New & Returning Members

Deborah Bosley
Anne Brady Carlson
Bearle Chamblee
Caroline Dudley
Shirley Cress Dudley
Jennifer Green
Laura Furman Grice
Kathy McDonough
Christina O'Dell
Emily Skidmore
Jennifer Weaver
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Referring Members

Madelyn Caple
Anne Essaye
Pearlynn Houck
Karen Keatley
Deborah Majewski
Jean Miller
Angela Oliver
Octavia Seawell

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Help Us Tell Our Story!

Don't forget to take the 2017 Women's Impact Fund Member Information Survey. While it only takes a few minutes to complete, it will help make a big difference to our organization. Knowing about ourselves enables stronger member connections and greater philanthropic impact!

Check your email for details!

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Please take a moment to like the Women's Impact Fund Page

on Facebook. Invite your friends to "Like" it, too! And don't forget to share/retweet our posts/tweets!

Also, the new WIF
MEMBERS FACEBOOK GROUP allows WIF members to connect, share and discuss topics relevant to WIF & our members. Click "Join Group" on the righthand corner of the cover photo to be added.

If you are on LinkedIn,
please ask to join the
Women's Impact Fund Group
by clicking on the "Join Group" button.

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Honing In: Grants' Community Conversations Highlight Critical Issues
by Gigi Egge

One of the many benefits of being a member of Women's Impact Fund is gaining a deeper insight into the key issues our community is facing - understanding how and where we can make a difference. Each year, the Grants Committee seeks to identify the greatest areas of concern for the community and those areas where we can have the most impact in addressing them and therefore strengthening Charlotte. Our five Grants Work Teams (Health, Human Services, Environment, Education, and Arts & Culture) conducted extensive research this fall and engaged in many informal conversations within the community. This article highlights the key issues emerging from that process as critically important within Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

The Health and Human Services categories frequently overlap, with both work teams hearing of the need for access to healthcare, services for the elderly and challenges in employment, homelessness, and affordable housing. The working poor and immigrant populations face all of these issues, and all impact social mobility, quality of life, and school readiness. In the area of Health, chronic disease prevention is a primary concern. Chronic diseases are responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths each year, according to the CDC. To complicate matters, access to care remains difficult within and among the uninsured population. In Mecklenburg County alone, there are 112,000 uninsured residents, and 17% of adults lack a primary care provider...READ MORE

Looking Forward: Our Founders' Perspective

by Jean Miller

As Women's Impact Fund (WIF) approaches a historic $5 million in cumulative grants, we sat down with our founders Mary Lou Babb and Claire Tate to discuss our future growth and priorities.

We soon discovered there was no need to pull out a long list of questions. We naturally landed on two core topics. The first was how WIF might respond to the recently released Opportunity Task Force report Leading on Opportunity, and the second was how we as an organization should grow membership with intentional inclusiveness.

The recently released report Leading on Opportunity was on everyone's minds. The product of two years of study and consultation, Leading on Opportunity is a clear call for Charlotte's philanthropic leaders to step up and support bold strategies to empower economic opportunity. This spring, as WIF celebrates $5 million in cumulative grant making, there is no doubt in Claire and Mary Lou's minds that we have an obligation to take a seat at that table. They challenge us to answer this call and address one or more of the recommendations of Leading on Opportunity in a meaningful way. Claire and Mary Lou are excited we have a Grants Task Force exploring, among other things, how we might do this. As Charlotte faces a critical juncture, they hope we will act with agility and courage in moving our community forward...READ MORE

Have You Voted for Our 2017 Grantees Yet?

At press time, only 112 members had voted. Don't forget: Every vote counts! Fortunately, there is still time as voting remains open until Tuesday, April 18 at 5:00 pm. Emails with the ballot link have been sent. Please contact Jessica Klasinski at jklasinski@womensimpactfund.org or 704-707-4292 if you did not receive the email or if you have any issues casting your vote.

The 2017 Top 10 Grant Finalists:
ARTS & CULTURE
*   Goodyear Arts, a project of Wall Poems
*   ourBridge for KIDS
EDUCATION
*   Heart Math Tutoring
*   WINGS for Kids
ENVIRONMENT
*   WFAE
*   Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
HEALTH
*   Matthews Free Medical Clinic
*   Camino Community Center
HUMAN SERVICES
*   Ada Jenkins Families and Careers Development Center
*   Supportive Housing Communities

To review the program descriptions and grant amounts requested prior to voting, click HERE. Please note that these descriptions also appear on the ballot when voting.

Getting to Know Leigh Goodwyn
by Jessica Schwartz

Leigh Goodwyn joined Women's Impact Fund about 8 years ago and never looked back. After serving as a member for a year, Leigh quickly jum

ped into deeper involvement by serving on [what was then known as] the Marketing Committee, the Development Committee and eventually, the Board of Directors. Four years ago Leigh and her good friend Leigh-Ann Sprock launched a new business, LeighDeux, which specializes in beautiful textiles for the dorm room. Over the years, LeighDeux has continued to specialize in dorm room d�cor, but has also transitioned to offer bedding for a wide array of bedding needs.

A devoted philanthropist, Leigh is a featured dancer in the upcoming Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte event, which benefits Carolinas Breast Friends. According to Leigh, The Pink House is "a special place managed by Carolina Breast Friends, and gives women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer support, care, and hope. Carolina Breast Friends is a charity I have supported since its inception and they are doing so many great things for women in the Charlotte area! I am honoring my mother-in-law, Irene Goodwyn, and all my friends who have been touched by this disease." Leigh is paired with Felipe Edmiston, and together they are dancing the Argentine Tango...READ MORE

WIF Member News

Women's Impact Fund & Our Inaugural Grantee Pat's Place Wins WCGN Spotlight Award: At the 6th National Leadership Forum held March 12-14, 2017, the Women's Collective Giving Grantmakers Network recognized the Women's Impact Fund with its Spotlight Award, which recognizes past grants which have transformed their grantmaking


	(L-R) Jessica Klasinski, Anne Essaye, Barbar Holt, Deborah Majewski

organization, a grantee's organization, and/or the community member organization. Said WIF Board Chair Anne Essaye, "We couldn't be more excited to be recognized nationally as a leader in transformative grantmaking - and are thrilled to be able to highlight Pat's Place on a national stage as well." See WCGN Spotlight on Grantmaking for more on the award and the Mission Moment from this fall featuring Pat's Place.


Joan Lorden

CONGRATULATIONS to Joan Lorden, who was named 2016 Charlotte Woman of the Year!

Support Leigh Goodwyn, as she dances in support of Carolina Breast Friends at their Dancing with the Stars event April 29.


	Leigh Goodwyn hits the floor

Celebrate DO GOOD WEEK locally and National Volunteer Week with SHARECharlotte and Hands on Charlotte April 23-29! Register Here to participate in Hands On Charlotte Day on April 29 for the community-wide celebration that afternoon. Want more info? https://sharecharlotte.org/

WIF members, we want to hear from you! WIF Member News depends totally on you! Please send us news of a new job, new volunteer leadership role, a new addition to your family, a big move or anything else you'd like to share with your family of WIF friends. Email: communications@womensimpactfund.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

Breakfast & Tour
Thursday, April 27, 2017
8:00-9:30am
Start your day off right with a tour & informational breakfast at HopeWay, a new center providing best practice mental healthcare
Cost: $10
Register Now
(Members Only)

Annual Meeting
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
5:30-8:00pm
Foundation For The Carolinas
220 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Cost: $35
Members & Guests
Register Now

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For more information on all upcoming WIF events,

click HERE