Welcome to Women & Girls Fund

20 non-profits accept $39,000 in grants at 2011 awards luncheon Beth Spurry

At the 9th Annual Spring Luncheon, twenty Mid-Shore non-profit organizations received grants totaling $39,000. The 2011 grants brought the total distributed to Mid-Shore non-profits by the Women & Girls Fund over the past nine years to $265,000.

Nearly 200 women and men filled the banquet hall at the Tidewater Inn in Easton, applauding the grant recipients for the work they do, and giving a standing ovation to Sara Jane Davidson, the winner of the 2011 Women & Girls Fund Award.

"Our annual spring luncheon presents a great opportunity to not only fund these life-changing programs," said Beth Spurry (right), president of The Women & Girls Fund, "but it also highlights the Mid-Shore heroes and heroines who dedicate their lives to helping others."

The Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore
provides grants to non-profit organizations each year for programs addressing unmet or underserved needs of women and girls in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties in Maryland.

Created in 2002 as a grass roots effort of a small group of women looking for an effective way to address significant local problems, the Fund has grown to includes more than 750 donors who have, to date, created a permanent endowment in excess of $517,000 as of June 1, 2011.

We invite you to join the Women & Girls Fund in helping us meet our exciting and challenging new goal: "Campaign For 1000 Friends"

As we look to our 10th anniversary of grant giving, we seek to enlist 1000 sustaining Friends who will have pledged $1000 by April 2013. (Pledges may be made on a convenient multi-year payment schedule.) With such Friends we will be able to give $50,000 in grants annually out of the permanent endowment. This will ensure that the Fund can sustain the positive work begun in 2003 and help achieve our ultimate goal: improving the lives of current and future generations of women and girls.

A circle of Friends 1,000 strong would truly be an embodiment of the power of pooled resources. Let us use the precious gift of friendship that enhances our own lives by uniting to make a difference in the lives of those who need our help. Click here to donate to the Campaign For One Thousand Friends

2011 Women & Girls Fund Award Winner: Sara Jane Davidson
Sara Jane Davidson, a retired teacher, coach and guidance counselor in Queen Anne's County public schools, and a former physical education teacher at Gunston School, received the Women & Girls Fund Award at the Spring Luncheon for her dedication as a mentor to generations of students, and for her volunteer service.

Mrs. Davidson was director of the Queen Anne's Youth Center in Centreville, served on the county Library Board and Centreville Zoning Board, and was a Centreville Commissioner before moving to Caroline County. She currently serves on the boards of Wye River Upper School and the Caroline Nursing Home. In addition, she serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children who are wards of the Talbot County court system.

"The Women and Girls Fund has been so successful at helping others," Mrs. Davidson said. "That's the kind of thing that's important to me."

We now have a link to enable you to send a $10 donation in honor of your special women & girls. Click on the topmost option at the left to go to our new page, give us the information we need, and we'll send them a note proclaiming their honored status and your love.