Delaware Fund for Women holds house party

Friends and neighbors gathered at Maryanne Murray’s Lewes home June 5 to hear about the contributions of the Fund for Women.

Sussex County Development Chair Carolyn Strum shared how more than 2,000 men and women have each contributed $1,000 to the endowment fund now holding over $3.8 million. The endowment, held at the Delaware Community Foundation, yields returns that are applied to grants. Recently, 16 nonprofit organizations received more than $200,000 that will benefit women and girls in Delaware. The grants help women and girls overcome the many barriers faced by females and empower them to reach their potential. 

Attendees heard from Lewes Public Library Executive Director Lea Rosell regarding its plans for grant money received this year from the fund. The library has developed a program called The Future is Female: STEM Professionals. Up to 20 girls ages 11-16 will receive intensive instruction in computer science. Then local science professionals will demonstrate how these skills are applicable in real work. The goal is to help fill Delaware’s talent vacuum by keeping qualified female applicants within the local community. The program will be reproducible in other libraries and nonprofits across the state. This is just one of the hundreds of initiatives the Fund for Women has supported over the past 25 years.

The bell rang during the party as seven women became new founders. They are Dale Ervin, Mary Holland, Lacy Letonoff, Marylinda Maddi, Anne Norman, Linda Palmer and Jackie Sullivan.

For more information, go to www.delcf.org/ffw; or email Info@DeFundforWomen.com.