WEST CHESTER, PA (January 23, 2019) – The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls (CCFWG) invites all high school girls in grades 9-12 to attend our inaugural Girls in Action Summit on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at the Business and Public Management Center at West Chester University in West Chester, PA. The event is presented by the Chester County Women’s Commission.
This free inaugural Summit brings together high school girls throughout Chester County for an empowering day of action. Attendees will learn about the deep and varied needs in their communities through conversations with local non-profit leaders and peers who have already taken action in their own communities, all while engaging in strategic grantmaking.
As a Summit participant, each girl will have the chance to:
- Connect with her peers throughout Chester County
- Meet leaders of local non-profits that serve women and girls
- Hear from a panel of peers about ways to foster change
- Help award two $500 grants to local non-profits
- Build teamwork and leadership skills
- Give back to her community
Please encourage the young women in your life to register here by the February 15th deadline. Free transportation will be provided for girls who need assistance.
Thank you to our generous event sponsors: Chester County Women’s Commission | Dr. Edwin Cottrell Entrepreneurial Leadership Center at West Chester University | Alexandria Catherine Events | Capacity for Change | 2120 Creative | Helena Astolfi | Marian Moskowitz
The Girls in Action Summit is inspired by the success and increasing interest in CCFWG’s award-winning Girls Advisory Board (GAB) girls’ grantmaking and leadership program. Earlier this month, members of the Girls Advisory Board (GAB)’s 15th Class awarded $19,000 in funding to five Chester County non-profit organizations serving women and girls. Through GAB, CCFWG equips the next generation of young women in Chester County with the knowledge and tools needed for impactful grantmaking, empowering them to give back to their communities. Throughout the program, high school girls across the county come together to learn about economic, social and health needs of women and girls in their communities, and ultimately make funding recommendations that are approved by the CCFWG Board of Directors.
This year’s GAB class identified three core priority areas for their grantmaking: 1) Access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and education, 2) Human trafficking and 3) Mental health. Through consensus-driven decision making, GAB members awarded funding to the following local non-profit organizations:
Community Volunteers in Medicine – $2,000 to purchase oral contraceptives for low-income and uninsured women.
La Comunidad Hispana – $3,000 to purchase long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) for low-income and uninsured women.
Domestic Violence Center of Chester County – $5,000 to train staff on the emerging issues of human trafficking in Chester County.
Alianzas de Phoenixville – $4,000 for its Mariposas Women’s Program that includes clinical trauma counseling, a women’s support and sewing group, and English tutoring program for immigrant women and girls living in Phoenixville.
Maternal and Child Health Consortium – $5,000 for its Health Start program providing pre- and post-natal home visiting, depression screenings, early child and parenting development and education, and health education to low-income women and their families.
To date, over 145 young women in GAB have awarded more than $260,000 to programs that improve the lives of girls and women in Chester County.