JWI’s Cleveland Giving Circle: An inspiring benchmark for communities nationwide

After Clevelander Ivy Zelman was honored as one of JWI’s 10  Women to Watch in 2005, she and her husband David were moved to do more for JWI and our  Women’s Economic Security Fund (WESF), the beneficiary of the Women To Watch event. The fund is used in part to give grants to other organizations that share our commitment to the safety and self-sufficiency women of women and girls, and also helps JWI develop and sustain programs with a similar goal.

The Zelmans invited a core group to join a Cleveland Giving Circle that would offer grants to Cleveland-area organizations and involve its local members in national support for JWI. At an inaugural reception in August 2006, Plain Dealer columnist and author Sam Fulwood, III and Democratic National Committee Vice-Chair and JWI board member Susan Turnbull discussed domestic violence prevention with a crowd of more than 75 participants – each of whom left with a deeper understanding of abuse and how they can help women and families in need. In addition to supporting JWI, the proceeds helped fund the Family Violence Services Program of the Cleveland JFSA and the Domestic Violence Outreach Program of the YMCA.

JWI hopes this successful endeavor will inspire other local communities to develop similar giving circles. To learn more about the Giving Circle program, contact JWI Development Director for Special Projects Stephanie Friedman Schneider at 800.343.2823 or sschneider@jwi.org.