The Joy of Local Giving

Read below a section of the Ojai Women’s Fund Fall 2018 Newsletter:

Ojai Women’s Fund to Award $100,000 in Grants in 2018

The Ojai Women’s Fund is pleased to report its 2018 membership drive raised over $70,000 in donations through 348 memberships, with 265 renewing members and 83 new ones. 

This year’s OWF donations increased almost ten percent over 2017 and will soon convert into community grants for local nonprofits when OWF members vote in the coming month to select the 2018 grant recipients. Last year, OWF awarded $64,000 to eleven Ojai organizations to help fund programs focused on local arts, education, environment, health, and social services.

OWF Membership Committee Co-chairs Tiarzha Taylor and Caryn Bosson are particularly delighted with this year’s membership drive: “It’s immensely gratifying to hear the collective voice of Ojai women raised in support of our community and demonstrated through good works,” said Taylor.

Bosson added that “We are delighted at the generosity of women in the Ojai Valley who are becoming Ojai Women’s Fund members and helping to grow this important philanthropy year by year.”

Additional Good News!

The Ojai Women’s Fund is further thrilled to announce that it has received a $30,000 grant from the Wilson Family Fund, awarded by the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) to supplement OWF’s member-raised dollars for this year’s local grant awards.

VCCF Chief Compliance Officer Jim Rivera explained the VCCF grant: “The Ventura County Community Foundation is honored to serve as fiduciary of the Wilson Family Fund, established in 1993 by John and Barbara (aka “Ginger”) Wilson. The couple moved to Ojai in 1952, where they raised five children, and were actively involved in the Ojai Valley. For Ginger, her community service included the Children’s Home Society of California, the Ventura County Symphony League, Ojai Valley Garden Club, HELP of Ojai, Ojai Valley Hospital Auxiliary, and the Ojai Valley Museum. After retiring from Standard Oil, John taught science and chemistry at Ojai Valley School and Buena High School. In honor of the Wilsons’ commitment to service and their dedication to the Ojai community, it seemed only appropriate to provide support from the Wilson Family Fund to the grantmaking process of the Ojai Women’s Fund so that the critical needs in the Ojai Valley could be more effectively addressed.”

VCCF President and CEO Vanessa Bechtel added, “We are deeply moved and inspired by the leadership of the Ojai Women’s Fund and their focus on inspiring and educating women to become leaders in local philanthropy. The Ventura County Community Foundation strongly believes in the power of Giving Circles as agents for change, and with over 300 members, the Ojai Women’s Fund is having substantial impact on the arts, education, environment, healthcare, and social services in the Ojai Valley.”