Copy
Beth Ellen Holimon talks about what's ahead , 3 things you need to know about our January featured program, upcoming hangouts and more in The Dish for January.
View this email in your browser
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2015
WE ARE 429 CHAPTERS AND 8098 MEMBERS STRONG

We are so lucky to have you working with us!

We're making our list and checking it twice and right at the top is a big THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to our 13th Month Campaign so far. If you haven't made your donation yet, don't worry, we know you're busy. And there is still time (until midnight Dec. 31!). We think we are close to our goal and this last week will push us over the top! Our staff is taking some days off for the holidays (go figure!). When we get back, we are sure we'll have good news to report on both the $32,500 Impact Challenge and the overall campaign results. 
To all of our friends, members and donors, thank you for standing with us to support women and girls around the world.
DONATE TO 13TH MONTH

What's ahead in 2015?

Deeper connections, stronger collaborations
By Beth Ellen Holimon
DFW Executive Director

Great companies are measured by the ability to constantly manage for both the level of returns, and the duration over which those returns will be realized.   Nonprofits are typically measured by the reach and impact of 
their mission and how they use the donor dollar.  These measurable tests are the first we must pass to find our way into the hearts of our members.

I have been impressed with the dozens of people I meet for whom DFW has passed the impact and donor dollar tests, by the transparency that is a bedrock value of the organization and, perhaps most importantly, that the DFW mission is securely nestled in the hearts of every one of these members, volunteers, and staff.  I have been overwhelmed with the commitment, excitement, and ideas from members.

Read Beth Ellen's full post on the major efforts Dining for Women will be making to establish collaborations and connections in 2015.

Featured Program for January

Collateral Repair Project (Jordan)

Collateral Repair Project supports refugees from conflict zones in the Middle Eastern region. DFW's grant of $37,058 over two years will fund a women's empowerment program designed to develop confidence and leadership skills among this displaced population.

This program is a departure for DFW, which normally is trying to help women lift themselves up with education and economic empowerment. But refugees in Jordan are forbidden to work, so the CRP program focusses on ways to help them cope more effectively with stress, increase their involvement in their new communities, and maintain their own health and that of their family. 
Learn More
Donate

3 things you need to know
(about Collateral Repair Project)

The refugee community in Jordan is huge and growing. As of May 2014, the reported number of Iraqi refugees alone was 12,270. Refugees arrive with nothing but what they can carry. They don't mourn the loss of their belongings, but of their history, their community and the family they may have been separated from. CRP attempts to help rebuild a sense of community among this population. And although men are more often looked to as leaders, it is women who hold these communities together.  Learn More.
 
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a collection of conditions that stem from surviving incredible, perhaps chronic stress. Ordinary people are thrown into circumstances beyond their control, the price for their survival is abandoning the life they knew, the homes they built. They are the collateral damage of decades of war. Learn More.
 
Jordanian food shares its roots with Arabic and Mediterranean cuisine. Although tea is the national drink, the center of every town is a coffee house. Food is often eaten with your hands and dining - whether at home or meeting for a snack at the coffee house - is a social affair that brings together friends and family around food. Learn More.

Milestones

Phoenix-1 (AZ)

With champagne, chocolate cake and sparklers, the Phoenix, AZ, chapter celebrated its 100th meeting in November. Ninety-six of these meetings have been at the home of its leader, Rita Dickinson. Marsha Wallace remembers Rita nicknaming her chapter "Wining for Women" and sending in the labels from the wine bottles each month. Rita's also the founding CL for a chapter in Agoura, CA, which she visits  - making a 400+ mile drive - at least once a year. Happy 100th, Phoenix-1 and Rita! 

Santa Barbara-4 (CA)

Eight area chapters went to hear Nicholas Kristof at a book signing and talk at the University of California, Santa Barbara in November. Co-leader Nancy Marriott was first on the stage for the signing. "When he asked me what I would like him to write for his signing, I said: 'Dining for Women Rocks!' at which point a loud cheer went out from the audience, coming from the many women in the eight chapters here who were in attendance." Thanks for the shout out, Nancy.

Upcoming Events

Join us at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9, for a conversation with Monica Greco, board member of Collateral Repair Project. Register now on Google Plus and get notified as soon as the Hangout link goes live. Or watch on demand whenever you're ready.
Stay connected even if you can't get to a meeting. You can attend a Virtual Chapter meeting live or on-demand. You can connect and get notifications through the Virtual Chapter’s Facebook page. Learn more about how our Virtual Chapter works. Next Virtual Chapter meeting: Jan. 6 at 7:30 ET. Click to join.

On-Demand Events

Robyn Neitert, founder and president of Women's Microfinance Initiative, told us a lot about WMI and why they succeed in making microfinance work when others struggle. Did you miss the hangout? No worries, it's available on demand. Right here.

Share DFW

Share
Share
Tweet
Forward

Holiday Hours

The Dining for Women office will be closed from Dec. 24 until Jan. 5. 

Program Impact

We took a look at the impact areas our programs have focused on since 2006. Find out what the top impact area is and some other interesting stats about our featured programs.  Learn More.

This month's Dish

We changed up our masthead for this edition. But if we would have had a Dish Pix, it would have been this Semolina Cake. Jordanian food is new to us, so recipe curator Linda McElroy set us up with a mezze — a selection of "small plates" — a sampler of Jordanian recipes you might try this month. So check out the Proven Platter for more. Has your chapter got great food on the table? We are sure you do. Send us a photo of a single dish with a bit of a description and you may be our Dish Pix next month!

Board of Directors


Barb Collins
Co-founder and board chair
Susan Stall
Treasurer
Marsha Wallace
Co-founder
Barb Wagner
Secretary
Anne Capestrain
Susan Garrity
Colleen Murphy
Sandy Ward

About this newsletter

Communication Services provided by Laura Haight, president of Portfolio. We welcome all suggestions, comments and proposed content. If you have photos or Milestone items, please use our communication form to submit them (you can attach photos there as well). The form is in the LEAD section on the chapter resources page under Communications. 
 
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
DFW Website
DFW Website
Instagram
Instagram
Pinterest
Pinterest
Google Plus
Google Plus

Follow us

Copyright © 2014 Together Women Rise, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp