Women's Giving Circle Grants $19K to Five Local Organizations

The Women’s Giving Circle is a group of philanthropic-minded women of all ages, means and backgrounds who combine their financial strength to make a positive change for the women and children of Jefferson County.

2020 Grant Winners Photos Provided.

(Jefferson County, Ind.) - The membership of the Women’s Giving Circle of Jefferson County (WGCJC) voted to grant $19,187 to five organizations with programs and projects benefitting women and children in Jefferson County. Grants are awarded using money collected from membership dues and donations made in 2020, as well as the annual available amount from the Women’s Giving Circle Endowment in Memory of Bonnie Hare. Awards are made to qualifying 501(c)3 organizations that apply through the annual WGCJC competitive grants cycle and have a project and/or program that impacts one of four fields of interest: Education, Economic Empowerment, Physical & Mental Health, and Violence & Crime Prevention.

The five organizations are:

• Jefferson County Youth Shelter – to support the installation of a Koi Pond on the property as a place for residents & staff to relax, for family visitations, for therapy sessions, and as an activity to teach residents responsibility.
• La Casa Amiga – to support transportation costs to the center’s new location for bilingual story hours and help the organization with recovery from the impact of COVID-19.
• Madison Consolidated Junior High School – to support the school’s Creative Dramatics Department spring performance season by covering performance rights, costume needs, and other production elements for the class presentations and all-school musical presentations.
• O.V.O. Head Start – to purchase new hearing screening equipment to replace the center’s current 10-year-old screening system.
• Prince of Peace Catholic Schools – to support the purchase and installation of vinyl wraps on the front doors of Shawe Memorial High School & Pope John Elementary to help reduce visibility into the schools for the safety and privacy of their students and faculty

The Women’s Giving Circle is a group of philanthropic-minded women of all ages, means and backgrounds who combine their financial strength to make a positive change for the women and children of Jefferson County. Annual membership to the WGCJC is a $100 tax-deductible contribution. Junior memberships are $50 and open to girls ages 18 and under. Of the $100 annual donation, $75 goes in a fund for the annual grant cycle and $25 is placed in an endowment fund for future granting. The junior membership is split $25/$25. Assets of the WGCJC are held and maintained at the Community Foundation of Madison & Jefferson County (CFMJC).

For more information about the Women’s Giving Circle, contact Julie Wells at 812-265-3327, by email at womensgivingcircle@cfmjc.org, or join online at www.cfmjc.org/wgc.