When Research Committee Member Sonya Schroeder had an opportunity to help the people in our community who are suffering most at this time, she directed $70,000 to the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara. "I am trustee of the charitable remainder trust of Roy and Ida Eagle, dear friends of mine, who established their trust to benefit local charities after their deaths," she explained. "I couldn't think of a better group to carry out their wishes than the Women's Fund, which carefully researches many nonprofits and directs its Fund to the critical community needs that these nonprofits serve. "The Women's Fund is such a wonderful concept in women's philanthropy," she added. "I made this $70,000 gift to ensure that Women's Fund will achieve its 2008 goal, especially in light of the current economical crisis." On behalf of the neediest in the community, the Women's Fund thanks Sonya for her thoughtful donation to fulfill the wishes of her friends, the Eagles. We are grateful for the trust and confidence that Sonya has in our Fund.

Forgotten Children Campaign: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which received $180,000 from the Women's Fund in 2006 will become the first of over 900 CASA organizations in the country to participate in its national Forgotten Children's Campaign. This campaign kicked off in May when 850 life-size displays of foster children appeared at the Washington Monument representing the number of children who enter the foster care system each day. On Wednesday, October 29, one half of these cut-outs will be placed in the Sunken Garden at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, and at 4:30 pm CASA supporters will each carry the remaining half from De la Guerra Plaza to the Sunken Garden. Members of the Women's Fund are invited to come and support this Forgotten Children Campaign.

Serving on a Committee: Committee members tell what taking a more active part in the Women's Fund means to them in the article below. The two committees, Research and Oversight, are winding up their work for 2008. Ballot details are being worked out and individual and group memberships are wrapping up with donations. We are looking forward to announcing another year of growth for the Women's Fund in order to help fund critical community needs of women, children, and families.

Gratefully,
Jo Gifford,
2008 Oversight Co-Chair

As part of the mission statement of the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara, the Fund “seeks to educate and inspire women to become leaders in philanthropy.” Serving on one of the two committees can fulfill this part of our mission. Below are thoughts from both new and longstanding members of each committee to give you a glimpse of committee participation.

Oversight-new member Fleurette Barsom-Janigian: It has been a wonderful experience serving on the 2008 Oversight Committee. I first joined the Women’s Fund as a group member and was so impressed with the impact of collective giving that I became an individual member. I also wanted to see how the Women’s Fund operated and decided to serve on the Oversight Committee where I learned how the fund is managed. I also found a rare opportunity to serve with other women who are involved throughout the Santa Barbara community. I was happily surprised how much I learned from the experience!

Oversight-longstanding member Fritzie Yamin: From the very moment in 2002 when the concept of the Fund was formulating, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. After two years of creating the fund with the other founders, I have stayed on the Oversight Committee every year to nurture the original vision. Our original partnership continues with the Santa Barbara Foundation, which maintains our database, processes our donations, and advises us. We value our partnership with the Orfalea Fund, which has matched our donations for membership for the last three years. Our one-half page of “rules and regulations” in the first brochure still is a perfect fit to our mission statement even though the Fund has grown tremendously in its five years. With flexibility built into the Fund, we have not had to reinvent the wheel each year.

Research-new member Mary Ann Froley: Curiosity directed me to join the 2008 Research Committee. I wanted to know exactly how the committee garnered information about the non-profit agencies proposed in the annual Women’s Fund ballot, and I wanted to witness the process of culling the reports of over 40 agencies down to a dozen or more for members to vote on. I found that both processes show how thorough and dedicated the Research Committee works. One challenge is to keep in mind the three focus Areas of Interest for this year: Education, Health Care and Violence Prevention. I appreciate the opportunity to interface with such committed Research members and to learn how to be discerning in the selection of local non-profit agencies.

Research-longstanding member Kathleen Barnato: I joined the Women's Fund after reading an article in the News-Press about "collective giving." What a concept! No more endless hours spent organizing and attending fundraisers; just write a check and attend the annual Presentation of Funds luncheon to enjoy hearing to whom the "WOW" gifts are given. At the first luncheon, I was encouraged to join the Research Committee. This I thought would be a good way to educate myself about the many non-profits in our area, so I did! Now completing my third year on this committee, I can say that, not only have I learned a lot about the various and well-deserved charities here in Santa Barbara, but also I learned of how many people here need our help. All in all, spending a little time on this committee is a rich and rewarding opportunity, and one I can highly recommend to all our members. You’ll make some terrific new friends, you'll smile, and you’ll help someone who really needs it.

2009 committees will be formed early next year. If you are interested in serving, Contact Us or call 969-3320 and you will be referred to next year's leaders.