Dear Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge Supporter,
Let's have a moment and take a deep, cleansing breath... As we reflect on a year filled with extreme isolation, tremendous loss, and great sadness, we, as a collection of women who care, never lost hope. The same hope that those of us who believe in the strength of giving continued to offer during that difficult year. We have all transitioned through this tough time with grace and kindness. We are grateful to all of you for your ongoing support. Now it's time for us to see each other's faces, give each other meaningful hugs, break bread, socialize together, and most importantly to continue our mission. We welcome all of you to join us on August 5th for our 2021 Power of the Purse (POP) Luncheon. The board of directors, committee members, and a team of volunteers are busily working to make this a memorable reunion for our members and friends. See you there!
Patti Jupiter
POP Chairperson
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Grantee Spotlight
The Women's Fund of the Blue Ridge was able to provide over $125,000 in grants to 20 organizations. We are going to spotlight organizations in each newsletter so supporters like you can see how your money is making a difference in our area.
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The Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge has supported OASIS and our mission for many years! Since 1978, OASIS has relied on community members’ help as we serve survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and sex trafficking. The Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge provides much needed grant funding to support our free and confidential emergency shelter program, serving survivors and their children as they flee violence. On average, OASIS serves 100 individuals in our Shelter each year; funding from the Women’s Fund provides food, hygiene products, and other necessities for Shelter clients, as well as, supporting the Staff who work 24/7 to answer the nearly 4,000 crisis and information calls received annually.
Not only does the Women’s Fund support OASIS monetarily, but we often receive household cleaning items and hygiene products! These donations are provided for survivors who have recently settled into their own homes. For survivors who have escaped unsafe homes, who often leave their abusers with nothing, these donations are useful and symbolic of the support of their community. The donations pictured here supported a client who moved into an OASIS Permanent Supportive Housing unit. For someone who is getting back on her feet after making the courageous decision to leave her abuser, not having to purchase these items frees up her budget for other needs.
Knowing we can turn to the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge for ongoing support and immediate needs helps our Advocates continue to serve survivors.
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The Ashe Food Pantry (formerly Ashe County Sharing Center) is grateful to the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge for its support of our 2020-2021 Operation Backpack program. This innovative program is multi-faceted and plays a significant role in the lives of many women and their families in Ashe County. Operation Backpack has identified women who are head of households to coordinate with for food delivery. Those women are enrolled in our twice-monthly home delivered food pantry. We also provide snack packs to children who request them after school in the afternoon. This component of Operation Backpack reaches another 500+ children each day!
To quote one mother, “I feel like my family has been so blessed by the backpack program. We often struggle to make ends meet, and as a mother, my greatest fear is that my children will be hungry. Your backpacks have provided my children with breakfast and snacks to take to school. Your food boxes share a variety of food staples as well. We are especially grateful for the produce, since we can’t afford to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables regularly.”
The support of the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge has helped us to continue Operation Backpack. Even during the pandemic, we never missed sending out backpacks or making the home deliveries each month. Because of your grant in 2020, we were able to increase BOTH the number of families enrolled in the program and the number of children enrolled in the weekend backpack feeding program. We are grateful for our partnership with the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge and the financial support in helping us to feed “the little ones.”
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Thank you for allowing me to tell you how much we appreciate the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge (WFBR). You make a difference for the women and children in our community.
With last year being so unpredictable, Volunteer Avery was not sure it could provide support to our community. With the help from agencies such as the WFBR, we met most of the needs. The staff worked tirelessly purchasing and delivering food, and providing financial assistance for rent and car repairs. We helped a young single mom that just started a job at a local nursing home. She contacted Volunteer Avery for financial assistance to help pay for car repairs. We helped her thanks to the money received from the WFBR. She was very appreciative.
On another occasion, an elderly woman called asking for assistance getting groceries. She had been in the hospital with Covid-19. What food she did have was out of date. She asked for $20.00 to get few basic items she needed. Instead, she received a $150.00 gift card to use at Food Lion. This was possible because of the grant we received from the WFBR.
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Women's Art Show
Thursday, June 24th
WFBR Members Only 10 am to Noon
Open to the Public Noon to 8 pm
Hosted by the Martin House Gallery
Portion of the sale proceeds to benefit WFBR
Come view beautiful artwork ALL done by women artists!!
At 11:00 am, meet Dr. Diane Woodin who will give a brief talk. She earned her Ph.D. in Art History from UNC Chapel Hill and holds a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Skidmore College. As an Art Historian, Diane’s interests include 18th-century women’s history and the history of science.
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Membership 2021
WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER!
In 2020, 79 women answered the call to become a member of WFBR raising almost $36,000 for our grant program. You too can be a part of a passionate community of women with diverse perspectives.
We believe our collective spirit thrives when we hear all voices. When we join together, combine our resources and work as a team, we can accomplish what none of us can do on our own.
When you become a member in 2021, you are supporting our grants program as 92% of funds raised through the WFBR membership program goes to our granting program. Membership is an important part of our success in making a difference in the lives of women and girls in the High Country.
Thank you to all of those who have joined already! Please consider joining as a member this year. Membership levels are as follows:
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Legacy
Visionary
Champion
Change Maker
Friend of the Fund
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$2,400/yr. - $200/mo.
$1,200/yr. - $100/mo.
$600/yr. - $50/mo.
$300/yr. - $25/mo.
$120/yr.
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Meet Our Board Members
WFBR is fortunate to have 13 dedicated Board members who meet monthly and make decisions regarding the direction of the Women's Fund of the Blue Ridge. Each newsletter, we are going to highlight a couple of these extraordinary Board members.
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Patti Jupiter has been a full-time resident of the high country for the past 24 years. Her tenure as a permanent resident and history of involvement in worthy causes has made Patti uniquely aware of the issues and challenges facing High Country non-profit organizations and more specifically, the beneficiaries of the services offered.
She spent her young adult years in the western states, graduating from Arizona State University with a marketing degree then relocating to San Francisco where she worked as a publicist for a small theater company and later for the Kellogg corporation. Her first non-profit experience was working with an AIDS awareness organization in the Tampa Bay area after migrating to central Florida.
During her years in Boone, Patti has volunteered doing outreach for Watauga Humane society, Hospitality House and Hunger Coalition. She has served on development and planning committees with Western Youth Network and WAMY. Patti believes in the important work being done by the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge where she can best serve by utilizing her creativity, fundraising experience, marketing expertise and organizational skills.
Patti's spare time is spent on the tennis court, hiking, entertaining, traveling and creating art.
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Julie Wiggins, a North Carolina native, has been a resident of the High Country for the past 17 years. She holds a M.A. in Gerontology and a B.S. in Sociology, with minors in business and French, from Appalachian State University. Julie has worked for the High Country Council of Governments, an organization serving local governments in a seven-county region, for the past nine years.
She loves the mountains and enjoys trail running, rock climbing, traveling, and spending time with her family, friends, and two cats.
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Basic Needs Totes Wish List
WFBR distributes Basic Needs Totes that are filled with necessary toiletries and/or cleaning supplies to various non-profits throughout the High Country to pass on to women and girls who are in transition. In support of this effort, the following items are requested:
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Feminine Products
- Razors and shaving cream
- Hair brushes, combs, and elastics
- Shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash
- Hand soap
- Deodorant
- House cleaning supplies (all purpose wipes, pine sol, laundry detergent)
You can view our Amazon wish list at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/13U3PEHSN1Q3W?ref_=wl_share
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The Women's Fund of the Blue Ridge has earned the 2021 Platinum GuideStar Seal of Transparency
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