and economic security of a woman greatly determines the future and health of her children and family. 

9.  Getting rid of a cell phone that had been just taking up space in my closet.  I recycled it through the Good Deed cell phone recycling program.  Sadly, I did not win the raffle attached to doing so because someone managed to collect and recycle 36 phones on her own, greatly improving her odds.  Still, I guess that’s okay, since all proceeds from recycled phones go to fund programs for women and girls.  Sweet!  (Got a cell phone to recycle?  Click here and they’ll send you a postage-paid envelope.  Or, if you’re near our offices in D.C., we’ll take it and send it in for you.  Just contact me at lkays@wawf.org.)

10.  The huge turnout at the Congressional Reception we hosted on Thursday to welcome the Women’s Funding Network and fill in policymakers on the importance and impact of women’s philanthropy.  Tons of people showed, including Senator Mary Landrieu and Congressman Christopher Van Hollen–who both offered remarks.  Everyone was psyched and energetic about the impact of Stepping Stones and women’s philanthropy here in our region and throughout the country.  It was very cool. 

11.  Hearing about new media and the future of the Interwebs as applies to nonprofits from the Budget Fashionista.  She’s hilarious, smart and just generally cool.   Anyone who can teach you how to use your computer and what shoes should go with your outfit is pretty genius in my book.

12.  Getting my picture taken with Angela Bassett and Dr. Maathai.  Yes, I’m a sucker for celebrity.  And it was just neat to meet them. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go start lobbying Phyllis for a chance to go to next year’s conference in Atlanta.

How you can fuse fashion with compassion!

I’ve always had a passion for fashion, and a great concern for our community as well.

And so it occurred to me, why not merge my passion for fashion with my compassion?

So I have launched Fashion Fusion, a fashion event with the theme, "Inspired Giving, Inspired Style," that will serve as a fundraiser with benefits going to Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

The fashion event will celebrate and support local, independent fashion designers and boutiques, while raising money to benefit women and girls of our region. It’s truly merging local business, local style and giving back to our local community!

When I was considering which organization to donate the event proceeds to, I knew that I wanted the funds to benefit women and girls, because I personally feel that when you invest in women and girls, you exponentially improve families and communities. It alarms me that one in three families headed by single mothers in our region are living in poverty, and I wanted to do something to help.

I knew that The Women’s Foundation had the track record and the expertise to really make an impact with the event proceeds.

And not only will the event make a difference, but it’s going to be fun and, well, fashionable.

We’ll be featuring local fashion mavericks in the DC/MD/VA area with the best local boutiques and emerging designers exhibiting at markdown prices (read: really good deals!). The fashion show itself will be mega hot, featuring the hottest style trends by local independent designers. There will also be a fun silent auction with items kindly donated by local businesses that support the work of Fashion Fusion.

This is all happening on June 28 from 6-10 p.m. (VIP early access at 5) at the Embassy of France.  For more information, visit Fashion Fusion or email me.

Dejha Bower is creative director of the Fashion Fusion event, which is donating its proceeds to Washington Area Women’s Foundation. 

Today, (un)celebrate (not so) Equal Pay Day!

Today is Equal Pay Day.

This day signifies the fact that it takes women almost 16 months to earn what men earn in 12.  Women still only earn about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and the wage gap worsens for women of color.

In fact, the wage gap has remained at basically the same level for the past 20 years.  A large part of the reason for this is that women tend to work in lower paying jobs than men and in lower paying industries.

Every day at The Women’s Foundation, we are fighting these systemic reasons for the differences in men’s and women’s earnings.  Here are just a few examples:

  • We support programs that allow women to move Into higher paying jobs.  Through Stepping Stones, we support job-training programs that prepare women to get jobs with salaries that are high enough to support a family. These are often jobs that have traditionally been held by men. For example, Washington Area Women in the Trades provides non-traditional employment training for homeless and low-income women. They estimate that in five years, more than 3,000 women will be provided assistance and more than 400 graduates will be prepared for high-skill/ high-wage jobs in our community.
  • We support programs that ensure that women-dominated fields have better salaries and benefits.  Historically, jobs that have been traditionally held by women (like teachers and nurses) have earned lower salaries than jobs held by men. Our Grantee Partners, like CASA of Maryland, work to fight this historical bias and to ensure that jobs that are held primarily by women earn better salaries. For example, CASA of Maryland has a program to get better wages for domestic workers and to make sure that they get employment benefits as well.
  • We support efforts that make sure that minimum-wage earners (who are disproportionately women) have a living wage. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are the majority of minimum wage earners. DC Employment Justice Center, a Grantee Partner, was a core member of the D.C. Living Wage Coalition that successfully advocated for legislation that provided a living wage of $11.75 for workers employed by companies with contracts with the D.C. government.  It is estimated that this change will collectively increase women’s wages in the Washington metropolitan area by $7.5 million.

When you support The Women’s Foundation – by volunteering with us, by making a donation, by being a part of our community – you are supporting our efforts to increase women’s salaries and to take down the barriers that keep women from earning as much as their male colleagues.

Joining us in our efforts is a pretty terrific way to honor Equal Pay Day.

Washington Post: D.C. boom leaves out minorities, women.

According to today’s Washington Post, the economic boom in D.C. is leaving out those who stand to benefit the most from it–low-income families.

Nearly one in three working families in Washington, D.C. is poor, says a report being released today by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute and the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.

Nearly all of those families are minorities and two-thirds of them are headed by single women.

At the heart of the failure to transfer the economic boom to low-income residents, says the report, is a failure to appropriately train them for the jobs emerging as a result of the boom.

I have to say, this surprised me. 

After learning so much about programs training low-income women for nontraditional jobs, like construction, the environmental services, or law enforcement, and hearing about how serious the commitment of these women are to their new fields–and how pleased the leaders in these industries are to have them–it’s hard for me to imagine that the city and its partners aren’t ramping them up left and right.

As we’ve learned here at The Women’s Foundation, they work. 

They bring women and their children out of poverty and into higher paying jobs, with benefits, and provide employers with a trained, talented, committed source of personnel. 

As Walter Smith, executive director of D.C. Appleseed reminds us, it’s just common sense for our community to invest in more programs like these.  "It will help build the city’s tax base.  It will help reduce the very high costs we have in this city of social services. It’s very much in the city’s interest to invest in these families."

And, with two thirds of those living in poverty being women, investing with an eye to creating programs for low-income women is bound to have the greatest return.

To see how, check out this video on Washington Area Women in the Trades’ female construction program and how it’s changing the outlook of one single mother and her family.

The D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Stimulating talk: ESP and savings

No not Extra-Sensory Perception, I’m talking about the Economic Stimulus Payments.

Beginning in May, the IRS will send Economic Stimulus Payment checks to over 130 million households.  Intended to spur a slowing economy, these payments represent many millions of dollars flowing into our communities. Just imagine what you could do with that money! How about doing something really novel and taking that payment and saving all or part of it for a rainy day?

It’s not like saving is unheard of, or that people don’t also get the message to save. It’s more that when surrounded by many more messages to “buy this new thing,” or “upgrade to this latest thing,” it’s harder to hear the call to save. And those messages to spend and buy are mostly winning.  Recent survey results released by America Saves and the American Savings Educational Council (ASEC) found that only 53 percent of Americans have adequate savings, with just 28 percent saving the recommended 10 percent of their annual income.

It’s not just a message of cutting out the frills and luxuries, either.  Surveys of taxpayers who file at the DC Earned Income Tax Credit (DC EITC) Campaign’s free tax sites have shown that many of them use their refunds for everyday expenses, including paying bills.  If your income isn’t very high to start with, it’s easy to see why saving can be more difficult.  At CAAB, however, we see every day that anyone can save.

National research and our own experience with our matched savings program participants like Christine Walker has shown that even people with low incomes can put money away now as a down payment on a brighter future.

To help get this message out and to provide motivation, information, and resources to help people take positive financial action, DC Saves was started a year ago this month (Financial Literacy Month, a fitting birthday!) to help Washingtonians reduce debt and increase savings. 

This Saturday, April 5, we’ll host our First Anniversary Financial Literacy Fair at THEARC in Ward 8. In addition to useful information and access to savings products and resources, we’ll also provide free tax preparation services, financial education seminars, credit reports and counseling, and mini-sessions with Certified Financial Planners. It’s free to the public and we hope you’ll join us to learn how you, too, can take that first (or second, or third, etc.) step toward reaching your financial goal.

And what about that ESP?

To help more people claim and keep the economic stimulus payment and any other tax benefits they may be owed, the DC EITC Campaign and Community Tax Aid are hosting Super Stimulus Filing Days alongside our regular tax clinics. Community organizations can help their clients access these services by spreading the word about the programs, or sending their own staff to learn how to complete the necessary tax forms to help their clients receive their economic stimulus payments at one of our training sessions.

And if any of those clients want help to make a commitment to saving, tell them about the Fair on April 5. It’s a free, fun way to share the message that “Anyone can save!”

Donna Ortega is director of development and communications at Capital Area Asset Builders, a Stepping Stones Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.  The Women’s Foundation is a sponsor of the April 5 Financial Literacy Fair. 

FAIR Fund: This award validates chances for girls to lead safer, healthier, happier lives.

The following is the speech Andrea Powell, FAIR Fund‘s executive director and co-founder, gave at the 2007 Leadership Awards celebration last night.  FAIR Fund was a 2007 Leadership Awardee, and winner of The Women’s Foundation’s first online vote.

First, let me begin by thanking Washington Area Women’s Foundation for their tremendous efforts to not only support the work that we here at FAIR Fund do, but also in building such a strong and stable bridge between women philanthropists and women’s and girl’s programs here in the District of Columbia. 

And, I would like to thank a few close FAIR Fund supporters: Caroline Ramsay Merriam, Katy Love and Sarah Stewart.  And, as I stand here this evening representing FAIR Fund’s seven staff and 16 board members, and the 1,500 D.C. teen girls and boys we serve, I would like to thank Amelia Korangy, our Development and Outreach Officer, who has worked hard to help us get here this evening.

What does the Washington Area Women’s Foundation Leadership Award mean to FAIR Fund?

Of course, the $15,000 certainly assists us in the immediate future and we sincerely needed and benefit from it.

But, there is so much more to this award.  For FAIR Fund, this award is in part validation for our mission in creating chances for D.C. girls to lead safer, healthier, and happier lives.

Furthermore, this award opens the door for FAIR Fund to become a stronger and more recognized member of the vibrant women and girl’s movement here in Washington, D.C.

Teachers have reported to FAIR Fund staff that they know teen girls in their classes who are being prostituted and exploited right now, and they are not sure what to do.

That they know girls who trade sex in exchange for food or shoes.

Approximately 30 girls aged 12 to 18 are identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation, often via prostitution, in D.C. each month.  But, from what we have seen as members of the D.C. Anti Trafficking Task Force and from what we have heard from so many teen girls who participate in our program, this number is only small fraction of the number of girls out there who need our help. Their teachers and families also need our help in understanding these girls and getting them the help they need.

I want to share with you the story of one young girl assisted through FAIR Fund’s primer program for girls in D.C called Tell Your Friends.

Ellie is 15 years old and I first met her while teaching a small group of D.C. youth about protecting themselves from human trafficking.  Ellie herself was recently turned out of her house by her father, who abused her and her mother. She was in and out of school and one night joined me in learning about human trafficking at a teen workshop.

At first, I am pretty sure Ellie didn’t want to be there and certainly didn’t like me.  But, what I think captured her attention was an activity where we ask the girls and boys to draw what they think prostitution looks like here in D.C. All she drew were a pair of eyes looking down and a pair of green glittery shoes.  This 15-year-old girl told me that the eyes were looking down because a “prostitute” was not allowed to look her pimp in the eyes.  So, it is safer for “girls like here” to just look down all the time.

We were able to help Ellie get connected to a counselor and into a safe space and we continued to educate her about not only how she can protect herself but even tell her girlfriends about the truth about teen prostitution and human trafficking.

Moving forward, FAIR Fund has three main goals this year with our work to promote the safety of women and girls here in D.C.

  • First, we have met with over 600 youth, mainly girls, in the D.C. schools and we recognize that the problem of teen victimization via commercial sex is truly pervasive and there is a need for FAIR Fund to take on professional counselors to assist these teens as soon as they reach out to us.
  • Second, we aim to create safe spaces for support and education that will be accessible for D.C. teens to share their experiences and protect themselves from human trafficking.
  • And, third, we are working right now with the Superintendent’s office to incorporate our youth anti-trafficking curriculum into the D.C. schools’ continuing education series for teachers. Together with these teachers, the D.C. Public School officials, the youth we have educated in the schools, and the young women university students who volunteer with FAIR Fund here in D.C., we can assist these girls and prevent future exploitation.  We will keep the network informed about the April launch of our video to educate teens about human trafficking and teen prostitution here in D.C.

Thank you, Washington Area Women’s Foundation, for truly opening the door and giving FAIR Fund a new chance to connect to your amazing and dedicated network of women’s rights leaders across Washington, D.C.

Andrea Powell is the executive director and co-founder of FAIR Fund, a 2007 Leadership Awardee of The Women’s Foundation.

Interested in learning more about how you can get involved in supporting groups like FAIR Fund, and others, who make sure that girls and women are looking up to a bright future in the Washington metropolitan region?  There’s a place for everyone at The Women’s Foundation.  Find yours today.

Modified paid sick and safe days bill passed in D.C.

For those of you who have been tracking the legislation around the paid sick and safe days bill at the DC Council, I wanted to provide an update of what happened Tuesday during the Council’s vote.

The Council voted unanimously to pass the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, and the Mayor has announced that he plans to sign the bill. This puts D.C. as the second place in the country (San Francisco was first) to have a law requiring employers to provide paid sick days to their workers.

It also makes D.C. the first place in the nation to require paid safe days, which victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking can use to address their situations.

It is also important to note that before passing the bill, some Council members voted in support of a number of amendments that dramatically affect the bill’s impact and reach.

First, the Council voted to replace the bill’s definition of employee with the Family and Medical Leave Act definition of employee. In practical terms, this means that all workers will have to be on the job for at least 12 months, and have to have worked at least 1,000 hours (an average of 19 hours/week) before they are eligible for leave.

This is a major change from the previous version, where workers had to be on the job 90 days before being able to use leave. We were disappointed that some of our core supporters, who said they would not support amendments that go to the core of the legislation, voted in favor of this amendment.

Two other amendments exempted health care workers who participate in premium pay programs and wait staff. One of the main purposes of the bill was to address public health issues, so exempting these groups of workers is particularly troubling.

In addition, the Council adopted a hardship provision, which allows businesses to apply for exemption if they can prove hardship. The language in this amendment was quite vague, potentially leading to a large loophole. The Council also inserted a provision requiring an economic impact study and another that caps at $1000 the penalty for employers who willfully violate the posting requirement.

Two very problematic amendments were defeated.

The first would have changed the categories so that workers in businesses with up to 100 employees would earn only three days per year, and workers in larger businesses just five days.

The second would have exempted employees in businesses with 15 or fewer employees. Both of those were withdrawn when it became clear they lacked enough support to pass, so the final version has the following categories: three days for businesses with 1-24 employees; five days for businesses with 25-99 employees, and seven days for all others.

This is an important first step for the District and for workers, but the DC Employment Justice Center looks forward to a time when the city provides essential paid sick and safe time for all its workers.

Karen Minatelli is the deputy director of DC Employment Justice Center, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Read more about how this bill impacts women here.

Congratulations to FAIR Fund, winner of the online vote!

From February 1-15, 2008, 1,187 people cast their vote for one of eight outstanding local nonprofits–the 2007 Leadership Awardees–working to improve the health and safety of our region’s women and girls.

More than 400 of those votes went to FAIR Fund, the winner of this year’s online vote!

FAIR Fund contributes to social change in our community–and around the world–by engaging youth, especially young women, in civil society in the areas of anti-human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, and through youth training programs.

Each month in Washington, D.C., up to 30 adolescent girls are identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation. FAIR Fund’s programs work to change this reality by providing young people with an authentic opportunity to express their own realities, get help navigating the resources available to them and gain a better understanding of what exploitation is and how they can avoid or exit an exploitative situation.

FAIR Fund is making its impact on our community by:

  • Working with 350 local D.C. teens, mainly girls, to provide them with a preventative educational program where teens learn to protect themselves from human trafficking through arts and empowerment;
  • Training over 600 community members–teachers, law enforcement, social workers, health practitioners and legal professionals–to identify and assist youth who are at risk or have experienced commercial sexual exploitation; and,
  • Training more than 100 university students to become the next generation of anti-trafficking leaders in their community.

Andrea Powell, Fair Fund’s executive director, has more to say about how sex trafficking is impacting young people in Washington, D.C. and how you can help. Check out her thoughts here.

The Women’s Foundation congratulates FAIR Fund for being this year’s online vote winner, and for contributing daily to social change on behalf of women and girls.

The Women’s Foundation also congratulates the seven other Leadership Awardees who participated in this year’s online vote.

Each of these organizations has already been recognized by The Women’s Foundation with a Leadership Award of $10,000 to recognize and encourage their effective, innovative efforts on behalf of women and girls.  The Women’s Foundation congratulates each of you!

To learn more about how you can support FAIR Fund’s efforts to reduce adolescents risk toward human trafficking and exploitation or to learn more about the issues, visit their Web site or call 202.265.1505 and ask for Andrea Powell or Amelia Korangy.

To learn more about participating in the next Leadership Awards Committee, contact Carolee Summers-Sparks at csummers@wawf.org.