by Julie Keller, Executive Director,
Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region

March is Women’s History Month and today we celebrate International Women’s Day!

Julie Keller

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the contributions and achievements women have made. And that progress is incredible – from winning the right to vote 100 years ago to our first female vice president in 2021.

This month is also a time to reflect on the work that still needs to be done. As we look just at this past year, the struggles women still face are real and devastating. Women make up much of the people living in poverty, women are leaving the workforce because they do not have quality and affordable childcare, and women and girls are vastly underrepresented in the STEM fields.

Today, March 8, marks International Women’s Day. This is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements and rally for women’s equality. The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is ‘Choose To Challenge’. A challenged world is an alert world. And from challenge comes change. Let’s all #ChooseToChallenge and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.

Simple things you can do:
• celebrate women’s achievements
• raise awareness about women’s equality
• advocate for accelerated gender parity
• support female-focused charities

Make International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month a time when you do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women. Together we can break down barriers, so more women and girls have opportunity not limited by their gender. We can all do something.

The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region is a supporting organization of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and a separate 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Women’s Fund invests in the needs of women and girls through grants, advocacy and education. Since 1994, the Women’s Fund has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants to innovative programs that improve women’s and girls’ physical and mental health, ensure their economic security, promote their safety and enhance their lives. To learn more about the Women’s Fund and how you can support women in the Fox Valley go to www.womensfundfvr.org