Sussex County Fund for Women takes in 16 new members

The Sussex and Kent counties’ Fund for Women drew more than 100 women for Fashion, Fun, and Philanthropy April 22 at the Cordrey Center in Millsboro.

During the event, 16 new founders joined the Fund for Women: Betsy Baumeister, Barbara Bozak, Beccy Cooper, Judy DeMeno, Mary Hallahan, Ruthi Joseph, Joyce Kereszturi, Diane Markman, Leslie Mergner, Laurie Moorman, Rose Murray, Debby Quinn, Carina Slater, Jean Stakias, Sue Williams and Joann Yasiejko. Becoming a founder requires a pledge of $1,000 to be fulfilled within five years.

Guests watched Fund for Women Founders model spring fashions coming from local women’s boutiques, including Anything Goes at Village by the Sea, Josephine’s Daughter in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Bel Boutique in Dover and Coolspring Cottage in Milton. Make-up and hair styles were donated by Bad Hair Day in Rehoboth.

Store owners, along with Accent on Travel, sold items and donated raffle items for the event. Models strutting down the runway were Mary Davis, Suzanne Feaster, Cheryl Graves, Diane Hanson, Mikki Madden, Christine Moore, Iris Prager, Carina Slater, Kim Stevenson, and Lynn Thompson. Kyle Kokjohn was the model escort and Stephen Mervine provided music for the fashion show.

After a light lunch, beverages and desserts, Founders Lynn Kokjohn and Laura Slater explained how the Fund for Women organization lends a hand to Delaware women and girls through grants. Grant recipient Valerie Marek, executive director of Survivors of Abuse and Recovery, underscored how a Fund for Women grant assisted her organization in providing counseling to local abused women and girls.

The Fashion, Fun, and Philanthropy event was planned by Carolyn Cicio, Denise Emery, Lynn Kokjohn, Suzanne Landon, Jean Lamontagne, Judy Mellen, Polly Mervine, Cheryl Mitchell, Laura Slater and Carolyn Strum.

The Fund for Women was established in 1993 by a dedicated group of volunteer founders who recognized that there was a demonstrated need for establishing a separate fund for the benefit of women and girls in Delaware. Some of the services that The Fund for Women grants provide are prenatal care, housing, abuse counseling, legal assistance, medical care, scholarship programs, and job training.

The endowment fund is at the Delaware Community Foundation, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Grants from the Fund’s income are awarded annually. The Fund for Women has awarded more than $1.6 million to non-profit organizations for the benefit of women and girls in Delaware. $125,000 will be awarded to 11 grantees as a result of the endowment earnings this year.

For more information about the Fund for Women, go to www.delcf.org/ffw or contact Kokjohn at 302-841-4333 or LynnKokjohn@comcast.net.