Women Give heads to LA to Lunch: Women's Foundation of California Momentum Awards

The Women’s Foundation of California (WFC) Momentum Awards was held on Friday, May 20, 2011 at the beautiful Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Eleven Women Give members headed up to be part of this amazing luncheon. The theme of the event was echoed through Margaret Meade’s time honored words:

“Never doubt that a small group of dedicated committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

The Momentum Awards Luncheon was an inspiring event honoring incredible women who had made a major impact in elevating the status of women in California. As I sat in my seat and looked over the sea of women attendees, I was in awe of the intelligence, influence and poise in the room. It was stimulating to be sitting next to peers who were all determined to help their fellow women who live on the political, social and economic margin.

As a young philanthropist, I was surrounded by my future: women who had devoted their time, talent and treasure to making a difference in their community, state and world. I can’t wait to grow up.

(pictured: Jan Tuttleman, Bunmi Esho, Sheona Richardson, Lisa Swann, Linda Katz, Johanna Schiavoni, Renee Herrell, Sasha Clines, Debi Spindelman, Deirdre Maloney, Stacey Klaman)

The beautiful and talented Aisha Tyler (Ross’s girlfriend on Friends!) reigned supreme as the Mistress of Ceremonies, letting the audience know that if she mispronounced anyone’s name, they could come find her after the event to “hug it out.”

(pictured: Jan Tuttleman, Lisa Swann, Sheona Richardson, Bummi Esho)

Awardees

The California Healthy Nail Collaborative was given the “Groundbreaker” Award for their work to guarantee healthy and safe nail salons for workers and consumers and the right toxin-free cosmetics to all Californians. Julia Liou and Anuja Mendiratta, two WFC Women’s Policy Institute fellows, teamed up on state legislation advocating for safer personal care products that led them to gain more supporters to create the Collaborative. They reminded the audience to avoid using the “Toxic Trio” (di-n-butyl phthalate (DPB), formaldehyde and toluene) when visiting nail salons.

California State Senator Carol Liu was given the “Changemaker” Award for championing the health and safety of California’s girls, women and families. As a devoted mother, she began volunteering for the PTA and ended up being the first Asian American woman ever elected to the California State Senate. Senator Liu is a powerful partner to the Women’s Foundation of California in advocating for women and girls.

Jacqueline Caster was given the “Trailblazer” Award for starting the Everychild Foundation, a group of 200 women who give $1 million a year to Los Angeles children in need. They have been instrumental by providing grants to renovate and expand a counseling center for abused children, a universally accessible playground for youth with disabilities, and helped construct a facility for an after-school program for at-risk teens. In her speech, there was an undeniable pride in her work and humility in being honored for her work. I was so impressed by her energy and spirit for her work and what she and a (not so small) group of women were able to accomplish.

Keynote Speaker

The event was closed out by keynote speaker, Peggy Orenstein, author of “Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the new Girlie-Girl Culture.” In raising her daughter, Daisy, she was horrified to discover the pink girlie girl culture that delivers superficial messages to young girls about the way they should dress, act and style themselves.

(pictured: Renee Herrell Debi Spindelman, Sasha Clines)

I walked away from the event feeling a quiet gratitude for women who are changing the world with their actions, words and spirit and feeling honored to play be a small part through Women Give in helping make a difference in the lives of women in California.

Blog post written by Women Give San Diego member, Renee Herrell, M.A., CFRE who writes a popular profit on nonprofit topics: reneeherrell.wordpress.com

A very special thank you to Debi Spindelman for the incredible (and professional!) photos.

WGSD Member Promotions: Amy Harmon and Lenise Andrade

Amy Harmon

Amy Harmon has been named Director of Development for the College of Education at SDSU. She's been a front-line fundraiser for over 11 years and most recently served as the Director of Major and Planned Gifts for Senior Community Centers, a national model organization serving low-income seniors in San Diego. Prior to that, she served as the Associate Director of Special Giving at UC San Diego. While she’s been involved in a variety of development endeavors, including serving as the Executive Director for an Appalachian women's organization that was featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show," the majority of her experience has been at Berea College, a prestigious small private liberal arts college for low-income students located in Berea, Kentucky. There, she led a team of gift officers that traveled nationally and contributed towards the College’s annual revenue of over $26 million and robust endowment of over $1 billion. Amy is a graduate of Berea College and has a B.A. in sociology and a minor in communications. She proudly serves on Women Give San Diego's grants and membership committees.

Lenise Andrade

Lenise Andrade has recently joined the team at WiLDCOAST, as their Director of Development, bringing her 9 years of fundraising experience for nonprofit organizations, specializing in conservation organizations. She worked for Heal the Bay in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego in 2007 to join the fundraising team at the San Diego Zoo, where she was part of their Major Gifts team for over 3 years. She most recently was the Director of Development for ArtPower! at UC San Diego. With a degree in English from the University of Southern California, Lenise spent several years as a teacher before entering the nonprofit sector. She is a former board member of and very active in the local chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) and is also part of the Education committee at Women Give San Diego. She is excited to join the WiLDCOAST team, and help build a strong and active donor base to expand their conservation programs.

Sheona Richardson

Sheona Richardson has been promoted to Director, Annual Giving and External Relations at Senior Community Centers, a national model organization serving low-income seniors in San Diego. In her new role, Sheona will oversee the organization’s annual fund, marketing and public relations, Heroes Circle donor club and grants management. She has been a member of Senior Community Centers Development team for the past 5 years and previously held the position of Senior Development Officer. Sheona is an active member of Women Give San Diego, serving on the grants and membership committees.

Women Give Goes to the Capital

Women Give San Diego members, Stacey Klaman and Johanna Schiavoni, travelled up to Sacramento to participate in the Women’s Foundation of California’s (WFC) Legislative Action day on May 3 and 4, 2011. Stacey (pictured, center) was kind enough to report back on her experience.

WPI fellows pictured: Tiffany Eng (left) and Gwendy Donaker Brown (right)

Why did you join Women Give San Diego (WGSD)?

I joined WGSD because its mission aligned with what I am passionate about--helping low-income women and their children achieve economic sustainability. I was looking for an organization that had determination to leverage it's power and resources, catalyze partnerships, and become a force for change in the lives of these women. I was also interested in joining an organization whose members are generous with their time, ideas, and are actively working to improve the lives of women and girls through public policy, advocacy, and public education. I wrote to The Women's Foundation of California and they connected me with WGSD.

Why did you go to WFC's Legislative Action Day?

My career in education publishing, developing national and state specific social studies and science programs for K-12 students, has spanned more than two decades. And while I have written countless lessons on "How a Bill Becomes a Law" or "How Local, State, and National Government Works", I've never had occasion to witness government in action. When I heard about Legislative Action Day, I realized that this was a chance to implement what I've spent part of my career writing about. In addition, the ability to advocate for an assembly bill that, if passed, would help women and their families throughout the state of California was a golden opportunity I could not pass up. So I joined fellow WGSD member, Johanna Schiavoni for this exciting event.

On Tuesday, May 3, the WFC and Women's Policy Institute held a Legislative Reception in Sacramento. Judy Patrick welcomed everyone with her opening remarks. Then the Foundation presented awards to Assembly Member Jim Beall, Jr., long-time champion for women; Assembly Member Fiona Ma, who has authored groundbreaking legislation to protect young children from dangerous chemicals; and Human Services Consultant Nicole Vazquez, who serves on the California State Assembly Budget Committee. The reception was followed by a smaller hosted dinner with WFC and Institute staff to honor Senator Carol Liu.

What bills did you present? Who did you talk to? What was the response?

The WFC's Webinar and subsequent conference calls and other materials helped to prepare Johanna and me for Legislative Action Day.

Along with WFC staff, board members, and members of other WFC donor circles, we met with Women’s Policy Institute (WPI) fellows on the morning of May 4th. Women's Policy Institute is a yearlong program of training retreats in Sacramento hosted by the Women’s Foundation of California, to teach women activists (i.e. fellows) and grassroots organizations how to successfully negotiate the labyrinth of Sacramento.

Johanna had joined the Criminal Justice Team and I had joined the Economic Justice Team (EJT). WPI fellows Gwendy Donaker Brown and Tiffany Eng led the EJT and I traveled with them and another volunteer, WFC board member, Lise Paul throughout the afternoon. The team was advocating for Assembly Bill 828: Nutrition Assistance for Families Act, authored by Assembly Member Sandree R. Swanson. In a nutshell, AB 828 would require California to opt out of the lifetime federal ban from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh) benefits for persons convicted of a felony involving controlled substances.

Let me sidetrack for a moment to provide some brief, but important, background information that will illuminate the importance of AB 828. The Federal welfare law imposes a lifetime ban on anyone convicted of a drug-related felony from receiving federally funded SNAP benefits. The law prohibits individuals from receiving benefits for the rest of their lives, even if they have completed their sentence, have overcome their addiction, or have earned a certificate of rehabilitation or other form of clemency. States that wish to opt out of the ban must go through their own legislative process, and, to date, about 16 states and the District if Columbia have done so.

On the morning of May 5th, Gwendy and Tiffany received some good news—AB 828 passed Assembly Appropriations. In the afternoon the four of us met with Diane Shelton, Legislative Director for 44th District Assembly Member Anthony Portantino. Shelton was very much aware of AB 828, and assured us that the Assembly Member was in favor of the bill.

We also met with Miriam Barcellona Ingenito, Deputy Director, Legislation in the Department of Finance. Ingenito shared concerns the Department had about the bill so the team could strategize and take action on how to keep this bill moving forward.

Here are the next steps. The Bill will go to the Assembly Floor and if it passes it will then go to the Senate Policy Committee followed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, and then to the Senate Floor. Finally, around September it will go to the Governor, assuming it passes each prior step. So basically, at the moment the Bill has passed through 2 of 7 steps.

What did you learn? What was your favorite moment/experience?

I found the day to be energizing. On a personal note, this day had tremendous meaning for me because it was empowering to finally be able to lift a set of words, we often take for granted, off the pages of history and put them into real-world context “ . . . government of the people, by the people, and for the people. . . .” To me these words mean having a passion for what you believe in and an unwavering belief in the process. I witnessed this passion and belief in Gwendy and Tiffany.

As State Senator Dede Alpert and Nikki Clay counseled the WGSD membership during our April 4th meeting, reaching out to form relationships with legislators and, sometimes more importantly, their staffers is critical to the legislative process. Gwendy and Tiffany demonstrated how to effectively advocate by having well choreographed presentations that highlighted particular aspects of AB 828. They remained focused and on topic, and provided opportunities for Lise and me to impress upon those we met with that we felt so strongly about AB 828 that we flew up to Sacramento for the day to make this known. I think this sent a powerful message that this issue matters to women around California.

Next Steps:

Here are some action steps that Gwendy suggests for WGSD members, their family, and friends.

There is an immediate call to action. Because AB 828 will be heard on the Assembly Floor soon (date TBD), call your Assembly Member to let them know you support AB 828. You can click here to find your elected representatives, http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html.

Continue supporting the bill this summer: As the bill moves forward (hopefully) to the Senate and to the Governor, we ask you to either call or write specific elected officials to show your support (either your reps or committee chairs).

Please expect communication from us around June/July for Senate and September for the Governor. IMPORTANT: If you represent an organization/group and are able to support the bill “on behalf” of your organization this is more impactful so please consider asking your organization if you are able.

I am going to be following up with Gwendy throughout the summer and would be happy to keep everyone posted.