On Tuesday, January 17th, Alice Ryan, founder of the Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore, hosted a lunch at the Tidewater Inn to celebrate 20 years of philanthropy, to honor and thank the women who have given of themselves to help enrich the lives of women and girls throughout the Mid-Shore, and to look ahead to the next 20 years.
The event was attended by 26 of 48 past and present board members. Ryan thanked all of the women who have graciously given of their time and talents to help build the Women &Girls Fund into what it is today. Ryan spoke about “the power of pooled resources to improve the lives of women and girls on the Mid-Shore”, and said “each board member brought significant skills to the board and contributed to the organization’s ongoing success.”
With Alice Ryan, Founder of the Women & Girls Fund, seated center in blue and white, past and present board members gathered at the Tidewater Inn to celebrate the Fund’s 20th Anniversary.
Over the past 20 years, the Women & Girls Fund, a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, has built an endowment fund of $1.6 million and awarded grants totaling more than $782,000 to 105 non-profits in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties. The Fund works tirelessly to support organizations on the Mid-Shore that care for, educate, and advance local women and girls, and to make a difference in their lives and help them have a better future.
In attendance were four of the eight founding members: Bettie Baer, Pemmy Noble, Alice Ryan, and Meg van den Berg. The other founding members, Fran Parker, Kearby Parker, Emilie Robinson, and Carolyn Thornton, were unable to attend.
Board President Karen Kaludis thanked Ryan for her remarkable vision and gift to the community in establishing the organization, which presents its grants at an event every April. She stated, “The Women & Girls Fund Annual Grants & Awards Luncheon brings together an extraordinary group of supporters and those we support through our grant programs. It celebrates the importance of improving the lives of women and girls every day on the Mid-Shore,” and added, “We are excited to gather this year together after three years. COVID-19 made it impossible over the last three years, but this year we are thrilled that we can celebrate and honor so many worthwhile non-profits helping women and girls live better lives.”
The Grants & Awards Luncheon will be held Monday, April 24th in the Gold Room of the Tidewater Inn. The event is open to the public. Details are forthcoming and will be posted on the Fund’s website www.womenandgirlsfund.org. For more information about the luncheon and the Women & Girls Fund, call 410-770-8347 or email [email protected].
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