Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) held its first joint LBTQ+ and Young Women’s Giving Councils’ grantee partners celebration Aug. 26 at Center on Halsted in Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood.
This year’s LBTQ Giving Council grantees are Affinity Community Services, Life is Work, One Roof Chicago and Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP) and Young Women’s Giving Council grantees are Corazon de Valor y Fortaleza Centro Comunitario program, ReBirth Society and The Mural Movement Big Sis Club program.
The LBTQ Giving Council was founded in 1998 and has given out almost $300,000 in grants since 2004 while the Young Women’s Giving Council has given out over $210,000 in grants since 2008, the same year it was founded.
Center on Halsted CEO and CFW LBTQ Giving Council member Joli Robinson spoke about the importance of collaboration with other people within the LGBTQ community. She added that giving councils center communities and “are about our collective impact, our collective ideology and to know that once we are all giving together we can move mountains together.”
CFW President and CEO President Keenya Lambert said that “all roads lead back to CFW” and spoke about the importance of the giving circles and councils. Lambert said Affinity Community Services Board Member Phyllis Johnson was her graduate school advisor and mentor who introduced her to many people in the community that led her to this moment. She added that CFW’s giving councils and circles have given out over $2 million to various organizations and individuals. Lambert also invited everyone to attend their upcoming 40th anniversary luncheon celebration on Sept. 25 at the Hilton Chicago.
CFW LBTQ Giving Council Co-Chair Gabriela (Gabby) Kreszchuksaid CFW is always centered on women, girls and gender expansive individuals and that’ they “tend to focus on smaller, grassroot organizations that have the highest need because we understand that our communities know how best to take care of themselves, so those are unrestricted dollars that we are granting to organizations who know far better than we do since they are the subject matter experts of their own experiences.”
Johnson, Operations and Development Manager Rysa Koch and Communications and Storytelling Consultant and former Affinity Board President Kelly Suzanne Saulsberry accepted on behalf of their organization.
Life is Work CEO Zahara Bassett, Program Director Maria’h Foster and Housing Case Manager Sharaunda Simmons accepted on behalf of theirs. Additional acceptance speeches came from One Roof Chicago Executive Director Jim Harvey and Board Member Ella Jasso; YEPP Board Co-Chairs Allie and Steve Mullen and Board Members Jessica Taylor and Susan Marcus; Corazon de Valor y Fortaleza President Janneth Hernandez, Youth Coordinator Karina Hernandez and therapist Rosibeth Elguea; and Mural Movement Founder Delilah Martinez. CFW Young Women’s Giving Council members Angela Romero and Alexandra (Alex) Beiriger also spoke.
