The 2017 International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017, provides a powerful reminder that women can #BeBoldForChange. This philosophy is nothing new to the Nevada Women’s Fund, an organization that exemplifies that spirit daily in its work throughout northern Nevada. Since its founding in 1982, the NWF has raised more than $7.1 million from the local community to fund educational scholarships and organizational grants to improve the lives of women and their families.
“The Nevada Women’s Fund supports the ongoing efforts of the International Women’s Day because of the alignment that takes place between both organizations,” Isabelle Rodriquez Wilson, president and CEO for the Nevada Women’s Fund, said. “Our focus on empowering women has lasting benefits for the individual’s family and our community. And while our annual scholarships and grants are providing educational advancement opportunities, the greatest reward is seeing the impact that investment has on that person. We believe there is so much more we can do to provide women equal opportunities in our community and worldwide.”
This year, the International Women’s Day asks the world to join the #BeBoldForChange effort by asking individuals or groups to help forage a better working world that is more inclusive and gender equal. The effort asks for pledges of support through the website, https://www.internationalwomensday.com/. The organization remains committed to help women and girls achieve their ambitions; challenge conscious and unconscious bias; call for gender-balanced leadership; value women and men’s contributions equally; and create inclusive flexible cultures. Through purposeful collaboration, the goal is to empower women and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over.
The Nevada Women’s Fund has seen firsthand the growing need for educational support in the region’s workforce development and economic growth initiatives and is addressing the need by offering solutions through its scholarship and grant programs. The Nevada Women’s Fund’s annually awards an average of $250,000 in individual educational scholarships and community grants. In 2016-2017, 79 women were awarded $178,000 to pursue degrees in a variety of fields and $65,000 in community grants went to non-profit organizations last year.
To learn more about the Nevada Women’s Fund visit http://nevadawomensfund.org/.
