We wanted to get to know D'Penguineer Friends, so we intreviewed Group Captain, Parm Williams.
What inspired you to join the Women’s Fund and when did you join?
Jo Gifford, a Women’s Fund founding member, asked me to join the Women’s Fund in 2004. I joined in 2005 as part of a two-member group with Sarah de Tagyos. Our group name was “PS”—for Parm and Sarah—not very creative, but it worked for us! We both were so impressed with the Women’s Fund that we volunteered for committees right away. I chaired the Membership Committee from 2005 to 2010 and then served as the Assistant Finance Chair in 2011and Finance Chair in 2012.
In 2008, I assisted the Research Committee by researching the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA). The Women’s Fund grant to DPEA for $150,000 was the first large capital grant they had received, and it gave them the credibility they needed for additional donors to “step up” with other major gifts. And I was so taken by the DPEA team and their work, that I became personally involved.
What is the significance of your group’s name?
“D’Penguineer Friends” is a take-off on the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy’s name—“D’Penguineers.” The “DP” is an abbreviation of “Dos Pueblos,” and “Penguineer” is a word play on “engineer.” Of course, their mascot then had to be a penguin! All our members are in some way connected to DPEA or Dos Pueblos High School.
How many members do you have?
We have 12 members. We have a new member joining our group this year whose grandson has been accepted to the Academy. Also, I just received a call from one of our members whose granddaughter was in the first DPEA robotics class. She graduated from Westmont this May, having majored in EngineeringPhysics [one word!]. This certainly validates DPEA’s founder Amir Abo-Shaeer’s vision when he started the Academy in 2001. That first robotics class of 32 had 30 males and 2 females, and the program has since quadrupled in size and is 50 percent female.
Your group has already reached 100% participation in 2017. Congratulations, and how did you achieve such a great result within the first half of the year?
Peer pressure and a little badgering from me on occasion. I’ve found that asking our members to bring their checks when we get together to vote has been very successful.
You have contributed your time and talents to the Women’s Fund in other capacities, including an early pioneer of building and managing groups. How do those positions compare to your current role as Group Captain?
I loved being Membership Chair, but Finance Chair not so much, since I don’t even like balancing my checkbook! Being a Group Captain, however is LOTS easier.
From my position as Membership Chair, I was able to see early on that groups were taking on their own identities. I also saw that starting a group was fairly easy, so I gathered a group of eclectic friends and asked one of them—Karen Robinson—to chair the group. That group, Friends, is still active, and Karen started a second group in 2015, which is named Friends of the Garden. I also started two groups in Hope Ranch—Hope and Esperanza. These are just a few examples of what other Women’s Fund members realized—It’s easy to join with friends and start groups. And now the Women’s Fund has 60 groups. That’s a true success story!
What are the qualities that make a good Group Captain?
Patience, lots of email communications, and a commitment to do whatever it takes to make our group successful. Trying to get “D’Penguineer Friends” together is like herding cats, since most of our members are still working. I have hopes that this summer we’ll find time for everyone to meet our two newest members. I’ve even offered to host a luncheon, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
How does your annual voting process work?
I ask each member to review her ballot, so that when we get together to vote she has a tentative ballot prepared. In many cases there is an immediate consensus, which makes it easy. We then discuss the remaining agencies on the ballot one-by-one. Sometimes a lively discussion ensues, and we have been known to change a vote on occasion because of a persuasive member. The bottom line is we keep it simple: one person, one vote.
What do you do when you’re not volunteering for the WF?
I am a Board member of Ensemble Theatre Company and a long-time supporter of UCSB’s Women’s Basketball team—through good times and not so good times—since 1996. I am also on Planned Parenthood’s Choice Affairs Committee, Marketing co-chair of Valle Verde’s Resident Council, participate in two book clubs, a wine-tasting group, and play bridge. We also try to spend a month or so each year in Puerto Vallarta.
What is the one thing you would like people to know about your group?
D’Penguineer Friends is a group of very bright, caring women who are all committed to the Women’s Fund’s goal of pooling our resources to help change lives. Because we all have such a strong connection to Dos Pueblos, many of us also continue to support the Academy through our individual contributions of both time and monetary giving.
And one last and very important point to mention—as busy as our members are, we have not lost a single member since we formed our group in 2011!