December 2023

Inside WGB

 Updates & Current Events 

Kids Giving Back

We had a blast kicking off holiday festivities with our Kids Giving Back event! Families stopped by with gift donations and joined us in making snack packs, reindeer candy canes, ornaments and other crafty decorations, plus got some holly jolly photos with Santa! 

A special shoutout to our Youth Planning Committee who put together a fun evening, and to our volunteers for bringing the vision to life!

>> View more photos here! <<

Photography services graciously provided by Courtney Owens

Inquiries: [email protected]

 Santa's Workshop

WGB turned into a festive holiday wonderland for our annual Santa's Workshop! Your donations and helping hands brought the spirit of Christmas to over 180 women and 500 children this year.  It was an absolute joy seeing moms pick out the perfect gifts for their kids, and we can only imagine their excitement when they open them up on Christmas morning!

Moms were also able to shop for free clothing, shoes, and accessories in our boutique, each accompanied by their own personal volunteer elf.  Additionally, each mom received a gift bag lovingly packed with self-care items donated by the National Charity League Bluebell Chapter, and a grocery store gift card donated by Loudoun Hunger Relief.  Between the smiles, hugs, and happy tears, it was a day full of cheer and gratitude.

Loudoun Hunger Relief also donated cupcakes for shoppers and volunteers to enjoy! They were as beautiful as they were delicious.

Some of our Board and Committee members joined in on the fun too!

Dave Baer manning Santa's

Bike Shop

Leslie Strittmatter restocking

toy areas

>> View more photos here! <<

These special moments captured by Chip McCrea Photography

Thank you to all who donated gifts and conducted toy drives, including:

 A special note of appreciation to Dream Finders Homes for donating

over 200 bikes and helmets this year!

Holiday Jewelry Tree Raffle

That's a wrap on the raffle! We were excited for our winner to bring the Holiday Jewelry Tree to its new home. Although only one entrant could take home the prize, we hope all felt like winners for supporting our community.

Thank you again to our Board member Cindy Dwyer for spearheading this campaign, to her friends Carol Coose and Kaede Cook who created the masterpiece, and to all the local businesses who put it on display for us!

Our winner!

FUNdraising

Top: Community Foundation staff and Loudoun Impact Fund donors

Bottom: Nonprofit grantees

We are incredibly grateful to be one of the 15 organizations selected to receive a grant from the Loudoun Impact Fund, a giving circle of engaged Loudoun County donors who pool their gifts together to make bigger and more meaningful impact through grants to local nonprofits.

This grant will do wonders for WGB as we look to expand our supportive services for women and children in crisis.  We had a great time  connecting with other nonprofit grant recipients and celebrating the Fund's benchmark of $1M donated!

Thank you to the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, and all the Fund's donors for their continued support of local nonprofit work.  Read more about the Fund and all the grantees here.

Aria MediSpa, a new first-time donor to WGB, collected donations at one of their group meditation classes earlier this month to support our programming.

Dulles Area Association of Realtors (DAAR) has become one of our frequent volunteer groups and selected us as a Community Engagement and Charitable Partner this year!

Target Circle

A friendly reminder to keep voting for WGB through December 31st to help us earn funds from the Target Circle program!

Your holiday gift and decór shopping can bring twice the magic this season! Each eligible purchase at a Target store, on target.com, or through the Target mobile app earns shoppers votes to support local nonprofits.

We’re asking our supporters to help us make the most of this incredible opportunity. Every vote counts to help us receive a portion of the available Target funds as we continue advancing our mission.

Make sure Your Store is set to one of the following locations to select WGB

when voting: 

• Leesburg
• Manassas West
• Gainesville
• Front Royal
• Winchester / Winchester North
• Culpeper
• Dumfries

• Stafford / Stafford South

• Fredericksburg

• Massaponax

• Martinsburg

• Germantown

• Frederick

• Hagerstown

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Although the holidays will be wrapping up soon, winter weather will stick around for another couple months, so our Winter Coat Drive efforts continue! Help give the gift of warmth by donating items during our scheduled drop-off times, or host a drive with your neighbors, friends, and coworkers! 

We are collecting the following items in new or gently used condition for women and children of all ages/sizes:

-Outerwear

-Hats

-Scarves

-Gloves/mittens

-Snow pants

-Boots

We are also highly in need of kids' general winter clothes!  If you're looking to make room in your kids' closets for new clothing after the holidays, set aside any gently-used outgrown clothing and check back for more donation drop-off times in the new year.

The Gift of Giving

Entering the holiday season, many who feel fortunate enough not to need presents seek ways to supplement others' wish lists.  If you are looking to lift up a family in need (or wondering what to get that person who is impossible to shop for), consider making a dedicated monetary gift to spread some holiday cheer!

Click to download a donation certificate and send it to your loved one to share your gift made in their name!

 Volunteer Spotlight 

We'd like to express our deepest appreciation for everyone who gave their time and energy to help us during this very busy time of year. We could not have pulled off our holiday efforts without our incredible volunteers, and we are immensely grateful to have each of you as part of our team!

Stride, Inc. and Kaiser Permanente join WGB volunteers in decorating the boutique

WGB volunteers collecting holiday gift donations at Walmart

Kids Giving Back crew

Santa's Workshop elves and assistants, including volunteers from: Apple Federal Credit Union, Snails Prevail (Madeira School), Junior League of Northern Virginia, Intercoastal Mortgage, O-Six Ryderz MC, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority - Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Dulles Area Association of Realtors, NextMark Credit Union, National Charity League Cherry Blossoms, Young Men's Service League 

We can always use the help!

We have plenty of options and shifts to choose from!

Sign up now!

To schedule a group event, please fill out

this form.

 Looking Ahead 

Our office and facilities will be closed from Christmas through New Year's Day.  We look forward to returning rested and refreshed to hit the ground running for 2024 on January 2nd!

It's In The Bag

We are excited to share that WGB has been selected to benefit from the Giant Food Community Bag Program, which makes it easy for customers to contribute to their local communities.

When: the month of January

Where: Giant located at 21800 Town Center Plaza in Sterling

What: each Community Bag purchased = $1 donated to WGB 

Don't forget to share the news with friends and family! The more Community Bags purchased in January, the more we can raise together for local women and children in need.

To learn more about this program, please visit giantfood.2givelocal.com

Ways You Can Help

Consider adding an item to your Amazon cart

WGB’s Donation Wish List

Make a monetary donation

Your generosity and support are critical in making a difference in our community.

Donate Now

Join our community of

Monthly Givers!

Learn More

Learn more at

www.WomenGivingBack.org

For details about becoming an annual sponsor, please email Kelly Mechak at [email protected]

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