For nearly 15 years, Women United – United Way’s affinity group dedicated to empowering our region’s women and girls – has focused its efforts on graduation and college preparedness through our signature program, Girls Today, Leaders Tomorrow (GTLT).
This past year, based on feedback from our community, we determined that GTLT had fulfilled its primary goal of building the capacity of partner agencies to take on the integral work of educating and empowering the next generation of women leaders. In fact, all three partner agencies - Girls Inc, Tri-County YWCA, and Urban Promise, have already successfully incorporated it into their programming!
Today I am thrilled to announce that Women United has pivoted to take on a broader portfolio of work in support of empowering women and girls to build strong, independent lives from cradle to career. Moving forward, we will support one initiative in each of United Way’s core focus areas of education, workforce development, and financial stability. This year we are working closely with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), BankWork$, and partner agencies Girls Inc, Tri-County YWCA, and Urban Promise.
Later this spring, Women United Members will cast their vote to select our next round of grantees. Current and prospective members will be invited to exclusive learning sessions to meet potential grantees, learn about the work, and determine which initiatives fit best within our poverty-fighting portfolio.
To stay engaged, we hold quarterly social events and periodic volunteer opportunities so Members may have hands-on experiences with our grantees. For now, all those events are virtual, but in the future, we’ll make the “hands-on” part more literal!
We take on micro-campaigns too. We know COVID-19 has hit everyone hard, especially low-income women and families, so this year we collected period supplies for area women through our Supply the Cycle initiative, as well as donated more than 5,000 diapers in support of families in need at the Tri-County YWCA!
If you are interested in learning more about Women United, I encourage you to join us on Tuesday, March 23 at 10am for an informal Coffee Chat, Thursday, March 25 at 5:30pm for our Spring Social, Breaking Barriers: Women in Business, or contact Najah Hooks.
Sandy Pfeffer
Chair, Women United
Managing Director, Deloitte & Touche LLP
