The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade celebrates its 25th anniversary

The Women's Fund Miami-Dade executive director, Kathy Andersen (left), is pictured with Hunter Reno, honorary event chair.


The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade sold out its Power of the Purse 2018 event and 25th anniversary celebration with a full-house of almost 900 guests at the Hilton Miami Downtown.

The event brought together some of Miami-Dade’s most elite and widely recognized philanthropists, corporations, non-profits, community leaders, elected officials and community members for one of the largest gatherings focused on improving the lives of women and girls in the county.

The non-profit launched its new rallying call “Women Strong World Strong,” to drive the organization into the next 25 years and to celebrate the past 25 years of engaging the community and providing more than $4 million to almost 500 non-profit grantees serving over 75,000 women and girls in Miami-Dade County.

Kathy Andersen, executive director of The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade, proclaimed, “We are more than a community, we are a movement, and together…we will overcome challenges to create a world where power and possibility are not limited by gender.”

The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade also launched a new website and technology platform, “Take Action Now,” that allows anyone to take action within moments on critical issues to advance the status of women and girls using a mobile device or computer. During the event, attendees received a simple text message that enabled everyone to take immediate action to end the trauma of human trafficking victim depositions in Florida.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle spoke on the issue of human trafficking and the need for ongoing advocacy to help victims. Rundle presented the Marilynn Gladstone Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously to former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, which was accepted by Janet’s niece, Hunter Reno.

Powerful young speakers, Shanika Ampah and Sabrina Noel, shared their story and spoke on overcoming human trafficking and domestic violence with testimonies that brought a standing ovation.

The Women’s Fund Impact Awards, that will invest in local non-profits and programs in its four pillars of economic security, leadership, health and well-being, and freedom from violence were also announced during the event. Full details of how nonprofits can gain funding through the awards will be announced later in the year.

As part of The Women’s Fund Impact Awards, Retired U.S. Rep. Carrie P. Meek was recognized by Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan for her extraordinary accomplishments and to acknowledge the inauguration of the Carrie P. Meek Impact Award funded by The Carrie Meek Foundation.

The event ended with a call to action for supporters to contribute to the advocacy and impact initiatives of The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade, highlighting that as a Women Strong World Strong community, we don’t accept:

• One in five women in Miami-Dade County lives in poverty;
• One in three women are victims of domestic violence, and one in three girls are victims of child sexual abuse;
• The average woman earns 78 cents on the dollar to a white man, or 61 cents on the dollar if you’re a Black woman, or 55 cents on the dollar if you’re a Hispanic woman;
• One in three girls are afraid to lead, or
• Women and families still do not have adequate and affordable access to health services.

For more information, visit www.WomensFundMiami.org.


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