Imagine for a moment that you are a parent of three daughters.  These three young ladies are your pride and joy.  You have worked tirelessly to teach them important life lessons.  You want nothing but the best for them.  Picture them.  Do they look like you?  Do they look like your partner?  Does your oldest have your sense of humor but your partner’s nose?  Is the middle daughter brilliant like your grandfather with your mom’s eyes?  Does your youngest have your father’s zest for life and your partner’s quick wit?  You love these ladies differently but equally.  See them.  Now, decide which one will be the high school dropout, the one who will live most of her life below the poverty level, the one who everyone will say did not “live up to her potential.”  Why?  Because one in three teen girls become pregnant before they are 20. Teen moms are significantly less likely to graduate from high school and significantly more likely to earn below the poverty level.  Unfortunately, those are only two of the difficulties teen moms often face.

Many people like to believe that teen pregnancy happens to other people’s families or that it only happens to the “bad kids.”  The truth is that teen pregnancy can happen to any sexually active teen.  It doesn’t matter what color her skin is, what grades she earns in school or what socioeconomic status her parents have, it can happen to her.  So how do you protect your precious daughter from this unfortunate fate?  Education…not that 1+1=2 kind, she needs honest, accurate sexual health education. 

The Whitehall Yearling High School Teen Pregnancy Peer Education Team knows the importance of this education.  These young women are trained to deliver medically-accurate, non-judgmental information about contraception, pregnancy prevention, and staying healthy in general to their peers.  Studies have shown that people are most likely to accept information from someone they view as a peer rather than an authority figure.  These young ladies educate both one-on-one and through classroom experiences to make sure their peers have the most up to date information about what they are up against and how to help protect themselves. This group of 14 teenage women believe that it is necessary to empower young women to make healthy decisions for themselves and not be swayed by their partners to engage in risky behaviors.  “Young people themselves can take a more proactive role in delaying pregnancy until they are ready to become parents” said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Planned Parenthood Federation of America vice president for external medical affairs.

On a recent team retreat, they decided to plan a Female Empowerment Day in their community.  As a team, they agreed to plan a community Walk for Women, an information campaign concerning Women’s Issues at their school, and a rally in a community park to educate people on Women’s Issues.  They envision this day to be a way to motivate and educate their community members on the strength, worth, intelligence and power of women.

Take the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Quiz: http://www.stayteen.org/quiz

Written by: Lynn Feils

Nationally, women are currently earning 77% of what men earn, according to the most recent Census. Here in Ohio, women make just under 75% of what men make. To delve deeper into the issue, African American women nationally make 67.5%, Asian American women make 90%, and Latina women make 57.7%, all for doing the same work as their male colleagues.

The working woman is no longer some wild, mysterious thing. As of 2010, women make up 56.7% of the workforce.  And yet despite having the skills, drive, and long, arduous working hours to rival any man, women are continually underrated in the workplace, given less pay with no real rationale, and undercut by unfair health care policies and benefits plans.

But this day doesn’t exist just to complain about the inequities — it’s here so we can bring visibility to the pay disparity, make changes for a better future, and yeah, get a little angry. Because that’s when changes happen.

The ball is slowly rolling. The Paycheck Fairness Act was reintroduced to Congress by the Obama Administration in 2011, but has yet to move beyond its referral to the House’s Education and the Workforce Committee. The bill aims to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in order to further protect women from discrimination in the workplace by:

-          Requiring employers to provide bona fide reasons for any pay differences other than sex, such as education, training, or experience

-          Ensuring that women can seek the same remedies as those who face racial discrimination at work

-          Prohibiting employees from getting fired for discussing salaries with colleagues

-          Creating negotiation skills programs for women

Ohio U.S. Congress members Marcia Fudge, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Tim Ryan, and Betty Sutton are all cosponsors of the bill. You can drum up support by writing to your representatives to let them know that you’re in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act.

It should be mentioned that these statistics don’t accurately portray the wage gap between white men and men of color. Women aren’t the only group suffering from workplace discrimination. Pay inequity is a problem faced by minority groups across America. So don’t let the issue die after today — write to your representatives, learn the facts, and talk loud and talk often.

For more information, visit The Institute for Women’s Policy Research. and for statistics concerning the state of equal pay in Ohio, visit the National Women’s Law Center.

Written by Leah Driscoll

It is important to talk about the larger picture of social change, but it is also equally important to acknowledge the strides individual women and girls have made toward their potential. We would like you to meet Madelynn. We are in awe of her and her courage to break out of the cycle of poverty to create a future for herself and her daughter.

When asked where she was five years ago, she replied: “stuck.” As a single mom living with a disability, her income was limited. She describes it as living in survival mode— feeling like she had nothing to offer except trying to get by and supporting her daughter.

In 2006, Madelynn enrolled in a parenting class offered at Mental Health America of Licking County. During the last few sessions of the class the teacher asked her to facilitate, which was a life-changing opportunity for Madelynn.

Shortly after finishing the program, Madelynn decided to participate in the Getting Ahead Class, a program based on the book Bridges Out of Poverty, by Ruby Payne, Philip DeVol, and Terie Dreussi Smith.

This program, funded in part by The Women’s Fund, focuses on empowering people who live in poverty to reflect on their lives in a safe environment, make goals and plans for their future, and then create realistic objectives to meet those goals. This class changed everything for Madelynn.

After completing the program, Madelynn had a new view of the world and what she could contribute. Before taking the class, she thought that volunteering was only for people who had money, but she soon came to realize that she had valuable skills to offer—and that people wanted to hear what she had to say. Madelynn decided to go to school to study social work. She now has an associate’s degree in social work and is pursuing an additional degree in criminal justice. Not only that, she volunteered to teach the Getting Ahead class.

Madelynn knows her vision for her daughter Katley’s future has changed. “My daughter now knows that college is a logical next step, something we never even thought was a possibility before.” Madelynn has helped Katley look at options for a future career— something she loves and is passionate about, not just a job to pay the bills. Attending school wasn’t easy for Madelynn. She suffers from debilitating migraines nearly every day, but with her daughter’s invaluable help and support, she’s accomplishing the goals she set five years ago. Katley has had the privilege of watching her mother reach her full potential, and now she can be a catalyst to stop the cycle of poverty.

Madelynn is most proud when people tell her that her story has motivated them to change and pursue their goals. An example of the power of sharing your story: when she quit smoking, she shared her success with her Getting Ahead classmates. Several people quit smoking because they saw someone just like them who was able to quit. Madelynn’s willingness to share her own story is helping others realize their potential and pursue their goals, moving out of survival mode into a world where they are thriving and inviting others to thrive with them.

There is one overarching message Madelynn had to share. We all have something to offer; we all have strengths that can help and empower others. This is what we at The Women’s Fund mean when we say investing in women and girls to reach their full potential. All it took for Madelynn was someone letting her know that she has something very valuable to offer: her story.

Written by Charis Steffel

In the 100 years since, Girl Scouts has exceeded Juliette’s promise to offer something valuable to every girl. A troop for physically challenged girls was established before 1920; Native American troops were established in the 1920s, around the same time Girl Scout materials were translated into Braille. Girl Scouts reached out to serve the daughters of migrant workers in the 1950s, and was recognized by Ebony magazine for “breaking down racial taboos” in 1952.  The organization welcomed its first African American CEO in the 1970s; its first Asian American CEO in the 1990s; and today Anna Maria Chavez leads the Girl Scouts of the USA.  Girl Scouts remains dedicated to helping girls and women become all they can be.

Because of our commitment to empowering girls, we have forged a strong partnership with The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio.  We are a collaborative partner in the One Girl Initiative, and have received grant support from The Women’s Fund for two previous programs that invested in and supported under served girls.

As we approached 2012, we turned our attention to the problem of girl bullying, which often takes the form of relational aggression – using social skills to harm others by damaging, threatening or manipulating one’s relationships with peers or by injuring one’s feelings of social acceptance. We surveyed girls in Girl Scout day camps and found that more than three-fourths of them had witnessed girl bullying, and almost 70 percent said that they would value after-school programs designed to help them deal with “girl drama” and learn how to get along better.

Thus, thanks to support from The Women’s Fund, we’re introducing Power Up in Fairfield County.  Power Up is a curriculum developed by the Girl Scouts of Colorado Council. It reaches out to girls in grades 3 through 5, sensitizes them to relational aggression issues, and empowers them to resist bullying and defend against it. The program emphasizes that it is not OK to stand by and do nothing when bullying occurs.

We originally planned to offer the program only at the after school program of the Fox Family YMCA in Lancaster, but thanks to support from The Women’s Fund, we were able to expand to Lancaster South Elementary School and Millersport Elementary School. The principals at the two schools are so excited about this offering that they are each holding an all-school assembly to build interest before we begin. One principal is even donating a $50 gift card to be given away in a drawing to reward girls who have perfect attendance at the Power Up program.

Once we have run the program in Fairfield County, we plan to expand it into many of the other 29 counties we serve.  Because of the assistance we received from The Women’s Fund, we will eventually reach far beyond Fairfield County and the ripple effect will empower girls throughout Central Ohio. By teaching girls to stand up for one another, we continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place and honor the enduring legacy of Girl Scouts.

Written by: Susan Emerson

Today Sarah sits in her seventh grade history class with her hand raised. She has a question which much too often goes unasked, “Where can I find the people like me?” Sarah knows that she too has a history although it may not be in her textbook. She knows there was a long line of women who fought to get her in that seat with her hand raised. And Sarah knows that she has an incredible future ahead.

Looking back on our historical timeline, we stumble across the stories of amazing women who have paved the way for all of us today. We may find the story of Susan B. Anthony who in 1868 published The Revolution, a weekly journal which promoted women’s and African American’s right to vote, giving voice to these groups which had previously been silenced. The legacy of Shirley Chisholm may be uncovered as we come to learn that in 1968 she became the first black woman elected to Congress and in 1972 was the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Piece by piece, we uncover the stories of each woman, who has through her struggles shaped our present.

We look out into our world and see the political battles which seem to pervade our minds. We constantly see all that is broken, but we must also in that same frame see all that is working or undergoing repairs; we must honor the leaders of our past by becoming the leaders of the present. As we look at our community, we see programs like NEW Leadership Ohio moving college aged women into the political arena, encouraging them to run for public office and support women candidates. We see programs like the Capital Park Women’s Empowerment Project helping to move informal leaders into formal leadership, advocating for the safety and well being of women and children within the Somali community and beyond. These seemingly small programs today are transforming the lives of the women and girls of tomorrow.

On this International Women’s Day we, like Sarah, must take a moment to ask ourselves what is our history and what will be our legacy. Together we honor our past, believe in the present, and celebrate our future. Donate now to invest in this potential.

Written by: Kathleen Kishman

That’s right, it’s WHOOPI! We can barely believe it too. We all have our favorite moments: from Sister Act to The Color Purple, from Ghost to The View, whether it’s her stand up or her outlook on the world, we all love Whoopi. And now she’s visiting us in our own backyard (our very large, arena of a backyard). So mark your calendars because at 7pm on Friday, June 29^th you want to be at Nationwide Arena for Keyholder featuring Whoopi Goldberg!

Purchase your tickets today by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05004854975CC44C

It was a perfect match. They exchanged roses, shared secrets, and talked about their plans for the future. It was a Saturday afternoon get-together, not a date or a formal engagement, just 36 pairs of amazing women meeting for the first time at Otterbein University as participants in a new mentoring program that matches college students with local women leaders from the corporate and non-profit sectors.

This mentor match day was part of a larger new local initiative: The Otterbein Women’s Leadership Network. The “NET” was created to provide Networking, Educational, and Transformational leadership opportunities for local girls, students, and community leaders to cultivate a collaborative system of support that will increase the number of women ready to take on leadership positions in the future.

Let’s face the facts: Ohio needs more women leaders and the time is right. The results of a new baseline study on leadership in central Ohio issued by The Institute on Women  uncovered an immediate opportunity to change the local economic landscape by increasing the numbers of women in key leadership positions. However, without the social, emotional, and economic capital to participate in pathways to independence, our community will continue to be under-resourced in university-educated women to move into leadership roles.

We have so many incredible young women ready to create change in our community; we aim to equip them with the tools necessary to reach their full potential.

So what resources do these young women need to propel them forward? Connections, experience, opportunity.

The Otterbein “NET” offers university women a portal to an intergenerational network of community women who will serve as both mentors and partners as students begin to examine possible pathways to leadership.

For students, the journey begins with Otterbein President Kathy Krendl’s Women and Leadership Course, a first year seminar punctuated with panel discussions each week by local women leaders who share their life strategies and help students understand how to navigate and negotiate gendered social, cultural, and political obstacles.

After completing the course the students transition into leadership roles on campus, co-designing new community service programs with local girls, coordinating special women-focused events, and serving as interns at local women’s organizations. Scholars also facilitate Girl’s Clubs at a local middle school, engaging ‘tweens in “girltalk” about self-esteem, body image, friendships, politics, work, and other topics identified as important to the girls.

These scholars are now helping to coordinate an upcoming event, Otterbein’s Women and the New American Dream Summit on March 9^th and 10^th.  The summit is a call to action for all of us who are committed to ensuring that women and girls have multiple opportunities to create a NEW American Dream where they can succeed, flourish, and reimagine their futures.  Registration is now open for the summit — for more information visit the website at:  www.otterbein.edu/opportunitynation.

If you are interested in joining the Otterbein Women’s Leadership Network as a community partner, internship site, or friend, please contact Dr. Melissa Kesler Gilbert at Otterbein:  mgilbert@otterbein.edu.

Written by Melissa Kesler Gilbert

February is Black History Month and this year’s theme is “Black Women in American Culture and History,” chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.  We are urged to reflect on the many contributions of African American women in shaping our nation and history.

One notable woman, Fannie Lou Hamer, the youngest of twenty children, was born to a sharecropping family in 1917 in Montgomery County, Mississippi.  Hamer dropped out of school at the age of twelve to work in the fields and in 1961 was sterilized by a white doctor without knowledge or consent as part of an initiative to decrease the number of poor blacks in Mississippi.

Hamer’s life took a turn in August 1962 when she heard Reverend James Bevel speak in Ruleville, Mississippi.  Bevel, an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King and an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), appealed those at the meeting to register to vote – a request that if acted upon could result in physical beatings, loss of jobs, and even death.  This was the first time Hamer learned that it was legal for blacks to vote in Mississippi.  She volunteered without hesitation and later said, “I guess if I’d had any sense, I’d have been a little scared – but what was the point of being scared? The only thing they could do was kill me, and it seemed they’d been trying to do that a little bit at a time since I could remember.”

Later that same month Hamer traveled on a bus with others who responded to Bevel’s appeal to Indianola, Mississippi to register to vote.  After registering to vote Hamer lost her job, received death threats, and was severely beaten by the police, but this did not intimidate her.

Hamer went on to organize voter registration drives and the “Freedom Summer” initiative, helped create a new political party in Mississippi, worked to help blacks achieve financial independence by starting food cooperatives, and ran for Mississippi Senate in 1971.  This captures only a small portrait of Hamer’s significant impact on the American Civil Rights movement, and African American history.

Fannie Lou Hamer’s story is one of many, that when weaved together represent the passion and power of women working together to change history.  Her story teaches us that creating change is not easy, but it is possible.  We’ve highlighted one woman’s story, but we want to honor all African American women who’ve worked to make impossible things possible; Ella Baker, Carol Moseley Braun, Shirley Chisholm, Septima Poinsette Clark, Toni Morrison, Vivian Malone Jones, Phillis Weatley, Constance Baker Motley and countless others who fought to reach their full potential and, through their legacies, empower others to do so as well.

Written by: Charis Steffel