As the Chinese proverb states, “Women hold up half the sky.” Although women are half the world’s population, we bear the brunt of injustice around the world.   

 The John Glenn School of Public Affairs will host Pulitzer Prize winner, Sheryl WuDunn at The Barbara K. Fergus Women in Leadership lecture series. The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio is proud to sponsor the event.

Sheryl WuDunn is co-author of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a New York Times best-selling book about the challenges facing women around the globe. Half the Sky is a passionate call to arms against the global oppression of women.

Together we will hear the heart wrenching tales of the major abuses of women throughout the world, listen to the inspiring stories of extraordinary women turning their oppression into opportunity, and learn how together we can make a difference-- join us.

When:  Monday, November 14, 2011at 4:00 p.m.

Where: Ohio Union, Archie Griffin Ballroom

1739 North High Street

Columbus, OH 43210

The lecture is free of charge and open to the public, but seating is limited. Follow this link to reserve your space today! 

You know that show that catches you on television; the one that you didn’t know you cared about but was so compelling, you couldn’t stop watching?  Or the video that becomes viral because it touches something in each of us we didn’t know was there?  Or the group of women you don’t see often enough but when you do, it feeds you for months afterwards? 

That feeling, that profound connection with our humanity, is why you want to see Abby Disney.  We see the violence on television, war torn countries with bloody streets and white sheet-covered bodies.  For us the story may be a two minute news spot.  For those living in war torn countries, it is their life. 

We often hear of military casualties, we might even hear the language “collateral damage”.  Abby Disney puts a face and a story to the women who are disproportionately impacted by war and subsequently left out of the peace-building process.  You will feel the intensity of the situation and you will also hear the stories of hope, reconciliation and deep, lasting peace.

Women, War and Peace is a series that you will want to record and watch with your family (not for young children!)  Share the experience of listening and learning from Abby Disney on October 24^th.  Bring your partner, your girlfriends and your humanity to spend some time with a woman who brings the often silenced voices of women to public television.

You won’t want to miss the opportunity to meet Abby Disney in person on:

October 24^th, 2011

5:30-7:30 p.m.

Arena Grand Theater

Click here for tickets.

Program provided with support from The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio and WOSU Public Media.

Have you seen the Autism Speaks commercials – the ones that start with a distant connection to Autism gradually becoming a very personal one? That’s sort of how I feel about LGBT issues. Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, conceiving the notion of same-sex marriages was still far-out. Today – not so much.

Picture your life now. Picture what you day-dreamed about when you were a little kid. Probably somewhere in there, you imagined your wedding day down to the smallest details – the flowers, the hair, the music, the kiss. There might not be too many of us who pictured sharing those moments with a partner of the same sex. Now as adults, you might have friends or relatives who do picture their big day like that.

On the heels of National LGBT Pride month and local equality celebrations, same-sex marriage remains at the fore-front of many a debate. In a time when some states revoked their acceptance, New York recently legalized same-sex marriages. As Pride month winds down, I encourage you to consider your stance on the matter. Research, reflect, the whole bit. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, just make it informed.

So to our Friends of the Fund affected by this movement – here’s to the progress made, and the progress yet to come.

Written by: Hallie Kloots

You’ve read about our grant partners, but now we want to share with you these powerful videos of grant programs in action. Follow the link below to hear testimonies from participants in programs from Doma International, CATCO-Pheonix and Rwanda Women in Action.

Doma: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLs2bR0Raa0

CATCO-Pheonix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSTofN6l0dE

Rwanda Women in Action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ttknpOq4tw

“Teach a woman to fish, she’ll feed the whole village.”

-Hillary Rodham Clinton

 Put a woman in power, she’ll feed the whole world.

That is what Josette Sheeran is striving to do. In her role as Executive Director of the World Food Programme (the food aid branch of the United Nations), Sheeran oversees more than 80 of the world’s poorest countries, providing food to 90 million people last year alone. She is one of the individuals featured in the 10 Most Powerful Women at the United Nations, a list leading up to Forbes’ The 100 Most Powerful Women 2011 due to be released in August.

Also included on that list are Valerie Amos, Judy Cheng-Hopkins, and Helen Clark, equally high-ranking and prominent officials, essential to the operations of the UN. There is Angela Kane, the Under-Secretary-General for Management, who supports tasks of the UN Secretariat, and Susana Malcorra, who directs field operations in her role as the Under-Secretary-General and Head of the Department of Field Support. Michelle Bachelet and Radhika Coomaraswamy work to protect the rights of those too oft-forgotten and mistreated: women and children. Together, Patricia O’Brien and Navanehtem Pillay direct the legal concerns of the UN in their positions as Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs and the UN Legal Counsel and The High Commissioner for Human Rights respectively. All ten of the women are members of the UN Senior Management Group.

And all ten of the women use their positions in power to feed, rescue, care for, and protect those in the world. Just imagine what ten million in power could do.  

Click on this link to read the article, The 10 Most Powerful Women at the United Nations, written by Avril David: http://blogs.forbes.com/avrildavid/2011/05/02/the-10-most-powerful-women-at-the-united-nations/

Written by: Eleanor Rooke

We send you our many thanks for the inspiration, celebration, and success experienced at Keyholder with Goldie Hawn!

Your generosity raised $400,000 to further positive social change for women and girls in central Ohio.  How awesome?! 

And to everyone who made a tribute – wow!  We love hearing your stories.  If you missed it or want to see that fabulous video one more time, you can do so by clicking the image at the top of this page.

If you weren’t able to make a donation at the show, there is still time to double your money and have your contribution matched dollar for dollar.  Just click here. 

Until we see you next, stay connected with The Fund on Facebook and Twitter for other news and upcoming events.

The Getting Ahead program blogged about earlier this week was derived from the Bridges Out of Poverty curriculum—a program based around raising awareness about the truths of those in poverty, middle class, and wealth, specifically highlighting the hidden “rules” that govern all of our lives (whether we are conscious of them or not). “Bridges” gives a new lens through which we can view the whole of our community, including ourselves, our neighbors, and the systems that affect us all. Kathleen Kishman and I had the privilege to attend a half day Bridges Out of Poverty workshop yesterday led by Louise Seipel. I think everyone, whether he or she is in social service, health care, law enforcement, or simply living in our community, can benefit from what was taught:

• “An individual brings with him/her the hidden rules of the class in which he/she was raised.” A key point in the curriculum, we need to be aware of the hidden rules found not only in our personal lives, but in the societies and socio-economic groups around us. The mental models of those in poverty, the middle class, and the wealthy are different, down to the very things that drive us and what we give the highest value in our lives. People in poverty tend to think in the present, in survival mode, while those in the middle class can (literally) afford to be more future thinking. For the poor, Relationships are of the utmost. For those in the middle class it is Achievement. For the wealthy, Connections. And these driving forces can be seen everywhere. For example:
  • When regarding food, the greatest concerns are:
    • For those in Poverty: Did you have enough?
    • For those in the Middle Class: Did you like it?
    • For those in Wealth: Was it presented well?
  • When regarding one’s destiny:
    • For those in Poverty:  Believe in fate, cannot do much to mitigate change
    • For those in the Middle Class: Believe in choice, can change future with good choices now
    • For those in Wealth: Noblesse Oblige 

We need to be aware of the hidden rules to better partner with others and help them toward success.

• “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” – Dr. James Comer Relationships are a strength of those in poverty. Therefore, a gift of charity is no gift at all if one has not established a relationship with the person they are giving to, if they don’t know what that person truly needs. Rather than judging or even mentoring, take the time to get to know someone in poverty first.

          Actually, we might apply this to everyone we come across.

Written by: Eleanor Rooke

As you may know, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is incredibly important to become educated not only on the topics of safety and prevention, but also on the issues which victims of sexual assault face each day.

Let’s take a look at the facts. In America, 1 out of every 6 women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. How does this trauma affect the lives and well-being of so many women? The annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is estimated as $727.8 million with over 7.9 million paid workdays lost per year.[1] Studies have shown 75 percent of women in treatment programs for drug and alcohol addictions report having been sexually abused.[2] Nearly 90 percent of women who have become dependent upon alcohol endured severe violence at the hands of a parent or were sexually abused as a child.[3]

Last Friday, The Women’s Fund had the privilege of attending Portraits of Recovery, a luncheon created by our Grant Partner Amethyst, Inc. At this event three amazing women shared their testimonies of abuse and recovery. Although the factors which led to their addictions varied, each of these women attributed their ability to share their own story of struggle and success because of Amethyst’s comprehensive program.  Amethyst offers drug and alcohol treatment for women, which addresses economic self-sufficiency, supportive services and trauma counseling. This program takes into account the role traumatic experiences can play in addiction and the recovery process if left untreated.

We are lucky and proud to partner with Amethyst, which understands the effects of sexual assault are lasting and can play a significant role in the future of the individual and the lives that they touch. These three brave women undoubtedly touched each of us, and we want their stories to be heard. Sexual assault is not acceptable, and it needs to stop – now is the time.

[1] Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, 2003

[2] American Journal on Addictions, June 1997

[3] Journal of Traumatic Stress, December 1999

Written by: Kathleen Kishman

Simply put, women are dynamic by nature. Flip through your contact list. I’ll bet you know women who are doctors, teachers, mothers, lawyers, business owners, philanthropists, friends, writers, CEOs, and everything in between. Each of these women probably wears more than one hat, too.

When we started planning Keyholder this year, we wanted to bring someone we could all relate to; someone who has fully embraced the ability of women to be successful at whatever it is that drives them. So, who is this woman?

She is Goldie Hawn. Although most of us know her for her bright career in acting, singing and writing, she is much more than that. She is a visionary, a philanthropist. She sends a message of mindfulness; mindfulness of who you are and what you can do for those around you. Her foundation focuses on children, realizing they are the future and they have limitless potential. All in all, she gets what it means to be a dynamic woman.

Her Hollywood roles cover everything from the quirky girl on Good Morning, World to a woman coming into her own in Private Benjamin, to her Academy Award performance in Cactus Flower. Her book A Lotus Grows in the Mud is not so much a tell-all of the Hollywood life, but rather an introspective journey to wisdom and self-fulfillment. She is a business woman, a mother, and an inspiration.

So, are you ready to Strike Gold?

Written by: Hallie Kloots

A local woman elected official and friend of mine sent me the link to this video yesterday.  Please take the time to watch it.  I hope it reminds you why you give to the Women’s Fund and inspires you to continue to change the world by funding social change for women and girls.  Rock on!

– Liz Shirey

Click here to view the history of women and philanthropy.

Money doesn’t make a man.

Nor does it make a nation, according to a recent study, Human Development Trends Since 1970: A Social Convergence Story. Educated women do.

Looking at developments tracing back to the 1970s, researchers George Gray Molina and Mark Purser found the wealth of a nation has less impact on its standard of living than its gender roles do. It seems the more women are allowed to participate in their country, the more that country prospers (no surprise there). The greater decision-making power women are allowed to have regarding issues such as childbirth and their own education, the greater the country performs. “Demographic transitions, urbanization and declining fertility rates have accelerated life-expectancy and literacy achievements over the past half-century,” the authors write. “We believe the underlying drivers of these changes are linked to individual and household-level decisions concerning fertility and female schooling.”

Digging even deeper, the authors state that, “Human development trends fit into a larger story of demographic change since the 1950s, driven by initial levels of human development and changes in fertility and female schooling.” Women and girls, it is proven, can transform entire nations. Those are the implications of investing in them.

http://backspace.com/notes/links/2010/06/girl-power.php

OTHER EXCERPTS:

When the population of literate women was closer to or exceeded that of males, countries tended to have higher life expectancy in 1970. However, this relationship disappears in 2000.

We find that income is not a significant predictor of life expectancy –once we account for urbanization, fertility and female schooling.

Demographic transitions, urbanization and declining fertility rates have accelerated life-expectancy and literacy achievements over the past half-century (UNDESA 2009). We believe the underlying drivers of these changes are linked to individual and household-level decisions concerning fertility and female schooling. Although correlated, we do not find evidence to suggest that human development trends can be explained by factors associated with economic growth. Holding income constant, social factors seem to be driving the aggregate human development story.

By: Eleanor Rooke

Liz Shirey of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University shared her thoughts on the recent conclusion of this year’s NEW Leadership Ohio program:

It’s been almost five days and I’m still buzzing from the emotional high I get from participating in the NEW Leadership Ohio Program.  It is by far my favorite time of the year, and this year’s class did not let me down.  I was amazed at the diversity in the room.  The 2010 class consisted of 29 women ages 19 through 40+, from 17 different colleges and universities and seven different countries, and majors ranging from biological sciences, international business and environmental pre-law to psychology, political science and organizational leadership. 

Some of the highlights from the week include a $tart $mart salary negotiation workshop facilitated by the founder of WAGE (Women Are Getting Even), aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap for every woman in America;   a very intimate and inspiring session with Supreme Court Justice Eve Stratton; a panel discussion about the ups and downs of campaigning and serving in office with Democratic and Republican women currently running for local and statewide elected office;  and a speed networking event with women working in the public and non-profit sectors, co-sponsored by Ohio Women in Government.  Speaking of “networking,” that seemed to be the unofficial theme of the week.  We heard over and over again from our speakers, panelists and facilitators that professional success depends upon the strength of your network, and that it is especially important to build and nurture a network of positive, passionate and supportive women.  One of our participants described it as a “Sister Circle.”  

 We were so honored this year to have Anne Kornblut, Washinton Post political correspondent and author of Notes from the Cracked Ceiling: Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and What it Will Take for a Woman to Win, as a guest on our panel for our keynote dinner.  Joining her were Janet Carson, Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman, and Traci Saliba, former candidate for State Representative in the 2^nd House district.  It was an engaging and enlightening discussion about what is being done to identify and cultivate women to run for office and what it will take for a woman to be President in the near future.

The week came to a very emotional end on Friday.  We started out with time for the women to reflect on their experiences. Many of them responded by saying that they had never been part of such a diverse, supportive, and close-knit group of women.  Some shared personal stories of overcoming shyness while learning to network with women throughout the week; others talked about the ways in which they will take their newly formed leadership tools back home and use them to affect positive and lasting change in their community.  We had more than half of the group announce that they were running for office and the other half volunteering to manage their campaigns.  We also heard an impassioned plea from one woman for everyone to stop and think about giving a financial contribution to support NEW Leadership instead of buying that next cup of coffee from Starbucks or that pair of shoes they don’t need.    As we walked to our closing luncheon featuring guest speaker TaKeysha Sheppard Cheney, founder and CEO of The Women’s Book, the women were exuding confidence and camaraderie, the likes of which I did not expect to see.

Words can’t describe our gratitude to the Women’s Fund for continuing to fund and believe in this program that literally changes lives.  It changed mine, and one of the greatest gifts in my life is being able to share it with other women.  Thank you WFCO for being part of the NEW Leadership Ohio Sister Circle!  

Written by: Liz Shirey

Millions of people worldwide fall victim to governmental oppression, war, terrorism, and adverse living conditions each year, forcing families from their homes to seek refuge elsewhere.

Women comprise a surmountable group of such refugees. In many cases, women are forced into displacement through violent acts including physical attack, sexual slavery, kidnapping, prostitution, and rape. Sadly, some of these operations are facilitated by governmental and military groups when a country is at war. When a woman must leave her home by the hand of her own governing body, she needs somewhere to turn.

The Women’s Refugee Commission is a member of the Nongovernmental Organization Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGO WG). Their work advocates on the behalf of women refugees to attain social change through the full implementation of a United Nations resolution for women. Worldwide, governments overlook women’s issues, especially when women do not fully participate in the conversation.

A UN resolution geared specifically towards women will guarantee a greater sense of peace and security and hopefully lead to the end of violent displacement. Although some strides towards abolishing this string of violence have been made, a long road remains.

Visit http://womensrefugeecommission.org/ for news about and ways to help women refugees.

We are happy to announce that applications for our Fall 2010 Grant Cycle are now open. The application process begins with submitting a Letter of Intent. In addition to the LOI, applicants are also invited to attend a grant workshop in order to gain a better understanding of creating a successful grant application. Full grant applications are by invitation only.

This Fall, we are able to award $200,000 in grant partnerships. Funding is available up to $20,000 for Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union Counties.  Thanks to continued generosity in donations, our grant funding is thriving!

For more information about past grant recipients, access to LOI and application forms, and a calendar of grant-related events, please visit the What We Fund section of our website.