Because she is smart, independent, and a little sassy. Her characters show complexity yet you can almost always identify with her. She has maintained her dignity in an industry that can promote women as objects without a personality. She makes us smile, feel good about ourselves, and be grateful for growing older. She doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Diane is a photographer, interior designer, director, singer, actor, and producer. She became an older adoptive mother and fiercely protects her children’s privacy. Although she has dated some of the most prominent men in Hollywood, she didn’t let them define her. She doesn’t set herself up as an authority but rather lives a life that we admire.

In talking about the movie Something’s Gotta Give, Diane says, “”Let’s face it, people my age and Jack’s age are much deeper, much more soulful, because they’ve seen a lot of life. They have a great deal of passion and hope – why shouldn’t they fall in love? Why shouldn’t movies show that?” I love this.

Diane credits her mother for encouraging her to have a creative life. I am glad she did. I am looking forward to meeting her and getting to know her a little.

Although many believe that in today’s world with the availability of contraception, teenage pregnancies would be declining, however the opposite is in fact true. As stated in January 26, 2010 Columbus Dispatch, for the first time since 1990, “the pregnancy rate among 15 to 19 year olds increased 3 percent from 2005 to 2006″. This statistic has accompanied much political debate surrounding sex education in schools. Much of the debate is on the fact that the sex education that does exist focuses mainly around abstinence. The current attitude that many teenagers hold about sex does not accommodate this abstinence focused sex education approach. Other opinions on why there has been an increase in teen pregnancies include “the increase in poverty, a changing demographic makeup, and complacency about AIDS, prompting lax use of birth control such as condoms”.  Along with the increase in teen pregnancy rates for the first time in a decade, is an increase in abortion rates. This statistic comes at a time when the current health care reform legislation would reinstate $50 million of the previously cut $150 million funding towards abstinence focused sex education programs.  This is despite the reality that young women who receive comprehensive sex education are 50% less likely to become pregnant.

A report completed by The Women’s Fund just a year ago found that the pregnancy rates in Franklin County are 38% higher than in other counties with an abortion rate 32% higher. 

The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio believes that the rise in teen pregnancy rates is something to take seriously. We fund programs focused on lifeskills for girls. Through these funds, we want to see girls succeed under any condition. Two of our fall grant partners are doing such work. The Center for Healthy Families with their Healthy Families Connection Collaborative aims to make services for pregnant teens more readily available. Through this initiative we hope to see a shift towards greater utilization of community resources. Another fall 2009 grant partner is the Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio, Inc and their Peer Education Project Pilot. This project offers peer mentoring through teen-to-teen sex education. Because of these initiatives, we hope to promote awareness of this issue and promote the change we want to see in teenage women.

For many, 2009 was a year of financial hardships. Faced with one of the greatest recessions in our country’s young history, many families struggled to make ends meet.

This past fall, The Women’s Fund hit a milestone. Thanks to our loyal donors, we reached the one-million dollar mark in just seven years of grantmaking. Because of the generosity and passion for positive social change shared by our donors, the lives of many women and girls changed.

Through the programs we fund, girls gain the knowledge and skills to help them reach their full potential.  Women learn self-sufficiency and arm themselves with resources to lead strong, successful lives.

Here at the Women’s Fund, we are ever-grateful for those of you working towards social change. Today, women and girls are exposed to countless opportunities, but some just need support to find their way. It is now 2010, and we won’t be slowing down.

Written By: Hallie Kloots

January is national mentoring month and we wanted to inform the community of the incredible work that four organizations are doing to bolster life skills for girls and give them the tools they need to reach their full potential.

In life we all have had mentors. The stern mother who wouldn’t accept anything lower than an A+ on your report card, the teacher you looked up to for being pretty and smart, or the friend of your sister who taught you how to stand up for herself. At one point in our lives, we have also been mentors in some way. Today, young women and girls seek a new generation of mentors. Gone are the days of traditional adult-child mentoring; girls want access to peers who are closer to their age and preferably have a similar background. As girls continue to express their wants and needs to the community, The Women’s Fund takes cues from the community and has paved the way for a new initiative, one that focuses on what girls want.

In 2004, The Women’s Fund published “Count on Her” a report about women in central Ohio.  One of the recommendations of that report was to complete a report that focused on girls.  In 2006, The Women’s Fund decided to focus some of the grantmaking dollars on a specific initiative for girls. The One Girl Initiative began after a thorough review of a process that included a gender-specific report (One Girl: The Status of Girls in Central Ohio), convening the community, and focus groups with girls. With this information, The Women’s Fund designed a Request for Proposal. Four girl serving organizations responded to this proposal with a comprehensive model for addressing the needs of girls in central Ohio. The Interprofessional Commission of Ohio, Girl Scouts, the Mentoring Center and the YWCA have joined forces to serve the 200,000 girls living in central Ohio.

It is truly inspirational to watch four organizations come together and build a model for adequately serving central Ohio’s young girls. The goal of each organization is to collectively transition girls into women of strength and confidence. The One Girl initiative fosters the creation of structured and trusting relationships that bring girls together with peers and adult, female volunteers. These adults offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the character of the girls. As we reflect on our own experiences with mentors and inspirational figures in our lives, we look forward to a new generation of mentorship, one that connects girls to each other and promotes a community of women helping women.

- Written by Ebony Richardson

We would like to inform you about a very important week: from December 10^th until December 17^th is National Human Rights Week. This is the time that our nation has declared to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Women’s Fund is so grateful for your commitment to helping women and girls reach their full potential. It is because of your investment that our grant partner, Community Refugee Immigration Services (CRIS) has been able to inform 55 of women their rights and help them escape abuse. Often, immigrant women in violent relationships are isolated and remain in abusive relationships due to a language barrier, fear of deportation, and the loss of their children. CRIS uses a grassroots approach to informing immigrant women and the larger community of the rights of immigrant women under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Through education, outreach, and an awareness campaign, these women can leave the violent relationship and the community can provide the appropriate support.

Human rights are at the core of social change, by helping women understand their right to a life free of abuse and exploitation; we give women the tools to develop their full potential.

To learn more about CRIS and the important work they do for women and girls, please visit:   

CRIS Website

We funded 13 grants that promise social change for women and girls today. We listened to the needs of our community; we doubled our grantmaking and have invested $200,000 in programs that will strengthen life skills for girls, cultivate leadership for women, and advance economic self sufficiency for women. Today we thank our grant partners, donors, Board Members and volunteers- you are what makes today possible.

Please click here to view a complete list of our grant partners.