Reporting on Girls Inc. from the Streets of Franklin

I participated in a video project for Women’s Fund this week and although I was skeptical about my ability to be a “woman on the street reporter”, I had fun and learned a lot about the organization I was assigned.

The project: Women’s Fund, with the help of Smallbox, is creating a video (done by volunteers), that will highlight how donor dollars are making a difference for women and girls in our community. The video will highlight their three focus areas (caregiving, domestic violence, and insufficient income) through interviews with executive directors and clients. I was chosen to interview Girls Inc. of Franklin/Johnson Co. So with our Flip video camera, Abigail Coleman and I headed south.

The organization: Girls Inc. of Franklin/Johnson Co. serves over a 1,000 girls annually through really cool programs. I interviewed Sonya Ware-Meguiar, CEO and Tara Mirchandani, a Girls Inc. mom. Each had a personal story about the difference Girls Inc. makes in the lives of young girls. They talked proudly about their programs, services, community partnerships and outreach. They both agreed Girls Inc. is vital to their community. I enjoyed hearing about Operation Smart, Sisterhood and other programs. I also thought it was cool to know a former Mayor of Franklin was a Girls Inc. girl.

The impact: I’ve always been a fan of Girls Inc., but at some point during the interview I had an “aha moment”. As I heard about their programs and events, and I saw Tara’s face light up when she talked about what Girls, Inc. has done for her daughters, I realized I want that same thing for my daughter. At seven, Bailey still seems so young to me, but she’s growing up fast – and I want her to grow up strong, smart and bold. I was so touched and inspired by what I learned that when I got home I e-mailed Girls Inc. of Indianapolis (which serves my area). Thanks to their quick response, I now have Girls' Bill of Rights Day on my calendar (May 1); and will be exploring their summer camp for Bailey.

I can’t wait to see the final video. I’m not expecting an Oscar for my small part in the video, but I do hope the organizations featured will receive great applause and recognition for the award-winning work they do in our communities every day for women and girls.

Q&A with Julie Manning Magid, Advisory Board Member

Q. How long have you been connected with Women’s Fund of Central Indiana?
A. I was a member of OPTIONS Class 3. I served as the OPTIONS ex-officio representative before becoming a member of the Advisory Board. I have served as the Nominations Chair and Women’s Fund Society co-chair and participated on a finance sub-committee. I am currently the Vice-Chair elect and will serve as Chair in 2012. I will celebrate 10 years with Women’s Fund at the end of my Chair term.

Q. Who are your role models for "giving back" to your community and how did they influence you?
A. Certainly many of the women I have met through Women’s Fund. The leadership while I have been involved is incredible – Yvonne Shaheen, Wendy Yerkes, Karen Gentleman, Julie Davis and now Ann Murtlow. What fabulous women to learn from about community, philanthropy and making the world a better place! I would have to say that my original role model for giving back to your community was my mom. She had a full-time job running her own business, 10 children as well as care for her parents as they aged, she became a single parent in her early 40s but somehow never let all of that interfere with her community involvement, from helping organizations to giving time to friends. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I realize that I have not begun to tap the resources my mom draws from day in and day out. On top of that, she also taught me how to shoot whiskey and drive anything with a clutch.

Q. What issues impacting women & girls are you most passionate about? Do you have any personal connection to any of these issues?
A. Education is very important to me. It is one of the reasons I personally became involved with Women’s Fund -- to continue learning and seeking new experiences, but as a Professor at Indiana University Kelley School it is my life's work as well. Education empowers women and these women can change their community for the better. Also, one of my primary areas of research is on pregnancy and how it affects women in their careers. Pregnancy and childbirth challenges should be better addressed in the community to allow women to reach their full potential and to help the business community better utilize the potential of investment in its employees.

Q. What would you tell other women and girls about Women's Fund to encourage them to get involved?
A. Women’s Fund is like having personal philanthropic advisors to help you lean about philanthropy and the issues affecting women and girls but also to screen agencies, conduct due diligence, provide guidelines and follow-up to grants and assure grants will continue in perpetuity through an endowment. By donating and becoming involved in WF you can make an impact far beyond whatever personal resources and community involvement you already have because you are immediately connected to an organization that multiplies the impact of your investment and connections exponentially.

Q. Tell us a little more about yourself.
A. I have been married to Terry for 15 years. He is the Executive Director of Indiana's Public Employees' Retirement Fund. I have worked as a Business Law Professor at IU for 10 years, the last 2 as a tenured Associate Professor. Terry and I have 3 sons who all attend the Orchard School. Although we aren’t from Indiana originally, we have found it a wonderful place to pursue our careers and raise our sons.

Unemployment Impacts Women

Unemployment is an issue we see frequently in the headlines. In the last 18 months or so, as much as ever, it has served as a indicator of economic recovery. Many of us know someone who has been unemployed and the resulting challenges; or, we have at least heard stories that hit close to home.

Last week, the December statistics were released for unemployment. In Indiana, the rate has stayed steady at 9.6 percent, while nationally the rate is 10 percent. Unemployment in this time is directly impacting men more than ever, and women are more frequently the only income provider for their household. Specific groups of women are also being hard hit, as the competition for jobs increases.

When visiting one of Women's Fund's grantees last year, I found out that the typical woman they served had changed; more women with advanced degrees and polished resumes were seeking services to do whatever they could to gain employment.

An article from November, 2009 points out that unmarried women, as well as younger women and women with less education are harder hit in the job market right now. When these challenges are compounded by the fact that women working full time and year round in central Indiana earn 74% of a man's earnings, women in our community have an even greater disadvantage.

What will help? Thankfully, in central Indiana there are organizations like Training Inc., Business Ownership Initiative, and Dress for Success Indianapolis helping women position themselves to be successful and employed. I'm grateful for these services to women in our community, and proud of Women's Fund's support of these organizations.

Welcome OPTIONS Class 10

This month, 20 exceptional women will begin a 10-month exploration of personal and group philanthropy through OPTIONS. They will participate in educational classroom sessions and site visits to women and girl serving organizations in central Indiana. They will meet, network with and exchange ideas with Women’s Fund Advisory Board members and OPTIONS Alumnae members. Along the way, we hope to provide you insight from the class through this blog. We plan to take you behind the scenes through personal stories, photos and class experiences. At the end of the 10 months, we want you to feel connected and impacted by what OPTIONS members have learned through the power of philanthropy and its impact on the community. But first, we want to introduce you to the 2010 OPTIONS Class:

• Melissa Avery, Partner, Avery & Cheerva LLP
• Tiffany Barnes, System Lead Consultant, Marketing, St. Vincent Health
• Monica Boldt, Community Volunteer
• Melanie Claymon, Community Volunteer
• Kelli Dalton, Founder/CEO, Somersaults LLC
• Lauren Edmundson, Manager, The Cohen Family Foundation
• Quiana Graham, Director, Youth & Family Programs, Indiana Black Expo, Inc.
• Danielle Harbor, Employee Relations Manager, Indianapolis Power & Light Company
• Jennifer Cross, Community Volunteer
• Jennifer Jansen, Community Outreach Coordinator, The Wellness Community
• Reilly Kimmerling, Associate, IceMiller
• Stephanie Lesher, Owner, Luv Ink
• Courtney Lin, Clinical Research Scientist, Eli Lilly and Company
• Shelli McDonald, Community Volunteer
• Andrea McGordon, Vice President, Private Banking, The National Bank of Indianapolis
• Katie Meister, Executive Leadership Advisor, WellPoint, Inc.
• Jennifer Morris, Community Volunteer
• Kelli Reifel, Community Volunteer
• Susan Russell, CEO & Founder - Mayfair Lane
• Katie Zarich, Director of Public Affairs - Indianapolis Museum of Art

To the women of Class 10 – welcome. As an OPTIONS Class 2 alum, I look forward to meeting you and reminiscing about my own OPTIONS experience through your journey.

Finding Insipiration

What inspires you?

For me, there's something about a person or event evoking civic pride and collective community action.

Among the most inspirational speeches I have ever heard is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Even today, when I hear the recording of Dr. King passionately sharing his poetic vision for our country, my emotions renew. As a young girl, efforts made by Rosa Parks, Dr. King, the Little Rock Nine, and others were woven into the most fascinating history lessons to me, and I have continued genuine interest in civil rights ever since.

Yesterday, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. and his inspired leadership. In this celebration, we can appreciate the progress our nation has made in the decades since his transformative leadership. While celebrating, we must also recognize the difficulties members of our community continue to face and consider how we can help. Thanks to services provided by many valuable organizations in our community, women and girls in central Indiana have options and opportunities. At Women's Fund, we see women and girls whose lives are lifted by:

• Attending summer camp and programs offered by Girls Inc. of Franklin/Johnson County, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, Girls Inc. of Shelbyville/Shelby County, and Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.


• Accessing affordable childcare and after school care options offered by Concord Neighborhood Center, Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis, and Hawthorne Community Center.


• Finding healthcare and wellness resources through Little Red Door, Project Home Indy, and Step Up.


• Seeking shelter and being empowered to escape dangerous relationships through The Julian Center, Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, and Prevail, Inc.

Your support of Women's Fund helps these organizations provide services to women, girls, and others in our community - thank you! Now, let's celebrate the progress we have made, and think about how we can help accomplish the work yet to be done!

Welcome New Advisory Board Members

Women's Fund is grateful for the service of a team of community leaders who guide our work to improve the lives of women and girls in central Indiana—our Advisory Board. Members of this phenomenal group of leaders care deeply about women's issues and are active in all decision-making and policy development for Women’s Fund, including all funding decisions. They are strategic, creative and have truly helped us become the expert resource for issues impacting women and girls in central Indiana.

Thanks to 2008 - 2009 chair, Julie Davis, for her outstanding service to Women's Fund in this role. We would also like to welcome new leadership to our Advisory Board.

New officers for the Advisory Board will serve two years in their roles, including:
Ann Murtlow, chair (pictured, left). Ann is President & CEO of Indianapolis Power & Light Co. and has been involved in GO: Give Back including the Power of Girls program.





Julie Manning Magid, vice-chair (pictured, right). Julie is Associate Professor of Business Law at the IU Kelley School of Business and is an OPTIONS Alumnae, participating in OPTIONS Class 3.





Elaine Bedel, vice-chair elect (pictured, left). Elaine is President of Bedel Financial Consulting and has served as Women's Fund Finance Committee Chair.





We are also welcoming two new members, who will serve three-year terms:

• Melissa Proffitt Reese, Partner, Ice Miller, LLC. (pictured, right).
• Renee Washington, Contracts Manager, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Inc.

The following Ex-Officio Members have been selected to serve one-year terms:

• Julie Bowen, community volunteer. Julie is an OPTIONS Alumnae member, participating in OPTIONS Class 9.
• Lindsey Rabinowitch, community volunteer. Lindsey is an OPTIONS Alumnae member, participating in OPTIONS Class 7.

Thank you and welcome to these women who are leading the way for women and girls in our community through their service to Women's Fund!

Inspired (and Intrigued) by a Great Philanthropist

I have read with great interest the many stories about Ruth Lilly following her death at the age of 94. What an amazing woman who gave so much to so many. She had an incredible charitable spirit that she shared with numerous organizations nationally and locally, including Women’s Fund of Central Indiana.

Over the course of her life, she gave away an estimated $800 million. Women’s Fund received a generous donation of $300,000 from her in 2007 to support their campaign. Ruth Lilly was credited for changing a city through her philanthropy. Talk about girl power!

As I’m writing this blog I can’t help but think about the incredible impact this one woman had through her generosity. Granted, I will never have the fortunes that she had; nor will I have the ability to contribute to the community in the way that she did. Or can I? Can I work toward making a greater impact through my own philanthropic giving plan? Sure, I don’t have millions (not even close), but I do want to make a difference with what I have. So, how can I be more strategic? How can my gifts be more meaningful?

Interestingly enough (and unbeknownst to them), I’m going to ask Women’s Fund this year to help me answer that question. Women’s Fund is known to help people think strategically about their philanthropy. As an OPTIONS alumnae, I contributed to Women’s Fund at the end of last year. I did so because I’m passionate about the work Women’s Fund is doing to increase options and opportunities for women and girls in our community.

So this year, I look forward to being a more active alumnae member and being more aware of how my dollars impact women and girls. Look for future blogs about what I discover and learn about the impact I’m making through Women’s Fund.