Marblehead Activist To Speak At Essex County Women's Fund Luncheon

MARBLEHEAD, MA — National women's rights activist and Marblehead native Amy Siskind will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Women's Fund of Essex County annual luncheon awards fundraiser.

Siskind is president of The New Agenda — a nonprofit that's mission is to raise attention about the importance of women's and girls' economic independence, and promote advancement, representation and safety.

The awards luncheon where 34 local organizations will be recognized for their contributions to women and girls of Essex County on Nov. 3 at Danversport Harborside.

"The hard work of creating economic, health, and social equity for all women has to take place on many fronts, especially at the community level," Siskind said. "Supporting local organizations, such as The Women's Fund of Essex County, whose own efforts support so many
nonprofits working on the front lines to help women and girls, helps ensure that all of us are working in sync to make sure women and girls have an economically bright future."

According to the Women's Philanthropy Institute, there are nearly 50,000 organizations in the United States dedicated to women and girls, but those account for less than 2 percent of charitable donations.

"The Women's Fund's donors are amazing, and we cherish their support," TWF co-president Wendy Roworth said. "But the need for additional funds to support our grantees is huge and growing."

TWF co-president Trish Moore said the challenges that women face have only increased amid the impact of the COVID-19 health crisis and recent inflation pressures on childcare.

"The need here among women and girls in Essex County knows no bounds of age or race," Moore said.

This year the TWF awarded $250,000 in annual grant funding to nonprofit organizations in more than 20 Essex County communities.

"Our grantees are the heart and soul of The Women's Fund," Roworth said. "The invaluable services they provide are why The Women's Fund works so hard to raise money for their programs."

Luncheon tickets and sponsorships help go to increase the funding for women's and girls' causes. Go here to purchase tickets for the upcoming awards luncheon, donate or learn more about the organization.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)