FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Susan Mostek,
Executive Director
Phone: (484) 356-0940
E-mail: smostek@ccfwg.org
GIRLS GRANTMAKING PROGRAM AWARDS OVER $20,000 IN GRANTS DURING 12th ANNIVERSARY YEAR
Through an award-winning philanthropy program, high school girls address critical needs in their communities.
WEST CHESTER, PA (January 4, 2016) – Five service agencies received grants totaling $22,500 from the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls as part of the twelfth cycle of its award-winning girls grantmaking program. Through the Girls Advisory Board (GAB) the Fund educates a new generation of young women about the importance of philanthropy, community service, and the positive difference each girl can make in the lives of others. While serving on GAB over a three-month period, 20 high school girls from across the county learn about the economic, social and health needs of girls in our community. The young women set funding priorities, create a grant application, visit nonprofit agencies and recommend specific programs for funding.
The Girls Advisory Board awarded grants to organizations that address the girls’ top funding priorities of:
- Educational Opportunity
- Mental Health/Drug Abuse
- Security
- Human Trafficking
The GAB Wrap-up Celebration will take place in January at Biztract in Malvern for all GAB girls and their families as well as Fund board and committee members to attend. The 12th class of GAB will reflect on their own eye-opening experiences, share how this program changed their lives and discuss why the five agencies were selected for funding. To date, our Girls Advisory Board has awarded nearly $200,000 to programs that improve the lives of girls and young women in the county.
No one describes the grantmaking experience better than the GAB girls themselves:
“GAB is an amazing program that really opens your eyes to some issues you never realized impacted your area.”
“GAB was an eye-opening, empowering, and fun way to learn how to make a real difference in my community, even as young as I am.”
“The highlight of my GAB experience was recognizing that I – even as a teenage girl – can make a positive impact on my community. GAB was such a great experience, and I’m so happy the Fund invests in us.”
The 2015 GAB grant recipients are:
The Crime Victims Center of Chester County, Inc.
$5,000 Female Teen and Adult Sexual Assault Support Groups and Human Trafficking Initiative
Domestic Violence Center of Chester County
$5,000 Girls’ Club
Friends of Farmworkers
$5,000 Legal Services to Victims of Labor Trafficking
The Garage Community and Youth Center
$5,000.00 After-School Programs for Girls
Kennett After School Association
$2,500 After-the-Bell program
If you know someone who is interested in serving on our 2016 Girls Advisory Board, and for all additional grantmaking inquiries please contact Michelle Legaspi Sanchez, at michelle@ccfwg.org. For more about GAB, visit our website at www.ccfwg.org/girls-advisory-board.
The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls is a grantmaking and education foundation dedicated to addressing the needs of women and girls in the county. For more than 18 years, the Fund has raised awareness about the critical needs of women and girls, and has awarded over $2 million to 65 non-profit organizations. To learn more about the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls, visit www.ccwfwg.org.
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