CFW's Impact Award honors 25

Feminists and friends gathered at the Chicago Cultural Center March 24 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) and honor 25 men and women who have made outstanding contributions to the life of women and girls in areas ranging from education, journalism and media representation to anti-violence, healthcare and reproductive freedom, LGBT and disability rights, economic and leadership development, policy and legislation.

The 2010 CFW Impact Award honorees are: Gaylon Alcaraz, Veronica I. Arreola, Tracy Baim, Marca Bristo, Salome Chasnoff, Fay Clayton, Joyce Coffee, Terry Cosgrove, Patricia Crowley, Melissa Gilliam, Samir Goswami, Joan M. Hall, Anne Ladky, Sharmili Majmudar, Soo Ji Min, Brenda Myers-Powell, Maria S. Pesqueira, Wendy Pollack, Diane Primo, Hedy M. Ratner, Daphnee Rene, Janice M. Rodgers, Ruth M. Rothstein, Jane M. Saks and Dierdre Joy Smith. Biographies are at www.cfw.org.

The evening began with a networking reception that provided the 500 attendees an opportunity to catch up with colleagues, greet old friends and make new connections.

Gail Ludewig, chair of CFW’s board of directors, gave the welcoming remarks for the awards program. Executive Director Kelly White presented a history of the foundation’s work and talked about the continuing crisis in social services, violence intervention and pay inequity. Activists’ work was presented in a video documentary and board member Sharmila Rao Thakkar presented each honoree with a copy of The Golden Bough, a photograph taken by Lucia Woods Lindley, one of the founders of CFW.