Learn how DFW is taking steps to ensure our sustainability; meet our eight new Regional Leaders; and check out our new chapter anniversary gifts.
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| Volume 4, Issue 6 | May 2016 |
| DFW Implements Best Practices in Program Funding |
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The following blog contains important information from Dining for Women's Board about changes it is making to our program funding model.These changes are necessary in order to help ensure DFW's long-term sustainability, and to improve our ability to fulfill our mission of ensuring gender equity and improving the lives of women and girls in the developing world.
We encourage all members to read this blog, watch the brief video from our Co-Founders, and check out the Member FAQs as well. There is also a glossary of terms that you may find helpful.
An additional video is planned in order to address any member questions about these changes. If you have specific questions you would like addressed, please send them to wendy@diningforwomen.org. We will share the link to this video in May.
Read Board of Directors blog »
Watch Marsha and Barb's Brief Video Message »
FAQs »
Glossary of Terms »
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| From left to right and top to bottom: Betty Purkey-Huck, Abbie Sladick, Corinne Blakemore, Merle Steiner, Kay Manley, Susan Tocher, Tammy Frazier, Lisa Kerley |
| New DFW Regions Take Effect |
In February, we announced plans to reorganize DFW's regions in order to better serve our chapters and membership, promote and manage future growth, and make the workload of our volunteers more manageable. This plan includes increasing the number of regions from eight to 12 and moving certain states into more geographically and culturally appropriate regions. We are now putting these new regions into effect – see the updated map on our website.
We are happy to announce eight new Regional Leaders:
Kay Manley – Regional Leader, Carolinas
Abbie Sladick – Regional Leader, Florida
Corinne Blakemore – Co-Regional Leader, Central
Merle Steiner – Co-Regional Leader, Mid-Atlantic
Betty Purkey-Huck – Co-Regional Leader, Rocky Mountain
Susan Tocher – Co-Regional Leader, Rocky Mountain
Tammy Frazier – Co-Regional Leader, Southwest
Lisa Kerley – Co-Regional Leader, Southwest
READ THE BIOS OF OUR NEW REGIONAL LEADERS » |
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| Southwest Regional Leader Steps Down |
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Barbara Chatzkel has stepped down as DFW's Regional Leader for the Southwest. Barbara has been experiencing some significant medical challenges in recent months and is currently recovering from surgery. We thank Barbara for her efforts, both in the Southwest region and on our Regional Leader Committee over the past year, and we look forward to her continued involvement as a member of our Recognition Committee. Our thoughts and best wishes are with her for a speedy recovery.
Tammy Frazier and Lisa Kerley are the new Co-Leaders of the Southwest region. Read Tammy and Lisa's bios. |
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| Volunteer Opportunities |
Have you ever wanted to volunteer on a national level for Dining for Women? The Volunteer page on our website has recently been updated so that we can now take applications for specific volunteer opportunities. Listings will include available volunteer positions from every area of DFW - from operational and board committees, to task-oriented projects. Volunteering at the national level of DFW is a great way for your voice to be heard as we make decisions about the future of our organization. Our Volunteer page will be updated constantly as new positions are available, so please bookmark this page!
Current volunteer needs include positions on our newly-formed Summit Committee. More volunteer opportunities will be posted regularly. Check them out. |
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| 10 Years and Counting – Our Massillon, OH Chapter |
We have seven chapters who are celebrating their 10-year anniversaries this year! This is a tremendous accomplishment, and we want to recognize and honor these chapters for their long-time dedication to DFW. We hope you enjoy the chapter profiles that we will be sharing with you in The Dish throughout the year.
This month's chapter profile is the OH, Massillon -1 chapter.
Founding leader Dawn Hansard remains the current leader and hosts the group at her home. Dawn learned about DFW through a magazine story in 2005. She was motivated to start a group and held her first meeting in February 2006.
A core group of about 10 members faithfully attends and brings friends, meeting in a relaxed, light-hearted atmosphere. They begin by discussing recipes and explaining foods from the featured grantee's country. Between dinner and dessert, they share information about the project being supported and sometimes watch the grantee's video after dessert. They hold a variety of events throughout the year, including co-ed meetings, holiday parties and wine tastings.
Dawn advises other chapter leaders to use the resources provided by DFW. Her group especially enjoys trying the recipes provided each month. She said making everyone feel welcome has been important to the group's longevity.
"We have a great mix of working women and retirees and a wide range in ages," she said. "The members are always looking to invite others. Because we have some members who are on fixed incomes, we stress that companionship, collaboration and education are as important as donations."
Thank you to Dawn and all of the members of the Massillon chapter for 10 wonderful years of supporting women and girls! |
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| Afghan Women Are Impacting Communities and Culture |
| By Lynn O'Connell | DFW Member |
We Are Afghan Women: Voices of Hope is the title of the book released just last month from the George W. Bush Institute. I had an opportunity to attend an event announcing the book's publication in Washington, DC, hosted by the United States Institute of Peace which featured a discussion by Laura Bush, former U.S. First Lady, and Mina Sherzoy, a Council member of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council.
Continue Reading » |
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| Honor Your Mom With a Donation to DFW |
Searching for something special for your mom this year? Honor her by supporting moms across the globe with a gift to DFW. Our online donations process makes this very easy – just click here, select the amount of your gift, "Add to Cart", and then "Go to Checkout". The next screen will confirm the amount of your donation and direct you to "Pay Now". The "Make Your Payment" page is where you will have the opportunity to designate your donation in honor of or in memory of a loved one. You will be asked the following:
- Who would you like to honor with this gift?
- To whom should the tribute notification be sent?
- Would you like to add a personal note to the recipient?
An email will be sent to your mom informing her of the gift that has been made in her honor. If you have any questions about this, please email donations@diningforwomen.org, or call the DFW home office at 864-335-8401.
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Our Featured Grantee for May:
African People & Wildlife Fund |
African People & Wildlife Fund (APW) builds the capacity of rural Africans in Northern Tanzania's Maasai communities to engage in environmental conservation and sustainable livelihood strategies that promote biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation.
Dining for Women's $47,500 grant will fund the Women's Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Initiative, which empowers women to protect their natural resources for themselves and for future generations, through entrepreneurship and environmentally-friendly small business development such as beekeeping. By working with Maasai women who are the principal managers of natural resources in this region, APW is helping to protect communal lands, reduce human-wildlife conflict, support active rangeland management, and foster conservation and the economic empowerment of women.
Learn More »
Our Conversation with Laly Lichtenfeld and Gloria Frank of APW will be available here May 1st. |
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| 3 Things You Need to Know about our Featured Grantee |
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The Maasai culture is based on a traditional patriarchy where women have no rights to the land, water, or the livestock of their families. Wives are sometimes considered less important to a man than his cattle. However, if a woman generates her own income, she is allowed to keep it and use it however she wishes. |
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Through micro-grants and education on how to successfully start a business, Maasai women will be able to generate environmentally-friendly income through programs such as beekeeping. This in turn raises the overall health of the community and the ability of future generations to break the cycle of poverty. |
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Participants will "repay" their micro-grants by conducting 40 conservation projects, involving 1,000 additional community members in local community conservation projects and raising awareness of environmental issues within the overall community and among their families. They will also contribute to land protection via the demarcation of a pilot bee reserve on the Maasai Steppe. |
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| Sustained Funding Grantee: Girl Determined |
Girl Determined, located in Mandalay, Myanmar, is sparking a movement of girls with leadership skills to advocate for their own rights and a future that does not re-create the risks they now face. It is the only organization in Myanmar advocating for the rights of adolescent girls. The organization was a DFW featured grantee in December 2012, receiving $50,000 for organizing Colorful Girls Circles, training facilitators, creating curriculum, bringing girls together and exposing the reality of girls' lives in Myanmar.
Girl Determined will now receive a sustained funding grant of $20,000 per year for three years to further develop a model in which communities manage implementation of their core Colorful Girls Circles projects. Girl Determined will provide training, oversight and quality control and an increased focus on girls' rights advocacy. These projects will directly serve 4,000 adolescent girls.
Learn More »
Read the 2013 Final Report from Girl Determined » |
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| The Proven Platter – Making Your Own Coconut Milk |
| By Linda McElroy, DFW Recipe Curator and Chapter Leader of WA, Seattle-1 |
We're off to Tanzania this month. "Prawns in Coconut Sauce" and "Pilau Masala" are headlining the menu. These recipes have been graciously shared with us by Miriam Kinunda, the author of the blog "Taste of Tanzania." I've tested both recipes and I give them the thumbs up. You'll find many other recipes to choose from on her site, as well as some very good ones on our own DFW recipe site.
One very common ingredient in Tanzanian cuisine is coconut milk. Of course, if you lived in Tanzania, you would make your own. In fact, Miriam Kinunda exhorts us to never buy the stuff in the can. Once I realized that all the recipes I am sharing with you this month call for coconut milk, I set about researching the best way to make my own coconut milk. I hope you'll find my article and recipe useful!
Continue Reading »
See All Recipes from Tanzania » |
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| New Marketplace Partner – Friendship Bridge |
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We are pleased to announce a new partner for DFW's Marketplace -- just in time for Mother's Day!
Friendship Bridge (a past DFW featured and sustained funding grantee) empowers impoverished Guatemalan women to create a better future for themselves, their children and their communities through microfinance and education. Friendship Bridge has created an online "Tipica Market" to showcase the artisans in their Microcredit Plus program, increase their access to North American markets, and ultimately bolster incomes. (In Guatemala, "Tipica" refers to hand-crafted items, both traditional and modern.)
All Friendship Bridge products, including hand bags, scarves, jewelry, and ornaments, are made in accordance with Fair Trade guidelines.
Check out the Tipica Market here. Enter DFW20 as the coupon code to receive a 10% discount, and to have DFW receive 10% of the proceeds. Books and sale items are excluded.
Be sure to visit all of our cause marketing partners on the Marketplace page of our website. |
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| Milestones |
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| The CT, Torrington-1 chapter has been meeting for at least eight years and is affiliated with the Center Congregational Church. Chapter Leaders are Deb Pokrinchak and Alice-Jane Slaiby. |
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| Thank you to the Atlanta Woman's Club which recently donated $500 to DFW's annual appeal. Here, Pat Walsh, member of the Atlanta Woman's Club and also a DFW chapter member, presents the check to Terri Abraham, Co-Leader of the GA, Marietta-1 chapter. |
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| The FL, Ormond Beach-1 chapter raised $2,000 for DFW's annual appeal by participating in a special Oscar Night Gala in late February. The event was held at Cinematique, an independent theatre and 501(c)3 in downtown Daytona Beach, FL. Funds raised from the event supported both DFW and Cinematique. Shown are Rachel Samson, Chapter Leader, and Stephanie Mason-Teague, chapter member, and owner of Cinematique. |
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| Ten Years of DFW in Toledo |
| Twelve chapters in the Toledo, OH area came together on April 13th for a special, multi-chapter event, with Co-Founder Marsha Wallace and Executive Director Beth Ellen Holimon attending. See below for photos: |
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| Toledo area Chapter Leaders, from left, Mary Toneff, OH, Sylvania-1; Kim Whetstone, OH, Sylvania-2; Tina Yoppolo, OH, Sylvania-4; Meg Sears, OH, Bowling Green-1; Sandy Mercurio, OH, Bowling Green-1; Kathy Benya, OH, Sylvania-5; Luanne Billstein, OH, Toledo-5; Shelly Kotz, OH, Toledo-6; DFW Co-Founder Marsha Wallace, and Kathy Seibel, representing OH, Sylvania-3 (Gail Dunn is the Chapter Leader). |
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| Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sylvania-1 chapter led by Mary Toneff. Everyone in the photo was affiliated with the original chapter and many of the original members went on to start their own chapters. |
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| From left, Kim Whetstone, Sylvania-2 Chapter Leader; Marsha Wallace; Mary Toneff, Sylvania-1 Chapter Leader; and Beth Ellen Holimon. |
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| Mary Toneff, Chapter Leader for the Sylvania-1 chapter, is presented with her chapter's 10th anniversary gift by Beth Ellen Holimon, Executive Director, and Corinne Blakemore, Co-Leader of the Central region. |
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| Members of the OH, Sylvania-4 chapter, which has been meeting for five years and is led by Tina Yoppolo. |
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| The OH, Bowling Green-1 chapter, led by Meg Sears and Sandy Mercurio, recently celebrated its fourth anniversary. |
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| Chapter Anniversary Gifts |
DFW could not achieve all that we do without our chapters, and we want every chapter to know that their contributions are recognized, valued and appreciated. This year, we are honoring all our five and 10 year chapters with some special gifts because we know the dedication and effort it takes to keep a chapter active and vibrant. Chapters will receive their 5 and 10 year gifts throughout the year.
Our 5-year chapters are being given a beautiful table runner sewn by women of the Ng'ombe community in Lusaka, Zambia. These women participate in a 12-month life skills training and empowerment program offered by Clothed in Hope, a 501(c)(3) organization.
Our 10-year chapters are receiving a Fair Trade acacia bread board made by artisans who work for SAFFY Handicrafts in the Philippines. SAFFY began as a workshop that provided alternative livelihoods for youth and women in marginalized areas of Manila through sewing projects. It now assists approximately 50 small producer groups and works as a central agency for training, handicraft employment, and guidance for men and women.
Here are some great photos of 5-year chapters displaying their anniversary table runner. |
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| Congratulations to the IL, Western Springs-1 chapter which celebrated its fifth anniversary in March. Chapter Leader is Laurel Seidelman. |
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| Our GA, Tucker-1 chapter have started a new tradition with its 5th anniversary table runner. The meeting host will receive the table runner and get to "keep it" for the next month! What a great idea! Chapter Leaders are Emilu Bailes and Laura Rose. |
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| Happy 5th anniversary to our MD, Perry Hall-1 chapter. Heather Wade is the Chapter Leader. |
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| The WA, Seattle-2 chapter (otherwise known as the Northend Seattle chapter) put its 5-year anniversary table runner to good use at a recent meeting. Congrats to Chapter Leaders Anne Henry and Alissa Johnson and all your members.
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| New Chapters Activated |
CA, Santa Barbara – 6
led by Sally Sheridan & Kathryn Norris |
CO, Highlands Ranch – 3
led by Joanne Mandigo |
FL, Lakeland – 1
led by Cathleen Nelson & Colleen Vann |
MA, Sharon – 1
led by Marlene Bohn & Ellen Apfel |
MD, Baltimore – 3
led by Laurie Stroope |
SC, Clemson – 1
led by Courtney Sipes & Annah Amani |
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| Chapter Anniversaries This Month |
1 Year
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NH, Temple - 1
led by Christine Robidoux & Tracy Jasnowski |
SC, Charleston – 7
led by Jane Taylor |
2 Years
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NJ, Haddonfield - 1
led by Deana Montufar & Megan Emigh |
OH, Willoughby Hills - 1
led by Nisha Jain |
3 Years
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IL, Quincy - 1
led by Julie Panos |
MI, Williamsburg - 1
led by Kathy Kelto |
TN, Knoxville - 1
led by Deb Scaperoth & Nancy Maland |
4 Years
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CA, San Jose - 8
led by Madhu Krishnan & Priya Nagarajan |
5 Years
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FL, Bradenton – 1
led by Beth Palmer |
NC, Asheville - 1
led by Susan Fernbach |
NJ, Brick - 1
led by Sheryl Geisler & Sherri West |
PA, Elkins Park - 1
led by Cindy Ariel & Sheryl Potashnik |
VA, Virginia Beach – 1
led by Cynthia Briscoe & Sherry Kara |
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6 Years
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MD, Ellicott City - 1
led by Carol O'Keeffe |
WA, Olympia - 1
led by Marie Johantgen |
7 Years
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CA, Castro Valley - 1
led by Patricia Payne & Susan Negrin |
CA, San Jose - 2
led by Polly Ferguson |
CA, Santa Cruz - 2
led by Sally Bookman |
SC, Charleston - 3
led by Donna Reyburn & Carla Young |
SC, Summerville - 1
led by Karyn Healey |
8 Years
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NC, Charlotte - 2
led by Julia Edelson |
PA, Abington - 1
led by Mary Liz Jones & Debbie Britt |
9 Years
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CA, San Francisco - 2
led by Jenna Lindberg & Jessica Tong |
MI, Dearborn Heights - 1
led by Sherri Jessup |
10 Years
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IL, Springfield - 1
led by Anne Capestrain |
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