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.

Dynamic Duo: Meet WGSD members and Mother-Daughter team, Merle and Courtney Brodie

Mother: Merle Brodie

Occupation: Gift Planning Officer, Girl Scouts; Instructor, at UCSD extension certificate in fundraising and development program

Notable achievement: Association of Fundraising Professional Development Executive of the Year 1994

Daughter: Courtney Brodie

Occupation: Leasing Manager for Centro Properties Group

Notable achievement: Girl Scouts Gold Award for developing a youth chapter of the Lions Club at the Braille Institute.

Merle Brodie lives in Scripps Ranch and her daughter, Courtney, lives in Pacific Beach. Merle moved to San Diego in 1979, got married and started a new career and a wonderful family. Merle and her husband have two daughters, Courtney, 24 and Blake, 20.

One of the Brodie family values Merle, 57, taught both daughters is volunteering together. This has opened Courtney’s eyes to the value of community work and created a unique bond between this mother-daughter team.

Merle began volunteering with her daughters when they were quite young. As members of the National Charity League, Merle and Courtney completed community service projects and were introduced to numerous causes throughout San Diego. Their activities ranged from making centerpieces for Rady Children’s Hospital events to serving as judges for the Special Olympics as well as helping students at the Braille Institute with art classes. They continue the tradition of volunteering together to this day.

Merle states:

“I feel fortunate to have been able to share my values and perspectives about life with my daughters. It is a source of happiness to have raised two strong and independent women who see community service as an important part of their lives.”

When Courtney graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in business, she decided to move back to San Diego. Her mother is thrilled about this unexpected outcome. “My goal is to spend quality time with Courtney…not just shopping and going out to dinner, but to continue to find volunteer opportunities and help those in needs throughout the community”, Merle stated recently.

Because Merle and Courtney wanted to spend time volunteering together, they are very excited to belong to Women Give San Diego. It offers them a unique opportunity to be involved through both financial contributions and ‘hands-on’ volunteering.

WGSD teaches women of all ages how to be effective philanthropists. Thanks to a tiered membership structure, WGSD allows mother-daughter teams like Merle and Courtney to be involved together. Courtney says, “The low financial threshold to join make participation more accessible to younger women just starting their careers. We would miss many great opportunities if we had to wait till we were 50 years old and could afford joining donor circles.”

Merle adds, “I think we’re both happy to share this new experience in Women Give San Diego. It adds another positive dimension to our adult relationship.”

They both feel that it is important to join groups like Women Give, where they are with other like-minded women who share their values. Merle’s past work in the nonprofit sector and local community make her very well suited for her active work on the Grants Committee and as the new liaison to the community and grantees on behalf of the organization.

Courtney recently joined the membership committee and hopes to recruit many more young people. In addition, she has stepped up to volunteer with one of WGSD’s 2010 grantees, Dress for Success. At this past January membership meeting, Silvia McKinney, executive director at Dress for Success, spoke about their work teaching disadvantaged women how to get back in the work force. Her talk struck a chord with Courtney who has signed up to help. She’s being matched with a woman client and will help her find job interview outfits at the Dress for Success Boutique and later will mentor her through the job interview process and during the rest of her career.

Courtney understands how important a professional appearance is for interviews. Just a few years ago, Merle took her shopping for her first suit. “The suit really made me feel good and it conveyed the right image” Courtney said. “A suit boosts your confidence level and gets your career started on the right note.”

This dynamic team is a strong model for how to be actively involved in the community as a family and as women. Merle is leading by example, grooming her daughters to be next generation of women philanthropists.

Renee Herrell, M.A., CFRE is a WGSD member and writes a popular nonprofit blog: reneeherrell.wordpress.com

Foster Youth: Thoughts from Amy Gunderson

Last week KPBS has showcased a vulnerable population that is near and dear to San Diego Women Give, Foster Youth. Recognizing the great unmet need, and an excellent opportunity to assist young foster women as they age out of the Foster Care system, San Diego Women Give partnered with Just in Time Foster Youth for two years as they pilot the “Career Horizons for Young Women Program.”

The two part series ran April 6^th and 7^th with articles: “Many Penniless Former Foster Kids Call the Streets Home,” and “San Diego County Seizing Foster Kids’ Assets to Pay for Care.”

The stories speak to some of the grim realities San Diego Women Give Members are well aware of, and some information that was new- to me.

I was unaware of the Childrens' Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego, a group working to bring research and awareness regarding the situation foster youth are facing here in our community.

Other statistics that struck me from the articles:

· Former foster children have overtaken war veterans as the single largest population in California’s homeless shelters.

· Foster Youth who are entitled to Social Security money from an estranged parent do not receive that income as it is absorbed by San Diego County for “administrative costs” in operating the foster care system.

Many times such difficult stories remain just that to me, sad news. Often I fail to understand- to feel, how I directly contribute to the problem. However, Kriste Draper of the Children’s Advocacy Institute said something in her interview that made me keenly aware of my role.

“As a state we have decided that a foster child’s parents are not good enough to be their parents," Draper said. "Each one of us through our tax dollars has said we can be better parents. And if we are going to accept that responsibility, then we need to make sure that we are better than the homes we have taken them from. And right now, I think that we fail at that.”

To read both stories in their entirety:

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/apr/06/many-penniless-former-foster-kids-make-call-street/

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/apr/06/san-diego-county-seizing-foster-kids-assets-pay-ca/

Amy Gunderson is a WGSD member and Program Assistant for the Gary and Mary West Foundation

Conversation with former State Senator Dede Alpert and Nikki Clay

On April 4, the Women Give San Diego membership was counseled by two influential San Diego policy makers. Dede Alpert, long time State Senator and advocate for public education and women's issues, along with Nikki Clay, a specialist in government relations and strategic legislative advocacy, presented at the group's recent meeting. During this dynamic presentation, members were advised on how to effectively advocate for the needs of women and girls to legislative leaders.

With years of experience under their respective belts, Alpert and Clay emphasized the importance of reaching out to city, county, and state officials thoughtfully and strategically. As the budget crisis at all levels of government makes legislative advocacy especially challenging this year, effective planning is crucial. Alpert and Clay recommend the following in order to maximize results from advocacy efforts:

1) Make a personal connection with legislators as this is much more effective than mass faxes or e-mails. Don't ask for money or support immediately - simply familiarize him or her with the issues at hand and explain why they are important. If at all possible link your cause to the legislators own experience or record. Legislators who are sensitive to the issues of women and girls will likely champion such causes in the political arena. Identifying these key individuals can be especially effective for your cause.

2) Make a personal connection with legislators' staff members. In some ways, building a relationship with staffers can be more important than building a relationship with legislators themselves. Staff members are more likely to read advocacy material thoroughly and are, in some cases, more likely to enjoy longevity in their positions than legislators.

3) Once you have secured a meeting with a legislator and his or her staff member, plan your presentation carefully. Ensure the presenting group is in agreement about what should be discussed and who should be responsible for highlighting particular aspects of your presentation. Be sure to stay on topic and focused in the course of the meeting, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of your "face time."

4) As the current budget crisis makes asking for "new" money next to impossible, advocacy efforts this year should be focused on "free" ideas, making existing programs more effective, and advocating for existing programs that are in danger of elimination.

The recommendations by Alpert and Clay are especially important as Women Give San Diego seeks to develop it's advocacy efforts with the creation of an Advocacy Committee. The committee is currently discussing possible women and girl-related issues around which to mobilize. Committee members are also planning to join Women's Foundation of California "Legislative Action Day" May 3 & 4 in Sacramento to plug into the foundation's lobbying efforts. The issues targeted at the day of lobbying have been selected by fellows of the Women's Foundation of California's Women's Policy Institute: a year long program of training retreats, to teach women activists and grassroots organizations how to successfully negotiate the labyrinth of Sacramento.

Women Give San Diego Member, Johanna Schiavoni comments:

“I will be attending the Legislative Action Day to sharpen my skills through hands on training and real world practice. There is no better way to learn to be an advocate than to be directly involved with legislatures and decision makers. I am excited to do this with the Women’s Foundation of California, an organization whose values and goals align with mine and Women Give San Diego.”

We will hear more from her and other WGSD members who attend the Legislative Action Day.

If you are interested in joining the WGSD advocacy committee or would like more information about Legislative Action Day, please contact Jennifer Dryer at jennifer@tamayoconsulting.com.

Jennifer Levitt is a WGSD member and blog contributor.

WGSD member promotions

Our Women Give San Diego members are incredibly talented women who are doing amazing work in San Diego. Here are two recent member promotions!

Women Give San Diego member Johanna S. Schiavoni, Esq. has recently joined Jacobs Schlesinger & Sheppard LLP as a partner. Johanna is an attorney specializing in state and federal court appellate litigation, including business litigation, criminal and white-collar cases, and immigration appeals. She brings more than six years of experience at Latham & Watkins LLP, an AmLaw 100 firm, and two years of experience as a law clerk to the Hon. M. Margaret McKeown on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Hon. Christina A. Snyder on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Johanna received her J.D. in 2002 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her B.A. in 1998 from Washington University in St. Louis. Johanna also volunteers with many local organizations in addition to Women Give, including serving as the Programs Chair for the Appellate Court Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association and as a member of the boards of directors of the La Jolla Music Society and the Lawyers Club of San Diego.

Jacobs Schlesinger & Sheppard LLP is a boutique law firm specializing in both immigration and nationality law and appellate litigation. The firm's Immigration and Nationality Law Practice Group represents clients, including large and small companies and individuals, in all areas of immigration-related cases, including applications before the USCIS, consular processing, and removal defense. The firm's Appellate Practice Group provides a full range of legal services to clients and trial counsel, including strategic counseling, research, and drafting in pre-trial, trial, and post-trial proceedings, and representation in appeal and post-appeal matters in state and federal courts.

Women Give San Diego member Debi Spindelman was recently accepted to Duke's Sanford School and Center for International Development, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and Columbia's School of International Policy Administration to pursue her Masters in Public Administration in sustainable development practice this fall.

She is currently the Project Director at Outside the Lens. Through her work, she traveled to the Daraja Academy of Kenya, the first free all-girls secondary school in East Africa, where she taught a media literacy program to 52 students, including digital camera skills, visual training strategies, self-portraiture, elements of design, and self-reflective poetry.

She has chosen to study public policy as a means to share the visions and viewpoints of girls like the Daraja students-- recipients of international development program funds- with a broader audience. Her long-term goal is to return to San Diego after graduation to perform analysis and advisory work to philanthropic funds working in global development as it affects women, children, and other vulnerable populations.

You can see the Daraja’s student’s artwork as part of a traveling exhibition that will be unveiled at the University of San Diego in May.