26 Oct 2018 Community Foundation’s Women’s Legacy Fund awards $30k to help women with education for a career in healthcare
The Women’s Legacy Fund (WLF) of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently presented their 2018 grant check to the Career Pipeline for Women in Health Care program, a program focused on enrolling women in underserved and underemployed communities in health science education programs at the two Lee County technical colleges, Fort Myers Technical College and Cape Coral Technical College.
The 2018 Contributors to the Women’s Legacy Fund voted in the spring to design a multi-year grant process in which a three-year partnership would form with an organization that would satisfy the chosen cause area: Increase access and attainment to educational opportunities for women and girls. This inaugural year for the Fund’s first three-year grant and partnership is the largest grant to date at $30,000.
The grant will provide gap funding for qualified female CNA and MA students after other sources of funding have been applied to program costs.
“Attainment of post-secondary industry vocational certification will be the catalyst that enables women to effect positive change by entering the workforce and contributing to public service,” said Lisa Wright, health occupations coordinator, MSN, RN at Lee County School District. “This accomplishment will empower women to provide for their families and permit them to act as positive examples as well as be game changers in regards to generational community impact.”
“This funding will help nearly 300 female students with college application fees, screenings, physicals, immunizations, exam fees, uniforms, books and more,” said Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. “These are the types of fees students don’t count on and often the ones that hold them back from completing their certifications and degrees.”
The Women’s Legacy Fund is a group of women who combine their contributions in this collective philanthropy initiative to foster the immersion of women in philanthropy and develop the region’s next philanthropic leaders.
Since its inception, the WLF has been able to provide more than $200,000 in grants to benefit people and communities in Southwest Florida including this year’s grant of $30,000. Currently, the Fund has $860,670 in endowment that will continue to help fund local issues now and in the future.
Contributors to the WLF give a minimum of $250 each year ($100 for women younger than 25). The first half of contributions is pooled for the purpose of immediate annual grants, while the second half is pooled into the WLF’s endowment fund which provides additional grants to be made both now and in years to come. Prima Donors are local women who have contributed $10,000 or more to the WLF endowment and are committed to making an impact in their community through charitable giving.
About the Southwest Florida Community Foundation
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, founded in 1976, cultivates regional change for the common good through collective leadership, social innovation and philanthropy to address the evolving community needs in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Foundation partners with individuals, families and corporations who have created more than 400 philanthropic funds. Thanks to them, the Foundation invested $6.3 million in grants and programs to the community. With assets of more than $126 million, it has provided $79.9 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves since inception. The Foundation is the backbone organization for the regional FutureMakers Coalition and Lee County’s Sustainability Plan. The Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s regional headquarters are now located in the historic ACL Train Depot at Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers, with satellite offices located on Sanibel Island, in LaBelle (Hendry County). For more information, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com