"I was blown away!" said new Women's Fund member Patti Monroe at the end of the 8th annual Women's Fund Site Visit on October 2. "It is so inspiring and rewarding to see first-hand how our Women's Fund grants are making a real difference in the community."

The popular event attracted nearly 200 members and guests who toured and heard progress reports from eight local nonprofit agencies - the 2011-12 recipients of $520,000 in Women's Fund grants last April.

Women's Fund member Leslie Dinaberg captured the excitement and details of the day in her story appearing in Noozhawk (click here).

Filling three Santa Barbara Airbuses, Women's Fund members and their guests toured three grantees in the morning: Family Service Agency, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and the Santa Barbara Public Library. The library was also the site for lunch where attendees heard progress reports from four other 2011-12 grantees - Easy Lift, Palabra, the Parent Project and St. Cecilia - before crossing the street to the court house for an update on CASA.

"The Site Visit always reminds me that by pooling our donations, we are able to make a much greater impact than most of us could ever have on our own," said Barbara Hauter Woodward, Site Visit Chair.

Woman's Fund Chair Stina Hans reminded luncheon attendees that collecting donations to create our grants pool is a priority each year. She said we have raised $320,000 so far in 2012 - just $30,000 under the threshold needed to trigger Betty Elings Wells' matching grant.

• When we reach $350,000, every dollar donated to the Women's Fund in 2012 will be matched 2-for-1 up to $250,000.

• As a special incentive, any woman who joins in 2012 as a first-time Individual Member ($2,500 or more) will have her contribution matched 3-for-1 instead of 2-for-1. The 3-for-1 match will also apply to any previous or current Group Member who becomes an Individual Member ($2,500 or more) in 2012.

Although the deadline to join the 2012 Women's Fund is Dec. 31, please join now to help us reach our threshold to trigger Betty's match - making more dollars available to donate into the community.

Future Women's Fund members enjoy AWE stations (funded by the Women's Fund) at the Santa Barbara Public Library.

...to so many fabulous people who made this year's Site Visit possible:

 * Generous underwriters who paid all the costs for the Site Visit: 

Carole MacElhenny, Ferguson's Bath & Kitchen Gallery, Santa Barbara Airbus, Allen Associates, Elaine Keating, Nikki Rickard, Barbara Lowes, Fresco Cafe.

 * Dedicated volunteers led by Site Visit Chair Barbara Hauter Woodward. Click here for a complete list of our hard-working Site Visit volunteers!