In the November 2022 issue…

• Grantee of the Month: Freedom 4 Youth
• Connecting with Compassion – A Forum on Homelessness
• Membership Corner: Gift a Membership
• We Asked and You Responded
• Thank You to Our 2022 Sponsors!
• Get to Know Our New Website: Resources

Nearly one in three youths arrested in Santa Barbara is female. These young women are often the victims of physical or emotional abuse who act out their trauma through behaviors that are deemed anti-social (i.e., truancy, violence, drugs, and alcohol) and are at a high risk of being commercially and sexually exploited. Research indicates that gender-tailored intervention programs have the greatest success rate in reducing recidivism and re-incarceration. Historically, Los Prietos Boys Camp has provided this type of programming for young men, but nothing comparable has existed for young women.

Based on successful pilot programs developed over the last decade, the Fem-powerment program will train mentors and advisors who have backgrounds like the participants in the program. Mentors, advisors, and young women will meet regularly at local schools, the Freedom 4 Youth Center, and Santa Barbara County Juvenile Hall in an intensive program designed to develop self-esteem, communication and relationship skills, and the ability to identify and accomplish goals. By sharing stories, participants will develop constructive responses to the personal and social challenges they face. It is anticipated that the program will serve between 120 and 150 girls aged 9 to 20.

Director Starr notes: “We strive to provide hope in the darkest of places. We remind people that they are loved and lovable. We empower them to discover who they truly are despite what they’ve been through and despite the circumstances that they find themselves in… We connect youth back to themselves, to their goals, to their purpose, to their true ambition.”

Interested in getting involved? Join Freedom 4 Youth’s 5TH Annual Care Package Drive delivering 1,000 holiday packages to people impacted by incarceration. Freedom 4 Youth also has established a successful catering enterprise serving weddings and other private events, led by the youths' vision and Culinary Director Executive Chef Jean Paul Lu Van Vi. For more information, contact Dylan Griffith or call 805-708-1292.

Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity! This Grants In Action forum highlights the work of three current grantees and explores the impact of effective wraparound services in rebuilding lives and securing housing for those experiencing homelessness.

When: December 7, 4:30 pm

Where: Marjorie Luke Theater
            721 East Cota Street
            Santa Barbara, CA

Register now by clicking this link!

If you would like to invite a guest, click here and complete the guest registration form.

A gift of a Women’s Fund membership could be the perfect answer! It’s personal, it’s rewarding, and it’s easy. Gifting the Women’s Fund experience to your daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt, friend, or neighbor is a gift from the heart that will give her the opportunity to participate in BIG community philanthropy all year long. The process is easy, just follow these simple instructions and visit the “Gift a Membership” section of our website. Are you renewing a gift? You’ll visit the same page for another year of giving.

Please also welcome our new members this month: Laurel Alcantar, Elizabeth Alvarez, Deborah Bettencourt, Renee Courington, Maggie Cox, Sunny Crandell, Laurie Gross Schaefer, Bridget Hough, Donna Kall, Elizabeth Krenz, Ericka Mahboob, Bette Myerson, Sheri Scott, Sandra Starkey, Lisa Stewart, and Carla Tourin.

In this season of giving thanks, we are grateful for so many things: 

• The 1,165 local women who make up our Women’s Fund membership.
• The $9.5 million we’ve donated together since 2004.
• The fact we are all-volunteer led and managed – with no paid staff.

But we couldn’t do it without help from our business sponsors. These companies have provided financial support for our educational programs and operations – enabling more of our membership donations to flow into our annual grants pool. 

These businesses supported us in 2022. They value word-of-mouth support as we do, so please thank them when you have the chance.

Here’s another in a series of articles to help you navigate our new website. The “Resources” section is where you’ll find all kinds of information, photos, and videos from the Women’s Fund.

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A tax-exempt nonprofit organization | Tax ID 82-5169678

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