Hundreds gathered at The Women’s Fund of Essex County Grant Awards Luncheon to be inspired by stories of local organizations making a difference in the lives of women and girls at risk. Here, from left to right, Lauren Hersh, Wendy Roworth, Elaine Quinn, Ro French, Lisa Parker, Kim Hopkins and Stephanie Clark.
Lauren Hersh, Founder and National Director of World Without Exploitation, to Keynote the 17th Women’s Fund of Essex County’s Grant Awards Luncheon.
More than 300 guests gathered at The Women’s Fund of Essex County’s 17th Annual Grant Awards Luncheon held October 17 at Danversport in Danvers, MA. The Annual Luncheon recognized and honored sixteen nonprofit agencies that provide outreach and life skills to women and girls throughout Essex County and which collectively were awarded $263,000 in program grants during 2019.
The featured speaker Lauren Hersh, Co-Founder and Director of World Without Exploitation, spoke about the national movement to end human trafficking. “We know that an injustice that goes unseen is an injustice that goes unchallenged,” Hersh said. “At this important time, I applaud The Women’s Fund of Essex County for its courageous work at the local level to tackle human trafficking in a meaningful way. Community engagement such as theirs brings hope, restores dignity, and returns freedom to survivors of human trafficking.”
Ro French, President of the Advisory Board of The Women’s Fund said, “The Women’s Fund is committed to increasing both impact and opportunities for the women and girls in Essex County by supporting the outstanding programs being offered by the agencies throughout the county, many of whom are here today.” She added, “These programs don’t always offer easy solutions, but hopefully will guide women as they work towards a brighter future for themselves and their families.”
Since its inception in 2003, The Women’s Fund has awarded over $2.3 million to more than 100 non-profit programs. The Women’s Fund is a field of interest fund of Essex County Community Foundation located in Danvers, MA.
Attendees were inspired by the work of two of The Women’s Fund community partners, Amirah and Centerboard, executives from which joined Hersh in speaking about the positive impact The Woman’s Fund grants have on their work to help local women and girls break the cycle of exploitation.
