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TTN PHILADELPHIA GIVING CIRCLE

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

September, 2023

Dear Giving Circle Community and Friends,

Entering fall is always a reminder that change is inevitable. Linda Senker is stepping down as chair of the Giving Circle after skillfully leading our community through its very successful 10^th anniversary year campaign. We are grateful that Linda will continue to be part of the Giving Circle and serve on our Executive Committee as a prior chair. We, Phyllis Bookspan and Kriste Lindenmeyer, spent the summer working with Linda and members of the Giving Circle Executive Committee to ensure a smooth transition and are happy to step up as the Giving Circle’s new co-chairs.

This fall launches our fundraising campaign for the Giving Circle’s 2024 grants. After a successful “Year of the Child” campaign, we solicited suggestions for issues to focus on for 2024. The topic of children’s literacy won the most votes. This is an especially poignant need after so many months of remote learning. We learned from literacy experts that students reap lifelong benefits if they reach reading proficiency by the fourth grade. The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports, for example, that students who do not meet this milestone are four times less likely to graduate high school on time than those that do. The pandemic only made things worse. Just 28.2% of Philadelphia third graders scored proficient or advanced in reading on this year ‘s Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. This is a decline from pre-pandemic proficiency of 32.5% in 2019, and far below the 2021-22 Philadelphia Board of Education goal of 62%. With this obvious need, the Giving Circle’s solicitation for grants from local non-profit organizations will focus on Children’s Literacy, pre-K through 4^th Grade. Your donations to the Giving Circle can make a difference. Together we can make a difference.

It is an honor to be part of such a terrific group of women committed to donor-advised collective giving as an effective way to help improve the lives of women and children in the City of Philadelphia. We know some of you already, but very much look forward to getting better acquainted with everyone in the Giving Circle community. The Giving Circle is an inclusive group that benefits when everyone is involved. We depend on volunteers to sustain the Giving Circle’s work and efforts to keep our community connected to each other. We hope that you will consider joining a committee where you will do the important work of the Giving Circle. We need your voices and your talents. Let us know if you are able to volunteer for a Giving Circle committee.

We hope to see you at one of the upcoming events this fall if not before.

With our gratitude,

Phyllis Bookspan and Kris Lindenmeyer, Co-chairs

phyllis@bookspanlaw.com

kriste752@gmail.com

TTN PHILADELPHIA GIVING CIRCLE ANNOUNCES ITS FALL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM . . .

What is Impact? How does one measure it? And has the way we measure impact changed? These are not simple questions. But as women who strive to improve the lives of women and children in Philadelphia, we want to ensure what we do matters. So, we’ve reached out to the experts: women in Philadelphia renowned for making a difference in our city by breaking down barriers and shaking things up. The “Women of Impact” panel discussion is designed so we can learn from the best. It is designed to help us get a greater understanding of the word impact, and the ways in which women who have made a difference in Philadelphia define that impact.

Our panelists for this important discussion are:

● Katherina (Kat) Rosqueta, Founding Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP) at the University of Pennsylvania

● Laura Kind McKenna, Trustee Emeritus, Patricia Kind Family Foundation,

● Carol Austin, ED at First Up (previously Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children),

● Malkia Singleton Ofori-Agyekum, PA State Director, ParentChild+, and

● Carol Cunningham, TTN and Giving Circle member, Moderator

Registration is now open for this event. Click on the Registration button below and register. Registration is $5. Please join us and share this information with your friends. This discussion is too important to miss!

To learn more about our panelists, click here.

And, if you would like to read more about what IMPACT means in the world of philanthropy, click on the word philanthropy and you will be taken to an article entitled What are We Talking About When We Talk About Impact?

Left to right: From ASAP. Justin Enis, Executive Director, Victoria (Tori) Bakey, Director of Development and Communications, Sara Morningstar, Interim Executive Director

From the Giving Circle: Mary Klein, Lisa Earl Bostwick, Kriste Lindenmeyer and Geni Klein

Check Presentation to After School Activities Partnerships (ASAP)

On July 24th, Justin Enis welcomed TTN Giving Circle representatives to their new headquarters at One Penn Center for a formal presentation of their $30,000 award. He told the group how thrilled ASAP is to have been selected as one of the four 2023 grant recipients. Tori Bakey, Director of Development and Communications, will join the Giving Circle (GC) this year and serve on the grants committee. ASAP now has four after school programs: chess, theater, scrabble and debate. They have a virtual volunteer orientation every month and would welcome GC volunteers. Proud of ASAP’s success, Justin confided that Marciene Mattleman, founder of ASAP, did not see the need to have a “nice “ office, but would understand that ASAP has grown considerably and needs space for meetings, trainings, etc. We’re happy to support this success!

Save the Date . . . . . for the Giving Circle's Annual Meeting and Reception.

Thursday, November 9th

5:00 to 7:00 pm

1735 Market Street

Giving Circle members are gathering to celebrate the power of collective giving.