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Women’s Fund Making a Difference

Building Her Future…Builds our Community! was the theme for this year’s Women’s Fund of Door County’s luncheon. Now in its 6th year this event attracts a sellout crowd and was again held at Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay. This event is the largest annual fundraiser for the Women’s Fund.

A panel discussion “Living on the Edge: Women and Poverty in Door County” moderated by board member Jennifer Moeller kicked off the day’s event. Panel members Christine Anderson, Washington Island Community Health Program; Julie Davis, Door County Boys and Girls Club; Chris Loose, Lakeshore CAP; and Pat Peterson, Aging & Disability Resource Center of Door County, talked about women and children living in poverty in our community. The panel concurred more work needs to be done in our community, but with more awareness and funding some of these issues can be reduced.

Marti Spittel-Ziegelbauer welcomed an enthusiastic crowd to the luncheon. She spoke of the privilege of being the MC for this event since its inception and of the need for all women to care and support each other. Introductions were made for the presentation of the 2015 Leadership Awards. Tara LeClair, business and education manager of the Door/Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership (DKBEP) and Patti Vickman, superintendent of Southern Door Schools were this year’s winner. These women were instrumental in bringing to Door County a Michigan Tech MINDTREKKERS event, which gives all students exposure to the sciences through hands-on projects. The Women’s Fund has shared in supporting and sponsoring this event for the past two years.

A standing ovation was given to keynote speaker Liz Murray, author of Breaking Night: Homeless to Harvard. She spoke of her life growing up in New York City in a dysfunctional home and how through persistence, community support and perseverance she was able to break the cycle of extreme poverty and homelessness. “Life takes on the meaning that you give it.” She also stressed the importance of looking ahead and dreaming big.

An initiative to increase the endowment to $1.2 million was introduced by Women’s Fund Board member Vicki Wilson. With an enhanced endowment, the Women’s Fund will be able to grant about $35,000 annually in the form of sustainability grants, plus provide about $200,000 every three years to a community initiative called a collaborative grant. Wilson announced that the Women’s Fund is already more than half way to their goal with an endowment as of August 15 of $650,000. Through the collaborative grant process, the community will be involved in identifying the issues to be addressed and Door County nonprofits, working together, will develop a plan to impact those issues to make a greater impact on changing the lives of women and girls in Door County.