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Women's Day at the Capitol
Be there on Tues., Feb. 9!
Br
ing a friend -- or bring 10. Bring your voice! Come ready to learn from and share in discussions about the most pressing issues facing women today. Women’s Day at the Capitol is Tues., Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon. The first hour, we’ll hear from several experts on key issues we face as women, including: women and the recession, family-friendly work policies and health care. You are invited to submit or give oral testimony beginning at 11 a.m. Click here for our flier, or call (860) 240-0016 or for more information.
Foundation for
Connecticut Women
501(c)(3) in Support of the PCSW and the Women it Serves
Yes, the Women of Connecticut have their own foundation!
Give Now.
Foundation for Connecticut Women is a 501C-3 (non-profit) organization that enhances and supports the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women’s work in educating public officials, community leaders and the general public about the need to protect the rights of women in achieving equality.
Established in 2000, the Foundation is a joint venture between current and past PCSW commissioners. Among other projects, the Foundation helped fund two seminal PCSW publications: A Guide to Women’s Health Rights in Connecticut (2007), and The Real Cost of Living and Getting Health Care in Connecicut: the Health Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard (HESS) (2006).
These are urgent times for the PCSW and for the 51 percent of Connecticut’s population we represent. Regardless of their economic strata, occupation, education level, age, race, religion, sexual preference or political affiliation, all of Connecticut’s women are represented by the PCSW.
Because of its non-profit status, Foundation for Connecticut Women is a sensible and effective way for PCSW friends to show their support for our important work in the areas of women’s economic security, health and safety, and eliminating gender discrimination.
YWLP Steering Committee Member Stephanie Wilcox (second from left, in scarf) greets YWLP members at recent networking event.
To make a tax- deductible contribution to Foundation for Connecticut Women:
Online: Click
here to be directed to the safe online form.By mail: You may also make a contribution by check. Please mail it c/o PCSW, attn. Rosemary Lopez, 18-20 Trinity St., Htfd., CT 06106.
The Foundation for Connecticut Women Board of Directors: Patricia T. Hendel, Chair, Marcia A. Cavanaugh, Connie Dice, Tanya N. Meck, Patricia Russo, Cindy R. Slane, and Susan O. Storey
Honoring women's leadership: At the Girl Scouts of Connecticut's Breakfast Badge Award ceremony, held at The Hartford Club on Dec. 4, three leaders share a moment. Left to right are: Award recipient Gwendolyn Smith Iloani, president and CEO of the Smith Whiley & Co. investment firm; State Rep. Denise Merrill, House Majority Leader; and Teresa Younger, PCSW Executive Director, who is also President of the Girl Scouts of Connecticut Board of Directors.
Five Ways to Help the PCSW
A Message from the Chair
Dear Supporters and Friends:
Greetings. As we move deeper into the holiday season, it’s appropriate to take time out to reflect on all our blessings and to remember those less fortunate. As I proudly take on the duties of PCSW Chair, I am grateful that the commission survived the budget crisis, albeit with drastic cuts. However, I find myself wishing my first official invitation were not an appeal for help.
I am asking you to make a donation to The Foundation for Connecticut Women, the 501C-3 that supports the work of the PCSW and the women and families it serves. The Foundation enhances the PCSW’s work in educating public officials, community leaders and the general public about the need to protect the rights of women in achieving equality.
Unlike other state agencies, we have this non-profit arm to allow individuals in the state to make tax-deductible contributions. Please be aware that your donation will not replace the State's future obligation to adequately fund the PCSW, which remains Connecticut's only umbrella agency dedicated to studying all matters concerning women. Instead, $50,000 will allow us to make it through the end of the fiscal year without further reductions to programs and/or staff.
While the PCSW has weathered previous budget battles, this past was our toughest, and we now find ourselves with fewer staff and resources than at any time in the past decade. Consequently, for the first time in our 36-year history, we're seeking donations from the women and families we represent.
I don’t have to tell you the PCSW is an organization used to fighting hard for women’s rights, and as such, will continue to work relentlessly for the issues most important to Connecticut’s women: economic security, health and safety, and the elimination of gender discrimination. But we can’t do it alone.
Here are five things I would ask of you:
1. Make a monetary donation today. Make your check payable to The Foundation for Connecticut Women (send c/o PCSW, 18-20 Trinity St., Htfd., CT 06106). All contributions are tax-deductible. We’re asking for one-time gifts to ensure our ability to function as is for the remainder of the fiscal year. (An emailed invitation to make a contribution will arrive in your in-box soon. Please remember that every donation -- in any amount -- will help.)
2. Spread the word that PCSW is alive and well and working hard on the issues you care about.
3. Tell your legislators how valuable the PCSW is to you.
4. Reaffirm your commitment to working with us as a partner in the important work in service of the common goals we share.
5. And finally, join us on Feb. 9 for Women’s Day at the Capitol, when we'll convene a public hearing on the issues of concern to the women and families of Connecticut.
Thank You.
Adrienne Farrar-Houel, Chair
Recent PCSW Action
Despite the budget battles, the work continues! Over the past few weeks, the PCSW has:
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Participated in two Congressional Roundtables on Healthcare: with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in New Haven on Oct. 13; and in Hartford, with Congressman John Larson, on Nov. 24.
-
Published our Legislative Report for the 2009 Session
and are working on our
Legislative Agenda for the 2010 Session. -
Held a networking event with the Young Women's Leadership Program (Dec.2) in Hartford.
-
Met in Washington, D.C. with the staff of Sen. Chris Dodd as the lead Connecticut agency on the federal Elder Economic Security Index (EESI).
-
Released a new Research Brief
on the importance of Paid Sick Leave to women's economic security. -
Continued to meet regularly with coalition partners throughout the state.
What's Happening!
PCSW's 2010 Legislative
Agenda
PCSW's 2010 Legislative
Priorities
YWLP's
2010 Legislative Priorities
January 2010
Newsletter
Give
to the PCSW through the Foundation for CT Women
Women's Day at the Capitol
Feb. 9, 2010
2009 Legislative Report
Research Brief on Paid Sick Leave
PCSW November/December 2009 Newsletter
YWLP
Newsletter December (Winter) 2009
The 2009 Women's Directory of Organizations is now available! Click here to view and/or download PDF.
For Pay Equity Day materials, click here
In the News
Yale
Daily News Column Lauds PCSW
Teresa
Younger's op-ed in the Hartford Business Journal: "The Strange New
Equality"
Women's Equality Day
PCSW
Urges Ratification of CEDAW
Women
Business Owners Vital and Growing
Official Statement - PCSW and CWEALF on
U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Ricci
v. DeStefano
PCSW Events
YWLP's Third Essay Contest for 12th Graders
General Events
Jan. 7: Talent Bank Networking Session. Whether you are interested in sitting on a State board or commission, or are already in our Talent Bank, please join us from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building to hear what’s new.
Feb. 9: Women’s Day at the Capitol. It’s the same idea, but with a new name. Formerly “Making Women Visible Day,” Women’s Day at the Capitol is an educational exchange on women in leadership. We still want you to wear red! Mark your calendars now and plan to bring a friend. Details to come soon.
Would you like a Pay Equity button? Get yours now!
To order, contact Michelle Noehren, Legislative Liaison by
clicking here.
About Us
The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) was established by the State Legislature in 1973. Seventeen appointed volunteer Commissioners join a staff and volunteers to work to eliminate sex discrimination in Connecticut. The PCSW informs leaders about the nature and scope of discrimination, serve as a liaison between government and private interest groups concerned with services for women, promotes consideration of women for governmental positions, and works with state agencies to access programs and practices as they affect women.
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Permanent Commission on the
Status
of Women 18-20 Trinity Street Hartford, CT 06106 |
