Oh, What Ten Years Can Do!
The Women's Fund of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation is celebrating ten years of helping turn dreams into reality.

Since its inception, The Women's Fund has granted over $330,000 to more than 25 local non-profits. These incredible organizations provide immeasurable support and benefits to women and their families in the greater Redding area.

A perfect example is the California Heritage YouthBuild Academy or CHYBA . The Women’s Fund has been proud to provide seeds for growth through grants to this exciting and highly successful public charter school that provides academic and career training to people 16-24 years old.

The Women's Fund granted $20,000 to CHYBA in 2018 to fund a Job Development Trainer position with the goal of connecting female students to work opportunities, assisting with programming, and providing transportation.

Thanks to the grant, CHYBA was able to hire Dena Ostendorf as Job Development Trainer. Dena performs a multitude of tasks which benefit the students at CHYBA, but one of the most important is transportation, as many students have no transportation of their own. Dena has helped transport students to a number of activities including meetings at the SMART Center, job fairs and educational training events, the DMV and the Social Security office, and even to businesses for job interviews and application drop-offs. Dena is well known to often go for a walk with students when they may feel overwhelmed and just need to talk to someone.

The students' own words summarize Dena's impact perfectly:
"You help everyone get jobs"
-- Isabella, a CHYBA student, attends an event focused on job opportunities: Non-Traditional Employment for Women
Isabella summed up Dena's mission very well, saying “…you help everyone get jobs, so that’s nice.” Dena took Isabella and some other students to attend the Non-Traditional Employment for Women (N.E.W.) event held at Shasta College. It is notable that the N.E.W. program began with funding from The Women’s Fund! 
" You made a resume for me and I got a job "
-- Emily works with Dena to develop a professional resume
Emily and her husband needed a different kind of help and Dena and CHYBA were up to the task. “You made a resume for me and I got a job after that,” she noted, adding that she’s “just joyous” working with the team at CHYBA.

The Women’s Fund is honored to contribute to CHYBA which serves 100 children and young adults annually, supporting them in putting together productive, rewarding lives.
Watch this space in each newsletter! Throughout our first decade anniversary year The Women’s Fund will continue to highlight the many successful organizations who are lifting our communities and thriving with help from The Women’s Fund grants.
Upcoming Events
Date: October 8
Time: 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Venue: Cascade Theatre - 1731 Market St, Redding, CA 96001

The Women’s Fund of Shasta Regional Community Foundation, Don Ajamian Construction, Inc., and the Redding Record Searchlight will present a groundbreaking film and expert panel to discuss what is being done in our local area about addiction. The evening will feature the film "There But For The Grace of God", from the producers of "Seattle Is Dying." The film examines how and why several selected addicts took the paths they did, revealing their personal obstacles, desires and fears.

This forum will shine a light on and raise awareness of the human experience of addiction AND most importantly, bring light to the efforts and programs that are happening right now in our community to address these issues.

For more information on the event, see this article in the Redding Record Searchlight.
Date: October 28
Time: 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Venue: Redding City Hall - 777 Cypress Ave, Redding, CA 96001

SAVE THE DATE for our 10-year anniversary celebration and Annual Meeting where we'll gather to celebrate The Women's Fund's 10 years of impact, announce the 2019-2020 grantees, and vote for the next Members’ Choice Bonus Award winner.

The nonprofits we will recognize at this celebration join over 25 other agencies that together have received more than $330,000 in Women's Fund grants since 2009.

Join us for music, wine, and appetizers. Learn about the history of The Women's Fund and what we are doing to address our community issues through collective philanthropy.

All are welcome! Members, bring a friend!

RSVP details to follow.
UPDATES TO OUR MEMBERSHIP FEE DISTRIBUTION: ENDOWMENT AND OPERATING FUND
As part of our strategic plan to leverage our growth and maximize our community impact, we have updated the structure of our membership fee distribution; specifically, the $1,000 Architect membership will now contribute 80% ($800) to the operating fund and 20% to the endowment fund, and the $200 Advocate membership will contribute 100% to the operating fund. As the operating fund is the primary source of funding for our annual grants, this change will enable us to make even larger grants every year!

So let's continue this momentum and grow our grants pool! Help us surpass this year's grants pool by increasing your own membership contribution, and encouraging others to join us! Together, we can make a bigger impact in our community!
About the Endowment Fund
Ten years ago, The Women’s Fund of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation was established by ten visionary women in the Redding community. With the generous donations made by founding members, The Women's Fund Endowment was created in 2009 to offer members and donors a vehicle to support the mission of The Women's Fund on a long-term basis, ultimately serving as an additional, permanent source of funds for our annual grants pool distributed to nonprofits supporting the local needs of women and their families.

Thanks to the generosity and vision of The Women’s Fund's founders, our past and present members, and with the support of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, we are beyond excited to announce that our endowment has grown to more than $585,000 as of August 31, 2019!
JOIN OUR TEAM, VOLUNTEER FOR THE WOMEN'S FUND!
The Women's Fund continues to be a volunteer-led organization providing impactful grants to improve the lives of women, children and families in our community. This is thanks to a team of dedicated women who volunteer to make the organization run smoothly while having fun. The Women’s Fund welcomes you to bring your interest, your expertise, and your heart and apply them directly to helping your community. 

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING US! SHARE YOUR TIME AND TALENTS!

If you love to plan events, come and plan on a grand scale! Bring your skills to the Women’s Fund Events Committee , meet fellow event planners and organize parties to your heart’s content.
Contact: Lori McNeill

Maybe you prefer to help identify the most urgent needs of the community and help decide where our grant money should go. Be a part of the Grants Committee . 
Contact Chair: Tammy Parker

Love social media? Love to write? To promote? Be a member of The Women’s Fund Community Engagement Committee and you can participate in telling the heartfelt stories that make The Women’s Fund the unique and giving organization it is. 
Contact Chair: Natalia Garvey

Do you have some great ideas for topics you’d like to see publicly discussed in large community forums? Do you have some experts in mind who could answer questions about pressing issues in the community? The Women’s Fund Education Committee has the enviable job of putting on the finest forums in the area including past successes such as 500 people hearing about homelessness solutions, an equal number learning about sex trafficking and local addiction problems. Be a part of this vital effort to educate us all on local issues. 
Contact Chair:  Janessa Wilder

If finance is your thing, and you want a chance to interact with the venerable Shasta Regional Community Foundation, get yourself on The Women’s Fund Finance Committee now. You can lend a deciding hand when it comes to it comes time to make those crucial budget choices. 
Contact Chair: Linda Lingo

Interested in how organizations are governed? How they establish their rules and what makes them run smoothly? The Women’s Fund Governance Committee is for you. We’re always looking for expertise in guiding and directing our operating policies. So come join the committee and bring your knowledge with you. 
Contact Chair: Liz Poole

If you like hosting small gatherings of women, getting to know new people in the community, and encouraging them to join forces with the giving power of The Women’s Fund, look into joining the Membership Committee . 
Contact Chair: Cathi Lathrop-Cummings