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GWC 2020 Highlights, December 2020

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GWC Highlights 2020

January – November 2020   GWC presentations to community groups to spread the word about GWC

January 28, 2020   “A Salsa Social”  held at The Venezuelan Spot, including Venezuelan cuisine and Salsa dancing instruction

February 11, 2020   New 2019 Members’ Soup Supper, hosted by the Membership Committee to welcome our 24 new members!

February 25, 2020   GWC Quarterly Meeting, held at Harley Family Center.
Reception followed by our program “Caring for Community Members with Special Needs”  featuring presentations by: Susan Keown (Director of Quality Assurance, Burton Center), Carol Scales (Board President, Greenwood Place) and Toni Belcher (Member, Greenwood Place)

March – November 2020 Meetings for the full membership and guests were suspended due to Covid-19 precautions. GWC Committee meetings were held virtually.

April 2020   GWC Member Directory (with photos) shared and GWC Instagram launched!

June 11 – July 9, 2020   GWC Nonprofit Video Snapshots featuring 23 local nonprofit organizations who responded to our invitation to participate. Videos were shared with our Members, guests email list, and nonprofit participants and posted on our webpage, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

June 30, 2020   Letter to the Editor, from GWC Co-Chairs on behalf of the GWC Steering Committee, published in the Index Journal

June 23, 2020   Grant Writing 101 workshop presented by the Grants Review & Awards Committee members to 30 participants from local nonprofits at no charge

August 18, 2020   GWC Quarterly Meeting, held virtually. Program “A Greenwood Icon: The Legacy of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays”  featuring a virtual tour of the Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site, presented by Chris Thomas (Director, Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site)

August 1 – 31, 2020   GWC 2020 Grant Applications received

August – November 2020 New memberships for 2021 are already coming in!

October 19, 2020   “Kick Off the Vote!”  informational, interactive meeting for Members, held virtually

October 19 -21, 2020   Member voting on 2020 grant requests – ranked voting online

October 28, 2020   GWC 2020 Grants Announced! $74,000 awarded to 10 local nonprofit organizations

November 16, 2020   4th GWC Quarterly Meeting, held virtually. Program “Lighting the Way with Literacy”  featuring Teresa Goodman, Community Initiatives, and Pattie Fender, Greenwood County Public Library

December 31, 2020   GWC 2021 renewal due date

GWC Quarterly Meeting, “Lighting the Way with Literacy”, November 16, 2020

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After a warm welcome by Mary Woodiwiss, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee, the meeting convened at approximately 5:35pm. Mary noted that GWC is 129 members strong and growing, and encouraged us to “consider the power of collective giving when 129 women can move $74,000 into our community in our second granting year”.

Louise Robinson, Chair of the Programs & Education Committee, led the program and announcement portions of our meeting. Louise reminded us of recent programs and this meeting’s theme of “Lighting the Way with Literacy” through child and adult literacy programs at Community Initiatives (Safe Haven) and the Greenwood County Library.

Dawn Puderbaugh Hodges introduced Teresa Goodman, Executive Director of Community Initiatives, who discussed Safe Haven, an after-school and summer program. Teresa highlighted that the program serves children up to sixth grade. Safe Haven includes a five-tier approach to helping children, especially those in low income neighborhoods. The program focuses on making sure students can read on level by third grade. She pointed out that Greenwood County ranks 29 of the 46 counties in South Carolina when it comes to literacy Safe Haven strategies to address childhood literacy are research-based.

Dawn gave a brief bio to introduce Pattie Fender of Greenwood Public Library. Pattie could not attend the meeting due to an important family celebration but provided an excellent video about the GPL’s Adult Literacy and ESL programs. There were testimonies by students, volunteers, and staff. The video included an appeal for more volunteers, with several participants sharing about how rewarding it can be.

Lisa Smith thanked our presenters, stating how enlightening the information was and announcing that Greenwood Women Care will donate a book to the GPL Children’s Collection in honor of each of our speakers.

Louise Robinson called for announcements from: Sally Kaufmann, Grant Review & Awards Committee, who gave an update on the new Women’s Health Grant to be publicized in early 2021; Trentsie Williams, Grants Review & Awards Committee Co-Chair, who spoke about our recent GWC Grants to 10 local nonprofits; and Summer Booker, Membership Committee Co-Chair, who said that renewal packets would be mailed this week and 2021 renewals should be returned by December 31.

Laura Bachinski, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee, reminded us that “GWC grows through membership of a broad range of women from many professional and personal sectors and our membership is open to everyone. New members many join us at any time. Participating in our organization is truly rewarding as we seek to enrich and strengthen our community in the good company of community-minded women.” Laura closed the meeting at approximately 6:35pm after thanking all the Zoom attendees, presenters, and guests and wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving and a peaceful and loving holiday season.

A video about Community Initiatives’ Safe Haven program is here. (6 min.) (NOTE: Community Initiatives received a GWC 2019 Grant for $10,000 in support of the Safe Haven program.)

A video on the Adult Literacy and ESL programs at the Greenwood County Library here. (8 min.)

A video of the Quarterly Meeting may be found here. (52 min.)

GWC Awards 2020 Grants! October 28, 2020

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We are very excited to share the wonderful news of our second granting cycle for Greenwood Women Care! This year we are pleased to announce that $74,000 of new grant monies have been awarded to 10 nonprofits in our community because of generous contributions from GWC Members!

Applicant requests ranged from $2000 – $10,000. The Grants Review & Awards Committee gathered voting information obtained from the Survey Monkey ballots. Using the raw voting scores, the weighted average, and a percentile ranking based on the total granting amount, the Grants Review & Awards Committee employed a careful, detailed process to determine the number of projects to be funded and the amounts of each award.

The Greenwood Women Care Grant recipients of 2020 are:

What an incredible impact Greenwood Women Care is having on our community of Greenwood County! We could not be prouder to have been part of the detailed work of presenting the process of voting to our Members. We are so pleased with our Members’ commitment to Learn, Give, and Grow!

GWC Grants Review & Awards Committee

“Kick Off the Vote!”, October 19, 2020

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GWC’s first virtual “Kick Off the Vote!” event was a tremendous success. For the 2020 grant cycle, we are delighted to be able to award upwards of $50,000 this year to nonprofit organizations serving Greenwood County. The completion of our second grant cycle will bring our total grant awards to approximately $100,000. With your continued support, GWC is on track to grant half a million dollars or more into Greenwood County during our first ten years as an organization!

We welcomed around 35 Members to the Zoom meeting, taking some time to chat as we settled in. Margaret Conrad, Jan Puzar, and Mary Woodiwiss (Grants Review & Awards Committee members) developed our “Kick Off the Vote!” program, presenting GWC Grants information with detailed PowerPoint slides and allowing time for questions.

Margaret reviewed the highlights of our 2019 granting cycle: Eight local nonprofits received a total of $47,625 in last year’s cycle with our top ranked organizations receiving their full request. There was a natural break in the data between organizations receiving a higher total of votes and those receiving fewer votes. This break was the deciding factor between those organizations receiving funding and those that did not, and in determining amounts of each grant award.

During the “Sample 2020 Ballot” portion of the meeting, Jan reminded us not to forward the email containing our personal ballot link, to fill out our print worksheets prior to voting for ease in entering our votes electronically, to vote on a desktop or laptop as opposed to a phone, and, of course, to vote prior to Wednesday, October 21stat 11:59pm. Points will be assigned to organizations based on your ranked votes: Your first ranked nonprofit will receive ten points, the second nine points, down to the tenth selection which will receive one point.

Before and after the ballot discussion, Mary led us through some “FAQs About Nonprofit Funding” to help inform our voting decisions and described “What Happens After You Vote”.

After a quick 30 minutes, with everyone’s questions answered, the meeting was adjourned at 6:00, just as our email ballots arrived in our inboxes. What incredible timing! Thanks again to Mary, Jan, and Margaret for an informative and enjoyable “Kick Off the Vote!” meeting.

If you missed the meeting, you can view it here.

GWC Quarterly Meeting, “A Greenwood Icon: The Legacy of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays”, August 18, 2020

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Greenwood Women Care’s first Quarterly Meeting via Zoom was held on Tuesday, August 18th. We were welcomed and introduced to both the technology and agenda items of our meeting by Laura Bachinski, GWC Co-Chair.

While not all 129 members could be in attendance, those members and guests that were greatly enjoyed the virtual tour afforded us by Chris Thomas, Director of the Benjamin E. Mays Historical Site. Mamie Nicholson welcomed us to the site, and Rhonda Merritt introduced and accompanied Mr. Thomas on the tour. We were treated to forays into Dr. Mays’s boyhood home, a school like the one-room school he attended, and the museum that honors him. It was inspiring to learn that a man of humble beginnings could aspire to and attain such heights of acclaim and influence. Dr. Mays was the sixth president of Morehead University from 1940-67 and was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is credited with building the foundation of the American civil rights movement and gave the benediction after Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 and the eulogy at Dr. King’s funeral in 1968.

At the conclusion of the video, Louise Robinson, Chair of the Programs and Education Committee, thanked Mr. Thomas for his tour and hospitality and GWC members who assisted with the video. Mary Woodiwiss announced GWC’s contribution of the children’s book I Have a Dream to the Greenwood County Public Library in Chris Thomas’s honor. Members are invited to help provide book contributions to honor our speakers and can email gwc@greenwoodcf.org for more information.

Laura Stowe, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee, reminded us about our committee structure of six standing committees and recognized Chairs, including three new Chairs. Approximately 50% of our members are currently engaged in our committees. Laura noted that committee descriptions and members can be found on our webpage and encouraged interested members to contact the Chair of any committee to join or learn more.

Trentsie Williams, Co-Chair of the Grants Review and Awards Committee, presented a PowerPoint on the 2020 granting cycle. On October 19th, GWC with host a “Kick Off the Vote” virtual social at 5:30 – 6:30 where granting and voting procedures will be highlighted. Online voting will be open October 19th – October 21st. GWC is expected to grant upwards of $50,000, as directed by Members’s votes.

Mary Woodiwiss, GWC Co-Chair, gave our closing message, highlighting the many ways that GWC has remained active in these past challenging months.

Please remember to watch your inboxes and mailboxes for more news to come!

The link to the full meeting video, which includes the Benjamin E. Mays virtual tour and important GWC updates, is here. (video lasts ~ 40 minutes)

The link to the Benjamin E. Mays virtual tour is here. (video lasts ~ 15 minutes)

GWC Workshop, “Grant Writing 101”, July 23, 2020

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GWC Grants Review & Awards Committee designed and hosted a grant writing workshop, “Grant Writing 101”, on July 23. Thirty community members serving a wide range of local nonprofits attended the virtual meeting which was offered at no charge. Presentations included “Writing Your Grant Proposal” by Kathy Emily, “Grant Assessment” by Donna Foster, and discussion of a pre-workshop writing assignment by Jan Puzar and Mary Woodiwiss.

The workshop concluded with a Funders Forum of local grantmakers: Selynto Anderson, Self Regional Healthcare; Emily Findley, United Way of Greenwood & Abbeville Counties; Mamie Nicholson, Self Family Foundation; Trentsie Williams, on behalf of the GWC Grants Committee; and Mary Woodiwiss, Greenwood County Community Foundation.

We are pleased to have offered this service to our community!

A video of our Grant Writing 101 workshop, via Zoom, may be found here. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recording errors, this video begins within the first informational session of the 2.5-hour long workshop.

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GWC Letter to the Editor, June 2020

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In early June, the GWC Steering Committee discussed and approved the submission of the following letter to the Index Journal. It was published later in the month, on 6.30.

The impetus for the letter came from a GWC Member who recognized the critical moment in which GWC is well-situated to speak to our community as a positive, inclusive voice, consistent with our mission and values. We hope and trust that this will be an encouragement to our Members, friends, and community.

To the Editor:

In these troubled times, Greenwood Women Care (GWC) stands with the many in our community and world who continue to experience injustice.

GWC is a diverse, open membership organization of 125+ women of varied life experiences, ages, and sectors who come together in our commitment to Greenwood’s thriving through collective grantmaking to local nonprofits.

“Caring Women Building Community” is our mission statement. In our three-year history, we have experienced community-building within our membership, with our many guests, and with those serving in local nonprofits. From our formation, we have intended to be an organization that welcomes, includes, and reflects the broad range of women who comprise Greenwood. In this time of divisiveness and pain, it is good to pause and think about all we have in common.

GWC continues to seek the well-being of all in our home community and the broader communities in which Greenwood County is situated. We deeply desire that all of our actions and efforts bring us closer to the realization of the Beloved Community that Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned and pointed us toward.

We know that one organization cannot solve the ills of our society. But we want to bring our best to bear on making our home a better one for everyone. We care passionately about our community – thus our name, Greenwood Women Care. Let us all unite in our care about each other, our community, and our world!

Mary Woodiwiss and Laura Bachinski, on behalf of the GWC Steering Committee

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GWC Nonprofit Video Snapshots, Summer 2020

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In this time of special COVID-19 precautions, Greenwood Women Care (GWC) recognizes that many of our local nonprofits have been impacted by changes in contact with the public, fundraising, and other usual activity. Meanwhile, GWC has, for the time being, suspended our gatherings which allow us to regularly feature local nonprofits in our programming and by holding Quarterly Meetings and Socials in nonprofit venues.

GWC has developed another means of drawing attention to local nonprofits! We invited local nonprofits to let us shoot a very informal video to present their mission and programs. Twenty-three organizations have chosen to participate and we are thankful for their time and attention in such a challenging season as this. (We managed this with proper social distancing, simple filming on a phone, and no cost to GWC ~ please be advised, and patient with the informal results! )

Videos appeared in 5 “sessions” of 4-5 videos each, with a new session added each Thursday, June 11-July 9.

In each line below, there is a hyperlink to the website, Facebook page, or other informational site (click on each organization’s name) and to that organization’s video clip (click on here). We hope this series of videos will not only serve the efforts of these nonprofits but will also help us to stay connected as Members in this time apart and continue in our mission to inform our Members and guests of issues and opportunities in our community.

Session 1 (posted on June 11)

Learn about BLOOM here.

Learn about Greenwood Pathway House here.

Learn about Piedmont Agency on Aging here.

Learn about Cornerstone here.

Learn about The Arts Center of Greenwood here.

Session 2 (posted on June 18)

Learn about The Museum and Railroad Historical Center here.

Learn about Burton Center here.

Learn about Emerald City Rotary Club (sponsors of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library) here.

Learn about Beyond Abuse here.

Session 3 (posted on June 25)

Learn about Greater Greenwood United Ministry here.

Learn about Boys & Girls Club of the Lakelands here.

Learn about Project Hope Foundation here.

Learn about Connie Maxwell Children’s Home here.

Session 4 (posted on July 2)

Learn about Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont here.

Learn about Greenwood Area Habitat for Humanity here.

Learn about United Way of Greenwood and Abbeville Counties here.

Learn about A Place for Us here.

Learn about Greenwood Performing Arts here.

Session 5 (posted on July 9)

Learn about Community Initiatives here.

Learn about Greenwood Community Theatre here.

Learn about Healthy Learners here.

Learn about CrossRoads Pregnancy Center here.

Learn about Cokesbury College here.

GWC Quarterly Meeting, “Caring for Community Members with Special Needs”, at Harley Family Center, February 18, 2020

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Sixty plus members and guests turned out on a very cold and wet Tuesday evening on February 18th to enjoy an uplifting and highly informative Greenwood Women Care’s 1st Quarterly Meeting of 2020.  After a very enjoyable extended social time, Mary Woodiwiss, GWC Co-Chair, welcomed guests and members to the Harley Family Center.  She shared that we now have 122 members (of which 21 are new members!), reiterated our open Membership, and shared details of our 2020 GWC Grants cycle. Beginning this year, GWC will accept grant applications in August and vote on our grant awards in October.

Rhonda Merritt kicked off our program, “Caring for Community Members with Special Needs”, by introducing our speakers: Susan Keown, Director of Quality Assurance at the Burton Center and Carol Scales, Board President of Greenwood Place along with Toni Belcher of Greenwood Place. Each of these women touched our hearts with their messages of hope, compassion, and respect for those who are served by their organizations.

Laura Bachinski, GWC Co-Chair, closed the evening with special thanks to all who prepared for our meeting. She also announced an invitation to enjoy Greenwood Community Theatre’s production of A Raisin in the Sun on Friday March 6th at 7:30. A special discounted rate is available to all GWC members. (An email with details was sent to Members on 2.19.)

New Members’ Soup Supper, February 11, 2020

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GWC is happy to welcome 21 new 2020 Members, as of February 11th! On that evening, our Membership Committee hosted an informal Soup Supper at the home of Mary Woodiwiss.

Our purpose was to welcome our new Members, give an overview of the activities of our GWC Committees, and provide a smaller gathering for women to meet others before our first Quarterly Meeting on February 18th.

After enjoying an array of several soups, breads, salads, desserts, and beverages, we each spent time getting acquainted with someone we didn’t already know well. Representatives from our six standing committees gave an introduction to their functions within GWC. There was an opportunity for questions, discussion, and continued conversation. It was lovely to be there and just relax in each other’s good company!