Women's Fund of El Paso / In The News

Dynamic Mother/Duaghter Duo
This series features current and former El Pasoans impacting the world of fashion and style who are volunteering their time to help with the Power of the Purse, the Women’s Fund of El Paso’s signature fundraising event to be held on May 7, 2009. The Women's Fund of El Paso is excited to feature the dynamic Mother-Daughter duo of Lorraine Wardy and Soffia Wardy.

Giving Circles Help Make Dreams Come True
The Women's Fund of El Paso was able to raise $500.00 through a Giving Circle for Kyra Neal, a smart and savvy young El Pasoan who is well on her way to the National Young Leaders State Conference this fall, and the Women's Fund of El Paso could not be more proud!

El Paso Reporter Sets Off for Princeton Fellowship
Louie Gilot has been an asset to the El Paso Times as one of their best reporters for over nine years. And now, after covering the border and economic development and trade issues in El Paso and Juarez, she is leaving El Paso to attend a prestigious fellowship at Princeton.

Be a Part of the Terrific Ten Giving Circle
The Women's Fund is on a mission to raise $5,000 to send 10 outstanding high school junior or senior girls to represent El Paso at the 2008 Texas Conference for Women taking place in Houston this October.

For the Love of Leah
The Women's Fund of El Paso has created a Giving Circle to help raise funds to help a young mother fight breast cancer.

Karla Martinez - Style in the City!
Karla Martinez, former El Pasoan who is proud of her roots talks with the Women's Fund about the things she loves about El Paso and New York, and her idea of the perfect outfit.

Claudia Martinez - Narvaez - Table Occasions
Claudia Martinez - Narvaez is part of the team that makes up Table Occasions, an El Paso business specializing in unique table linens and decor for parties,weddings, and other special events. The Women's Fund had the chance to ask Claudia about her family, the challenge of finding balance between work and family, and she told us about the shoe fetish she shares with her sister Karla, a NY Times fashion editor.

Single Mother of Four Striving for Success
Christine, a Women’s Fund scholarship recipient and single mother of four, is burning the midnight oil, majoring in Court Reporting at El Paso Community College. “I am a mommy who follows through on my promises to give my children a better life."

Giving Circle For Kyra
Contribute to a Giving Circle and help send a bright young middle school student to the National Young Leaders State Conference this fall.

A Taste of AFFINA
The Women’s Fund is excited to announce that AFFINA, an inbound calling center on El Paso’s Eastside, raised $300.00 for the Women’s Fund of El Paso with a fundraiser called “A Taste of AFFINA”. Employees purchased plates with a sampling of Asian, Mexican, and Southern inspired favorites. Check out what Marvin Henderson, Sales and Client Services Manager, had to say about the success of the event.

Women Who Light the Dark
The Women’s Fund of El Paso loves hearing about the positive and inspiring events for women that take place across the country.

Sharon Segal of Fashion Landmark Fred Segal Store Talks with Women's Fund!
Sharon Segal and her mother Rita Silverman have played an important role in helping the Women’s Fund of El Paso offer amazing bags for our signature fundraising event Power of the Purse. Women’s Fund had the recent opportunity to interview Sharon and get some insight into how she is able to balance her family life, run a retail empire, and create great fashion design. We can’t wait for you to read her answers!

Three Talented Young Entrepreneurs Bring it to the Table!
The Women’s Fund had the pleasure of interviewing Stacey Hunt, Chia Stewart, and Claudia Martinez - Narvaez, three talented young entrepreneurs, and found out how they came together to run a thriving business, that is built on creating the perfect event setting.

Animals Need Love Too!
Did you know that in El Paso, over 24,000 animals are impounded annually and over 20,000 animals are destroyed? There are an estimated 100,000-150,000 stray animals in El Paso and the surrounding area. Several dedicated organizations and volunteers throughout our community who are trying to make a difference in the lives of animals, and place them in loving, caring homes.

Grant Recipient Maria, Says “Work Hard and Set Goals”
Interview with Maria, a Women's Fund Grant Recipient and Education Major at UTEP.
“Work hard and set goals, stick with them and the sky is the limit!"

UTEP Women's Studies Department Heads Up Donation Drive
Making philanthropy affordable is an important goal of the Women's Fund of El Paso. Giving Circles bring together a group of like-minded individuals to fund something/someone they want to help by pooling resources.

Grant Recipient Says "Get Rid of Low Self Esteem!"
Women's Fund grant recipient Rosa loves the field of Speech Pathology, and has the confidence and strength it takes to be successful in the field she has chosen. Women's Fund is proud to have such an intelligent and driven group of women receiving grants from our organization.

A Commitment to Higher Education - Diana Natalicio
Diana Natalicio was named president of UTEP in 1988. During her long and distinguished career with the University, Dr. Natalicio has served as vice president for academic affairs, dean of liberal arts, chair of the modern languages department and professor of linguistics.

The Women’s Fund had the recent honor of asking Dr. Diana Natalicio, President, the University of Texas at El Paso, some questions regarding the University and the large number of women it serves.

Extraordinary Volunteer
Martha Ortega, a Rusk Elementary School volunteer is encouraging Rusk students to participate in a Mother’s Day project. Each child has the opportunity to earn "Rusk Dollars" throughout the month
of April.

Puppy Needs to Find His Way Home!
A lost puppy needs help finding his way home. Please help if you can!

Inaugural El Paso Conference for Women is a Huge Success!
Hundreds of El Paso women participated in the event dedicated to connecting women in our community to business, resources, and products offered by women.

Leaders on Leadership
Jeanne Foskett, a dedicated Women’s Fund Board Member and Special Assistant to the President at El Paso Community College is making a difference in the lives El Paso women.
From her work at EPCC, to her planning and organizing the El Paso Conference for Women, Jeanne is a believer in education and its role in improving the lives of women.

Luz Has Always Wanted to be a Teacher
Women's Fund is proud to have such an intelligent and driven group of women applying for scholarships. Luz, one of our wonderful scholarship recipients plans on teaching at an El Paso middle school, and then she is off to teach high school where she plans to inspire and encourage students in the same way her teachers made high school an unforgettable experience for her.

Sarah Powers - Young Entrepreneur
Women's Fund had the opportunity to interview Sarah Powers a young lady on her way to a fabulous career in the world of design and fashion.

Leaders on Leadership
Summer Luciano is a full time activist with a belief that we should all stand up for what we believe in. Casiano spearheads a group of students from both sides of the border who are working to keep Asarco form reopening in El Paso. We spoke to Summer about her beliefs, motivation, and what’s next for the Students Against Asarco.

Terrific Ten
The Women’s Fund of El Paso raised $5,000 for “El Paso’s Terrific Ten Giving Circle”, an initiative that sent 10 outstanding high school junior and senior girls from the El Paso area to the Texas Conference for Women in Austin on October 4th, 2007.

Mila Marcus and Coronado High School Bring in the Bags
A group of Coronado High School students, led by Mila Marcus collected over 100 bags and wallets to help the Women's Fund of El Paso make Power of the Purse overflow with bags and wallets of all colors, styles, and sizes. We welcome this new generation of Women's Fund volunteers, future board members, and of course, attendees of the most fabulous party in El Paso.

Womens's Fund in the News
El Paso Inc.'s Southwest Senior recently featured a profile on Suzanne (Sudy) Todd, President of the Women's Fund of El Paso. Thank you Sudy for your commitment to the Women's Fund, and for your help in making Power of the Purse such an exciting and worthwhile event.

The Word is Out! Power of the Purse 2007 - An Amazing Success
A recent article in the El Paso Inc. recognized the Women’s Fund as a force for women’s education in El Paso, and we love the way that sounds! The Women's Fund of El Paso has awarded five scolarships since Power of the Purse, and eighteen scholarships to date. With 400 women attending the event, support from local stores and boutiques, and over $80,000 for scholarships, we are going to be seeing Women’s Fund in the press more frequently in the upcoming months.

Student Success Story - Sylvia
From early on eighteen year old Sylvia knew that she was going to have to work hard and stay focused and achieve great success in high school so that she could receive scholarships to continue her pursuit of a college education.

Women Awarded Grants Scholarships
The Women's Fund is excited to introduce the most recent recipient of our scholarship fund. All of our scholarship recipients went through a rigorous application process despite leading busy lives. Read the profiles and be inspired by what these admirable women are accomplishing. Feel free to send inspirational messages to the grant recipients or share your own story on 'Single Mom Success Stories' and 'Student Success Stories' in the Discussion Forums.

How Many Handbags is too Many Poll Results
In this month's Women's Fund poll we asked "How Many Handbags is too Many?" We thought it might help get everyone in the mood to shop on Thursday, October 4th; turns out most of these poll takers are buying handbags all year round!

Q&A with Anne Semmer Grieshop
In anticipation of the most exciting bond election of our generation -- the election for a Children's Hospital at Thomason -- the Women’s Fund spoke with one of the great leaders within the International Children’s Hospital Foundation, Anne Semmer Grieshop.

Grieshop will host a press conference in support of the Children's Hospital on Wednesday October 17 at 11 a.m. in front of Thomason Hospital. We are excited to introduce you to this passionate woman and to help unite our community on such an important issue.

Young Entrepreneurs Success
This month the Young Entrepreneurs Success series features Stephen Ingle and Andrea Gates-Ingle, Executive Directors/Founders of Creative Kids at oLo Gallery. The Y.E.S. series features people that have chosen unique career paths and are excelling both personally and professionally in our community. We are very excited to profile this accomplished and dynamic couple that have opened up the art world to many young, aspiring artists. We are especially excited that Stephen and Andrea will be opening up their beautiful oLo Gallery space in Union Plaza, Downtown for this year's Power of the Purse event on Oct. 4.

Women's Fund of El Paso on the Airwaves
The Women’s Fund of El Paso will be recognized on two talk radio shows this month promoting Power of the Purse and the El Paso’s Terrific Ten. Both radio programs (hosted by women) give the Women's Fund a chance to get their message out. This Friday, September 27, tune in to 1650 KHRO AM radio during the 'The Ladies Room With Lolis' at 11 a.m. Monday, October 1, tune in from 10-11 a.m. (1650 KHRO AM) druing "El Paso a la carte," hosted by Lisa Degliantoni.

Young Entreprenuers Success
This month, Women's Fund continues the Young Entrepreneurs Success series. In this section we introduce you to women that have chosen unique career paths and are excelling both personally and professionally. This month's Y.E.S. is Yvette Fry of Ruby Lola, we are very excited to share with you some of the ideas and choices that lead Yvette to the successful place she finds herself at today, and hope she may inspire you to set out on your path, whatever it may be.

Women at Work Progress Report Poll Results
Last months' Women's Fund poll was inspired by “Women at Work: A Progress Report,” a report produced by the Dallas Federal Reserve. After five decades of research, several interesting conclusions were made about the progress women have made in the workforce.

El Paso's Terrific Ten Giving Circle
The Women’s Fund of El Paso is pleased to announce the “El Paso’s Terrific Ten Giving Circle” to send 10 outstanding high school junior or senior girls from the El Paso area to the Texas Conference for Women in Austin on October 4th. The Women’s Fund seeks to raise $5,000 through contributions from interested donors to fund 10 full scholarships to cover the costs of air fare, hotel accommodations and conference fees for 10 high schools students and two chaperones to attend the women’s conference.

Buy Your Tickets to Power of the Purse 2007 Online
The Women's Fund website has added several new features to the Power of the Purse section of our website. We are thrilled to announce that anyone visiting the website can now purchase tickets to this year's event online, using a secure form thanks to Pay Pal and hard work from our friends at Stanton Street Technology Group.

This year's event will be held at the oLo Gallery in the Union Depot District and promises to be a fantastic evening of fundraising, shopping and networking. This year's event will feature a preview party beginning at 5 p.m. with the main event starting at 6 p.m.

Young Entreprenuers Success
This month Women's Fund is excited to introduce a new section to the newsletter and discussion forums – Young Entrepreneurs Success. In this section we will introduce you to women that have chosen unique career paths and are excelling both personally and professionally.

Kudos to WFEP Board Members & Friends
The Women's Fund of El Paso is attracting all kinds of excellence. This week we are celebrating three people that are being recognized for making a difference in our community and we are so proud to have them affiliated with Women's Fund!

Women at Work Progress Report Poll
This months' Women's Fund poll was inspired by “Women at Work: A Progress Report,” a recent report produced by the Dallas Federal Reserve. After five decades of research, several interesting conclusions were made about the progress women have made in the workforce.

City Elections May 2007 Poll Results
The poll results were split down the middle; 50 percent said “I voted in the last election and feel confident that 10% of us can make decisions for the rest” and 50 percent said “there needs to a massive overhaul in elections in our country.” We also received numerous comments, some of which offer insight as to how low voter turnout can be fixed.

ASARCO Poll Results and Update
Senator Eliot Shapleigh posted his reaction to the TCEQ Executive Director Recommends 5-Year ASARCO Permit on his website, www.shapleigh.org. Simultaneously, we are posting the Women's Fund poll results from the Earth Day poll. We asked Women's Fund website users to weigh in on whether ASARCO should re-open, 53% said the smelter should become a part of our history and not our future.

El Paso Times Series Covers Poverty in El Paso
Thank you to Louie Gilot for shedding light on poverty statistics and dispelling myths through real-life struggles and triumphs. Thank you to The El Paso Times for this front-page series that reinforces our mission at the Women's Fund to connect women to the vital resources that foster education, individual leadership and economic growth.

Scholarship Orientation was a Success
The Women’s Fund of El Paso Outreach Committee held an orientation event, Wednesday, January 31st at 5:30 at the Valle Verde EPCC campus for current and prospective students to apply for Women’s Fund scholarships. The event was attended by over thirty women of different age groups and backgrounds.

Jody Schwartz Photography Debuts on Women's Fund Website
The Women’s Fund is proud to showcase the inspirational images of women and girls in our community by renowned photographer Jody Schwartz.

Our Time to Lead Poll Results
The rising numbers of women leaders inspired our board to post the recent poll question, “The Women's Fund of El Paso would like to know if you think America is ready for a female President.” The poll solicited a record number of votes and comments.

Women's Fund Membership Profile
Women's Fund of El Paso is attracting women from all walks of life. By collecting data from the Join the Network form, the Women's Fund board is able to know useful information about the women that are using our website and organization. We've put together a very general review of exactly who is using this website in the hopes that it will incentivize you to Join the Network or help spread the word to other women you think might be interested in Women's Fund. We hope you are as intrigued by this group of users as we are.

I Love El Paso Website Giveaway
The Women's Fund of El Paso was selected by Stanton Street Technology Group as the recipient of the 2006 Non-Profit Website Giveaway. All applicants were evaluated based on four criteria: Overall Contribution to the El Paso Community, Number Served within the Community, Commitment to a Website and Specific Goals for the Website. Stanton Street feels that The Women's Fund fills an important void in our community by providing women opportunities through financial and social support.

Independence House Participant Strives to Build a Future
Giving Circle provides an Independence House resident with a hope for a better future. Read about how a quick giving circle session, turned one woman's dreams into a a reality.

It's so Easy to Give
This holiday season the Women's Fund of El Paso board decided to collect $25 from each Board Member. What we came up with was a quick $250 donation for the Independence House.

Power of the Purse 2007
The Power of the Purse 2007 date and location will soon be announced. In the meantime, the Women’s Fund of El Paso has begun accepting handbags for the event. If you have any new or gently used handbags that you would like to donate, you can mail or deliver them to J.Edwards located at 7430 N. Mesa, 833.5806. Please find the donation form attached.

The Women’s Fund: a voice for women of El Paso
Don’t bet on what four determined women have the power to accomplish in El Paso.

Take a look at the newly created Women’s Fund of El Paso, instead.

About six years ago, the real work began. Tania Schwartz, community dynamo, was active in the Junior League working on supportive housing programs for formerly homeless and abused single women in El Paso. The problem she saw was that after the aid from the Junior League ended, the women needed additional help that was not available. Sudy Todd, a community activist, had conversation with Gayle Roth, a friend of hers who worked with the Women’s Fund of Birmingham, Ala. And that was the beginning of a lengthy series of contacts, dedicated work and involving other women to develop a wonderful asset for the women of El Paso. Todd said they opened the door to every woman and organization they knew to get the job done.

Spirit of Giving Catalogue 2006
The annual Spirit of Giving catalogue produced by the El Paso Community Foundation is available. This annual publication lists all the local non-profits that you can support during the holiday season. Pick up your copy at the El Paso Community Foundation or at non-profit offices throughout El Paso.

Poverty rate in El Paso is much higher for single mothers
Even in a city that has been ranked among the poorest in the nation, some are poorer than most. According to recently released U.S.

Mark your calendar

The Women's Fund of El Paso organization will have its Power of the Purse fund-raiser at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the El Paso Chile Co. warehouse, 705 Texas.

New group hopes to help single moms, many others
Its part of a vision the president of the Women's Fund of El Paso shares with the organization's founding board of directors and dozens of El Paso women who want to pool their skills and resources to help people pull themselves out of poverty and improve their family's quality of life.

Women’s Fund of El Paso Launches Website

05.01.2006 -Stanton Street Technology Group is excited to announce the launch of the website for the Women's Fund of El Paso, winners of the 2006 "I Love El Paso" Non-Profit Website Giveaway. Stanton Street worked with Rockett Advertising to develop a site that would serve as a powerful resource for all women in the El Paso area. Miguel Escobedo, Creative Manager at Stanton Street Technology Group says, “Ernie Sanchez at Rockett Advertising was an ideal collaborator for this project. Rockett made the site beautiful and Stanton Street made it functional.”

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