A WIN for Starved Rock Country The Women Inspired Network a plus for nonprofits — and local women By Charles Stanley You don’t have to be rich to be a philanthropist. Just ask the members of the Women Inspired Network, a growing group that now has more than 80 women ages 19 to 93. WIN members pool their individual donations — typically starting at $200 annually — and then each fall vote on worthy organizations to receive grants. WIN is organized along the lines of a “giving circle,” said Pamela Beckett, the founding president of the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation. “There are giving circles all over the world.” In the grand scheme of organized philanthropies, giving circles are small players in terms of the amount of funds raised. But they are big players in spreading understanding about the members’ community. Five years ago, Beckett was in the process of creating a giving circle when she learned OSF HealthCare Foundation Director of Philanthropy Cherie Reynolds was on a similar mission. They decided to work together. It was Reynolds who came up with the WIN name. For WIN, the goal is to champion women’s interests, causes and concerns throughout the region. In the process the members learn more about their communities — as well as about each other. “First, there is the joy of giving, which exists for everyone,” Beckett said. “But, second, there’s the opportunity to get to know women from the entire Starved Rock Country area — women that they never had the opportu-
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A success from the start: The inaugural event for the Women Inspired Network was held Oct. 2, 2016, at the Lock 16 Cafe and Canal Visitor Center in La Salle. The Power of One Dessert Reception featured four women guest speakers telling how they took action to fulfill a community need. Within 60 days more than 40 women joined WIN. nity to meet before from a social standpoint. And you know, when you sit down and have a glass of wine together you find out how much you have in common.” Members come from a wide area beyond Ottawa, La Salle and Peru including Seneca, Walnut, Ladd, Hennepin, Granville, Standard, Streator and Mendota. Beth Acuncius, a senior risk management analyst at Heartland Bank in Spring Valley heard of WIN at a Rotary meeting where Beckett gave a presentation. “It’s such a great group and Pam is such a powerhouse,” Acuncius said. “I love hearing about the different organizations that you might not know about.” That’s the real payoff for members, Beckett said: discovering the community organizations that strike a chord with WIN goals and are awarded a grant to help with their good work. Through the award process, “we’ve learned about organizations we never heard of,” Beckett said.
For example, last year, one of the three recipients was Illinois Valley Community College’s Single Parent Connections program. The program actually has been on campus since 1997 and served more than 500 students but has a low profile. “Last year, not only did it help 53 pregnant girls ages 18 and 19 trying to get through college while working, but it also helped with the fathers who are trying to do the right thing,” Beckett said. “There are 80 women in WIN and no one had ever heard of it.” The grant was for $5,000. Similar grants were awarded to the Community Food Basket in Ottawa and Youth Outlook, an LGBTQ+ youth organization with a drop-in center at the Open Table United Church of Christ in Ottawa. The grants are determined by how much money WIN collects during the year. Any amount is welcome, but it takes annual donations totaling at least $200 for a woman to qualify as a voting member when it’s time to
select the grant recipients. Yet, all women are welcome to WIN’s periodic meetings, whether they are a member or a friend. “We would never turn any woman away,” Beckett said. Dues can be paid all at once or in increments throughout the year. In one case, the $200 for a member was donated by another family member. In another case, five female memberships were covered by one supportive man’s donation. In some other cases dues are paid by employers. The grant award process is one of the highlights of the WIN year. Grant applications are accepted during September, given an initial screening and finalists selected. On Oct. 22, WIN members will assemble to hear the grant finalists’ presentations. The winners will be selected by vote and then announced at the annual “Celebration of Giving” set for Sunday, Nov. 8, at Deer Park Country Club. “We’ve been very blessed by this community,” Beckett said.
Thinking of joining WIN? Beckett said a $200 membership payment now would entitle a woman to vote for this year’s grant recipients and also serve as the payment of their $200 membership contribution for 2021. For more information visit srccf.org, call 815-252-2906 or view https://animoto.com/play/11iTCUw5zW1txlfe0YA19g
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