The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
New members being sought for Women’s Initiative
MIDDLETOWN—The Middlesex United Way Women’s Initiative celebrates the power of women to bring about positive change in our community through philanthropy and service, and I am so proud of all of their accomplishments this past year.
The vision of the Middlesex United Way Women’s Initiative is to provide opportunities for women of all ages and backgrounds to invest their time, talents and treasures to increase women’s awareness of Middlesex United Way, promote and increase philanthropic giving to United Way, increase participation of women in volunteering, raise awareness of the resources that women bring to the community, and encourage and recognize women’s accomplishments.
The Women’s Initiative accepts grant requests throughout the year to fund programs geared toward women and children throughout Middlesex County. Most grants range from $200 to $1,000.
Some examples of programs the Women’s Initiative were able to fund in in 2017 are the Before and After School Recreation Enrichment Program of Durham& Middlefield, Kiwanis Foundation of Middletown, Warm the Children, Middletown Schools Discovery Grant, Girl Scouts of CT Campership Program, Middlesex YMCA, My Time Camp Ingersoll Youth Scholarships, John J. Driscoll United Labor Agency, Employment Counseling/ Advocacy Counseling and Referral Program, Epoch Arts, Middletown Public Schools ,21 st Century SummerSwim Program, Reach Out and Read, Middlesex Hospital Community Garden Club Partnership, East Hampton Parks and Recreation and the Young Leaders Society of Middlesex United Way Stuff a Cruiser Toy Drive.
Since 2008, 69 grants, totaling $53,040, have been awarded, and over 8,000 women and children have been served in the Middlesex County area.
The funding for these grants is raised primarily from the Women’s Initiative annual Power of the Purse event held each June. In 2017, the event raised over $15,000, and included honorary chair, Lucy Nalpathanchil of WNPR’s popular talk show, “Where We Live.” The 2018 Power of the Purse is June 14 at the Middletown Elks Lodge.
The Women’s Initiative is always accepting new members. If you are interested in learning more, please visit middlesexunitedway.org/WI and don’t forget to RSVP to the annual meeting Feb. 22 at TapHouse150 in Cromwell.
Dinner will be complimentary, and the event is free for Women’s Initiative members. There is a fee for nonmembers, but the fee can be waived for nonmembers who join the Women’s Initiative at the annual meeting or prior to the meeting.
The Women’s Initiative meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month (with the exception of August) at the Middlesex YMCA, 99 Union St., Middletown. All are welcome, and they are actively looking for new members who believe in their mission.
For information about events or to join the mailing list, please contact Marisa Fede at marisa.fede@middlesexunitedway.org