Vision in Action: The Community Fund for Women & Girls 30th Anniversary Celebration (RECAP)

On Nov. 13, the Community Fund for Women & Girls held its 30th Anniversary "Vision in Action" Celebration and Luncheon at the Omni Hotel in New Haven.

More than 300 community partners, donors and friends came together to mark the milestone and to hear an electrifying keynote from Vanessa Priya Daniel, organizer, movement builder and author of Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning.

The program began with remarks from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven President and CEO Karen DuBois-Walton, who reflected on the many early visionaries and partners who started the Fund in 1995. "The women who founded the fund saw beyond the moment they were in. They had vision. They were bold enough to demand change and they were generous enough to make it real," said DuBois-Walton.

Fund Chair Christine Kim, emcee for the event, described the many accomplishments, celebrations and workshops that culminated with Thursday's luncheon, from April's kickoff to the annual Pathways to Economic Success for Women Grants Program, awarding $130,000 this year to 12 trailblazing organizations serving women and girls in Greater New Haven. 

Kim also oversaw the announcement of three Community Vision Awards. Over 1,800 votes were cast for the Fund grantee or partner that inspired you most with their work. Spanish Community of Wallingford, Elena's Light and the Iota Chi Chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority were each awarded unrestricted grant funding of $2,000.

She Leads Justice (SLJ), formerly known as the Connecticut Women’s Education & Legal Fund or CWEALF, was awarded the Community Fund for Women & Girls 30th Anniversary Signature Grant, totaling $100,000 over two years. The grant, designed and selected by the Fund’s Grants Subcommittee, will support a 10% expansion of SLJ’s Pathways to Economic Autonomy programming in the region. The program connects women in poverty with legal education and referral services, and provides resources around community organizing and civic engagement, helping to mobilize around state policy. Executive Director Janée Woods Weber accepted the grant award, delivering remarks and an inspiring call to action.

What We Heard from Vanessa Priya Daniel

• It is more important than ever that we are organizing mass movements that are bringing us into solidarity across our differences. Good organizers look for points of commonality and start from there.
• In order to pick up the abundant tools that are there waiting for us to win, we've got to put down some of the bad habits that are causing us to lose.
• Movements with equal representation of women were seven times larger than those that did not, and were significantly more likely to win. Historically, women of color, and Black women in particular, have been the backbone of movements in this country.
• It's possible to organize in a way that tackles forces like patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism, not just one by one, but simultaneously.

Join the Many Voices, One Vision Honor Roll!

If you were moved by the celebration and the work the Fund is accomplishing in this community, it’s not too late to join us in marking this milestone! Will you show your commitment to women and girls by joining our Honor Roll today with a $300 gift, payable in twelve recurring monthly credit card installments? Become a part of the Many Voices One Vision Honor Roll today!

Thank You!

For 30 years, the Community Fund for Women & Girls has made strategic, meaningful impact on the social and economic lives of the women and girls in this community. Your generous support ensures this work continues for the next 30 years and beyond.

Thank you for celebrating with us, and for your ongoing, unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable future for all. It means so much to the women and girls of Greater New Haven!

A hearty thank you to our generous event sponsors:

And a special thank you to Possible Futures Bookstore.

Your Feedback Is Important to Us!

If you were able to join us for the event, please take a moment to fill out a brief survey about your experience. Your feedback is important to us!