With Mother’s Day approaching, the Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation invites community members to honor the important women in their lives with a gift that will last forever.
Through April 30, donors can make tribute or memorial gifts in honor of their SHEroes – the women who have made a significant impact on them as a mother, sister, friend or mentor. In turn, those special ladies will receive a Mother’s Day card that celebrates them as a SHEro and lets them know a gift was made in their name, though the amount will not be disclosed.
Donations are fully tax deductible and ultimately support the Women’s Endowment Fund’s grantmaking to programs that improve the health and wellness, safety, and economic empowerment of women and girls in Summit County. As a permanent endowment, gifts made to the Women’s Endowment Fund will benefit women and girls for years to come – a fitting tribute to the SHEroes who have made a lasting difference in someone’s own life.
“This campaign is a great opportunity to honor the important women in your life while supporting causes that uplift women and girls,” said Cindy Johnson, president of the Women’s Endowment Fund. “It’s also a fun way to let those women know they’re your SHEroes.”
In 2016, the “Who Is Your SHEro?” campaign raised nearly $20,000 for the Women’s Endowment Fund. This year, campaign organizers aim to raise at least $30,000 using a team of 30 local women leaders, each of whom has committed to raise $1,000 through their personal and professional networks. To read more about these ambassadors and track their fundraising progress, visit www.akroncf.org/SHEroAmbassadors.
Major sponsors of the “Who Is Your SHEro?” campaign include the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, Signet Jewelers, FirstEnergy, Pam Kanfer, the Maynard Family Foundation, Dianne and Herb Newman, the J.M. Smucker Company, State and Federal Communications Inc., and Summa Health.
Community members who wish to make a gift in honor or memory of their SHEroes can donate online at www.YourShero.org or by calling Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522. Gifts must be made by April 30 to ensure honorees receive their cards by Mother’s Day.
About the Women’s Endowment Fund
The Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation was established in 1993 as a permanent endowment committed to encouraging the advancement of Summit County women and girls and their growth as philanthropists. To date, the fund has grown to $3 million and awarded more than $960,000 in grants to improve the quality of life of women and girls. Contributions of any amount are welcome and can be made online at www.akroncf.org/give/WEF or mailed to Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307. For more information, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.womensendowmentfund.org.
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 62 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. As of Dec. 31, 2016, it is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $196 million with a growing family of 560 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded nearly $138 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.
