Spring Event Celebrates 15 Years of Local Grantmaking

Giving Together's 2024 Spring Event on May 2 celebrated our giving circle's 15th anniversary. It was a great party for members and friends and a successful fundraiser for GT's Emergency Fund for Individuals and Families in Crisis.* A delicious buffet and social hour was followed by a program highlighting the progress of GT's 2023 grantees. Two of those grantees, Safe Shores and BCAUSEICAN, made presentations. Many other GT grantees were among the guests. Another Event highlight was the award presented to Neighbors in Need Montgomery, the Emergency Fund's chief beneficiary of the evening. Neighbors in Need -- a program of the Greater Washington Community Foundation (GWCF) -- helps area residents in dire situations, such as an inability to pay back rent or cover the cost of a prescription. In thanking GT, GWCF's Montgomery County Executive Director, Anna Hargrave, announced that the GT donation would be matched 100% by major Community Foundation donors, doubling the impact of our gift.  

The evening also honored Jeanne Spivak, a beloved longtime GT board member and founding chair of the Community Service Committee, who passed away in January. Knowing her dedication to Giving Together, Jeanne's family asked that contributions in her memory be sent to GT. As a result, GT received more than $10,000 in donations. By board decision, the amount was divided between two GT grantees -- the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project and My Sister's Place -- organizations that provide services for victims of domestic violence. For Jeanne, sheltering and assisting these vulnerable women had always been a special concern.   

Co-president Renee Licht announced these awards and noted that Jeanne's husband Marvin Spivak and several members of Jeanne's family were attending the Event. Then, she focused on a final gift made in Jeanne's memory. In anextraordinary gesture, she said, Jeanne’s husband had made an unprecedented donation to Giving Together -- a most generous act that spoke to Jeanne's commitment to our organization. "We are deeply moved and honored by the Spivaks’ generosity and for the validation of our giving circle’s work. We expect to use the gift in a way that strengthens GT and will report further about our plans at our September Annual Meeting." 

*Following the Spring Event, GT announced that the evening raised nearly $11,000 for the Emergency Fund.