As we begin the 10th year with FLiP, it's a wonderful time to look back at all of the great successes FLiP has had over the past decade. Before anything, even starting FLiP is a great success. A huge thank you goes to Roseanne Bently, Mary Kay Meek, and Sallie Hargis who took on the task of bringing women in our community together to realize their potential in philanthropy. And in 2003, Female Leaders in Philanthropy was born.

In the first year, FLiP members began holding regular brown bag lunch meetings to discuss domestic violence, violence in the workplace, children at risk, and women's health issues. In June of 2003, FLiP hosted a luncheon for nearly 200 women in the Springfield community. Those women helped to establish priorities and set a direction for the new effort.
Over the next five years, FLiP held three symposiums: "Domestic Violence" in 2004, "Danger in our backyard, Meth in the Ozarks" in 2005, "Hunger Hurts Kids!" in 2006, and finally "Know Your Mamas" in 2008. These symposiums helped to bring awareness to the issues facing women and children in the Ozarks.
In 2005, FLiP members Raylene Appleby, Patti Penny, and Paula Adams began the Suit Yourself program in conjunction with Day of Caring. The program helped to outfit hundreds of women in our community out of a make-shift "boutique" in the Penmac Development Center. Five years later, in August of 2010 the beautiful boutique on Pershing and Campbell opened. With the help of Oakstar Bank, the Boutique offered FLiP the opportunity to extend the Suit Yourself program to women in the Ozarks year-round.
In 2007, FLiP established the "Hunger Hurts Kids" initiative with the Ozark Food Harvest's "Food for Thought" program. At that time, FLiP helped to fund the program in eight schools. With the help of FLiP, what is now called the "Weekend Backpack Program" has been expanded to serve even more children in need in the Springfield area.

Most recently, FLiP was able to help even more children in Springfield. 41 children at the West Chestnut Head start were given coats, hats, gloves, socks and underwear courtesy of FLiP. Thanks to you, these kiddos will be warm this winter. 

These are just a few of the great things that FLiP has accomplished. There are so many small everyday things that FLiP and FLiP members do to make our community a better place for our friends, neighbors, and children. And we're not done yet! We have paved the way for future generations to continue our work and to keep our community strong. Here at the United Way of the Ozarks, we look forward to all of the wonderful things that FLiP will accomplish in the next decade!

Sincerely, 

Megan Blevins                                              Cindy Howell 

mblevins@uwozarks.com                              chowell@uwozarks.com