Chester County Fund For Women and Girls Hosts Annual Luncheon

On May 5, over 250 guests came together to celebrate the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls (CCFWG) 6th Annual Making a Difference Luncheon.

The sold out event, held at Malvern’s Desmond Hotel, supported the activities of CCFWG, a grantmaking and educational foundation “dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, their families, and communities across Chester County.” 

CCFWG welcomed featured speaker Kavita N. Ramdas, a leading expert in women’s human rights and the women’s funding movement. Ramdas served as president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women for a number of years, and is currently a visiting scholar and fellow to Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, as well as the Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society.

Ramdas delivered a message of hope through the support and empowerment of women both here at home and around the globe.

"This seems to be a particularly important time in the world to be thinking about making a difference that can help make our world a kinder, more equal and peaceful world,” she said. “I hope we can build a global movement that recognizes that feminism is nothing scarier than the radical notion that all human beings should be treated with kindness, dignity and equal respect."

“If, to paraphrase Robert Frost, we pick that less trodden path to walk on,” she continued, “I think we will be able to say: ‘And that has made all the difference!’”  

The luncheon program also included a citation presentation by Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone on behalf of the commissioners recognizing the CCFWG for its “commitment to increasing its grant funding annually throughout the recent economic recession and its 15-year history, and also for its efforts to identify and raise awareness about needs of women and girls, and their families.”

Among the event sponsors were: CHASE; Barbara M. Jordan; MacElree Harvey, Ltd.; Michael and Nancy McLelland; Mill Creek Capital Advisors, LLC; The Moran Group-Merrill Lynch; Alice Moorhead; Naturescapes; Penn Medicine Valley Forge; QVC; Resonate; and Marylouise A. Sterge.

“We could not be more pleased by both the turn out and support for this year’s luncheon,” noted Catherine Swift Sennett, luncheon chair and fund board member. “A record number of both sponsors and attendees stood with us in support of women and girls, and their families, making this event a huge success for the fund and for the Chester County community.”

Since its inception in 1996, the CCFWG has awarded a total of $1.4 million in grants to over 45 agencies, addressing a variety of critical issues, including homelessness, domestic violence, and women’s health. In 2010, the Fund released an update to its comprehensive assessment of the economic, social and health needs of women and girls in the County, called the Blueprint Report. The luncheon featured updated information from the report, and what the fund has planned to address the needs raised by the study. 

For further information on CCFWG, visit its website or call 484-356-0940.