Women Transforming Sonoma County Through Collective Philanthropy - Dec 2016/Jan 2017 
PALS receives a $5,000 check at their  
Forestville site.  PALS was nominated by  
Rene Lummer and her dog Lee.

Representatives from Sanctuary House accept $5,000 from Sharon Robison and nominator Laura Robertson.

$5,000 Community Grants Awarded to Five Non Profits 
President's Message 
In this season when many of us think of t he v alues that our families hold dear - thankfulness, generosity, community - we at Impact 100 Redw ood Circle are beginning to discuss our organizational values. Last year the Impact Grant Committee developed basic tenets, which included integrity, transparency, trust, fairness, responsible stewardship and inclusiveness. Many of these values will ultimately apply to our organization as a whole, as well.

This month I'd like to highlight transparency. As I mentioned at the last membership meeting, you can find our minutes from our Leadership Team meeting on our website here. This is the member's only section of the website and is accessible using the password that was sent out in the recent "reminders" email to members from Carol Newman. 
          
In addition, any Impact 100 RC member is welcome to sit in on a Leadership Team meeting and learn more about our organization. The Leadership Team meets the second Tuesday of each month from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. Please click here for more details if you're interested in attending.
           
At our next membership meeting on Wednesday, February 8, organizational development consultant and Impact 100 member Sharon Keating will lead a tabletop exercise with our members. This conversation will give members the opportunity to be engaged, offer their expertise, and help address issues that are important to our organization. I hope you'll be present to participate in this critical process. 
           
Wishing you and your family a holiday season filled with love and good cheer! 
 
Melissa Kelley
President and Co-Founder
Impact 100 Redwood Circle
TAX PLANNING
Click here for a reminder on 2016 tax planning and
your Impact 100 Redwood Circle donation.
In This Issue
 Upcoming Events
 * Thurs, Jan 19;  10:00 a.m. at Spinster Sisters
401 South A Street
Santa Rosa

Wed, Feb 8; 5:00-7:00 p.m.
At the Scottish Rite Center, 600 Acacia Lane,
Santa Rosa

RSVP to events by clicking here:  Email Impact100
Welcome to the newest members of our circle! 
Camille Bossenberry
Teresa Denniston
Marcia Luisi
Robin Seltzer
Dottie Thompson
Helen Volhontseff
Eleanor Werner 
And The Community Grant Winners Are......
Impact 100 Redwood Circle has awarded $5,000 to these five local nonprofits in support of the outstanding programs they provide to the community:
  • Community Support Network's Sanctuary House
  • PALS (Paws as Loving Support) assistance dog program
  • Sonoma County Public Library Foundation's Free Bookmobile
  • SRJC Foundation's HEP (High School Diploma) program
  • UC Cooperative Extension Sonoma's food recovery coalition
The Community Grants workgroup, along with those who nominated the winning organizations, hand-delivered checks and acknowledgement letters to each office earlier this week. Representatives from each of the winning nonprofits have been invited to our February 8 meeting and will be recognized on the agenda.

Free Bookmobile Program Director Glen Weaver receives $5000 from Robin Lavin and Mary Radu 

Forestville kids enjoy the Free Bookmobile, a service of the Sonoma County Public Library Foundation 
 
Many thanks to the Community Grants Workgroup for your hard work and dedication!
Helen Berg, Jennifer Cornell, Ina Chun, Lynn Davis, Marion Dutra,
Judy Farrell (co-chair), Helga Lemke, Debra Marzak, Suzy Marzalek,
Louise Packard, Lynnie Rabinowitsh, Mary Radu, Sharon Robison,
Liz Uribe and Shirley Ward (co-chair)
Grant Liaison Committee - VOICES 
Spotlight on Jesus: First-Year Student at SRJC
His dream is to transfer to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York where he can eventually obtain a bachelor's degree in the field of engineering. Yet that goal was not always on his radar. Born in Michoacán, Mexico, Jesus moved
A meaningful message on the wall at the newly redecorated VOICES house
to California at the age of three. Yet life did not get much easier for Jesus and his family after settling in Santa Rosa.
 
Family instability and moderate-to-severe hearing loss created a range of barriers for Jesus. Constantly struggling to survive eventually led Jesus into some legal trouble due to involvement with a local gang. So at the age of fifteen, Jesus became a ward of the court and was sent to Hanna Boys Center. It was there that Jesus found a new and hopeful vision for his life thanks in part to the structure and support found in that community.
 
Jesus is currently attending Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) as a full-time student, and is doing well in his second semester as he maintains a 3.0 GPA. Wanting to place all of his energy into succeeding at school he has sustained himself for the past year on a collection of scholarships since he is unable to receive federal financial aid due to immigration status. Jesus admits that he has struggled at times to meet his basic needs but is determined to succeed as a student. Recently, with the help of VOICES he secured another scholarship to help get him through the end of the year. Despite financial difficulty Jesus continues to volunteer his time, connect with his church community, engage with support networks for foster youth at SRJC, and study for hours on end. He wishes to express his gratitude for all of the support.
Members participate in a table exercise at the Nov. 2 meeting
Events & Education
The Education & Events committee was so pleased to read the positive responses from our November 2 membership meeting.  Approximately 80 members and guests enjoyed a wonderful selection of wines, meats, cheeses, and other tasty treats that were prepared by the food committee. 

The Community Grant and Impact Grant committees presented impressive updates on the nominated organizations, processes and countdown to voting.  Member Beth Brown, President and CEO of the Community Foundation, conducted a wonderful table exercise that focused on looking into our inner philanthropic self.  Prior to facilitating the exercise, Beth told the group:   "The women in this room have the power to change the conversation!"  Wow!  Incredible words coming from a philanthropic pillar in our community. 
 
Thank you Shirley Anderson, Karen DeGroot, Janie Herring, Mary Radu, MK Hicks, Debra Marzak, Sudha Schlesinger and Ellen Wear for everything you do from concept to shopping and prepping food, to decorating tables, pouring wines and meeting the challenge to get everyone home in time to watch the last few innings of the final World Series! We also thank our volunteer photographer, and Impact100RC friend extraordinaire, Rosa Turner.  
 
MeetingOur next meeting is Wednesday, February 8, 5-7 pm at the Scottish Rite and Masonic Center.  Take Note!  At this meeting, you will have the opportunity to meet the 5 Community Grant Award recipients.  And we have another engaging table exercise aimed at defining our operating principles.  We promise this will be a "don't miss" membership meeting!
Dede and Carol welcome guests
Membership Stands at 162 Strong, Impactful Women

CoffeeCoffee & Conversation
We will be hosting a "Coffee & Conversation" at Spinster Sisters, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 19. They are located at 401 South A St. This is a chance to hear more about Impact 100, as well as socialize with other members. Feel free to stop by and bring a friend.

Each One, Reach One 
This month we would like to introduce the concept of "Each One, Reach One". We all know that the best way to spread the word is to show and share the excitement of our dynamic group with other women. Please consider bringing a guest to the February General Meeting, attend the "Coffee & Conversation" or host a House Party.

Membership warmly welcomes new member, Charlene Staples, to our committee.
Lastly, we like to remind everyone that if you wish to pay for your membership with a credit card you must download the form that is available on our website. After you have filled it out and signed it, you must MAIL it to the Foundation.

PlanningTax Planning
The 2016 tax year is quickly coming to a close. If you want to enjoy the tax advantage of donating to Impact 100 Redwood Circle in 2016, you need to have your donations into the Community Foundation of Sonoma County by December 31, 2016.

Please note that if you donate in December, your tax benefits will have a quick payback when you file your April return (four months). If you wait until January to March, 2017, you will be waiting an additional 12 months to realize those benefits. Contact your tax preparer for specifics. And, if you are 70-1/2 , you have a tax advantage of transferring your donation directly from your qualified account to the Foundation. Again, consult your tax advisor.
Remember: if you want to charge your membership/donation to a credit card, PLEASE fill out the form available on our website, sign it and mail to Community Foundation of Sonoma County, 120 Stony Point Circle, Suite 220, Santa Rosa,CA 95401. Please feel to contact Cindy Schmidt at [email protected] with any questions.
In the News:
Amber Twitchell, VOICES Program Director was the recipient of The North Bay Business Journal and Pisenti & Brinker's Nonprofit Leadership Awards for 2016. The 21 recipients were honored at a luncheon in October.  See the PD article

New on our Website! 
Our website guru, Vicki Groninga,  has added several new items to our website:  homepage banner, photo gallery, grant section, news items.  Check out the updates at www.impact100redwoodcircle.org 
Call for Tutors 
TLC's Transitional Housing Program and VOICES are initiating a tutoring program on Friday afternoons between noon and 2:30. This is expressly for those previous foster yout h aged 18-24 who are attending Santa Rosa Junior College.  Subject for tutoring will depend upon the student, but may consist of math, science, written English, comprehension or grammar.

THP and VOICES are asking that a tutor be available for all of Spring semester, beginning in January. Tutors need not be available every week, but it is requested that tutors commit to volunteering 2 times per month It would also be helpful if the tutor has a laptop they could bring with them.  Tutoring takes place at TLC's Transitional Housing Program office located on Mendocino Avenue, not far from Voices.

If you are interested, please contact Shelby Means at the Transitional Housing Program who can provide more information. She also manages interviews and screening of potential tutors. Shelby can be reached by email at [email protected] or via phone: 707-293-3968.