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Full Circle News
February 2026
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Register today! Wednesday, March 4, 2026 St. John’s College at the Frances Key Auditorium 6:30-8:00 pm, reception to follow. In person or live stream, register HERE Protecting our Community: Women Leading with Impact Please join us for a conversation with Chief Amal E. Awad of the Anne Arundel County Police Department, and Fire Chief, Trisha L. Wolford of the Anne Arundel Fire Department, both dedicated and accomplished public servants, who play a vital role in keeping our community safe. We will discuss how they have navigated their professional paths, built relationships and inspired meaningful results. We will also have Preeti Emrick, JD, director of the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management, facilitating this discussion. Guests are encouraged to stay after the event to mingle with others who share a passion for Women in Leadership. Find out more: https://www.givingtogether.org/events |
Getting Togethers | Young Philanthropists |
Join us for an AAWGT Getting Together event! These monthly gatherings are a favorite among members; a casual, welcoming space to connect, network, and build meaningful relationships with fellow AAWGT members and their guests. Registration is required. CLICK to see upcoming dates and learn more.Even better, these events come at no cost to the organization, allowing us to preserve and maximize our impact. Last year, that impact included more than $225,000 in grant funding invested back into our community. Upcoming Getting Togethers:
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A small group of AAWGT members has been working behind the scenes to build momentum around engaging the next generation of philanthropists. What began as the Young Philanthropists Program has grown into something more, a vision for deeper connection, hands-on impact, and expanded membership. Click HERE to learn more and join.Today, that vision is taking shape as the proposed Next Gen Committee. Focused on early and mid-career women, this new committee will create meaningful opportunities to connect, volunteer, and learn, helping to strengthen the future of collective philanthropy in our community. We’re excited to see this group evolve and invite members to join in shaping what’s next. If you’re interested in joining the Next Gen Committee, please email membership@givingtogether.org and let us know! |
Getting Togethers!
Meet the Next Gen Committee!Grantee Spotlight
Annapolis Immigration Justice Network (AIJN) Mercedes' Story: A Mother's Path to Safety Mercedes and her daughter's lives were in danger. They came to the U.S. seeking safety and asylum. When Mercedes reached out to AIJN, it provided immediate assistance through a partnering attorney who determined that Mercedes and her daughter were eligible to apply for asylum. "I know that some people dislike immigrants, but not everyone. There are people with good hearts who want to help, like the people at AIJN." Click HERE to read more of Mercedes’ story and AIJN’s community impact.It was a grant from AAWGT that enabled AIJN to hire its first staff member, allowing it to grow and respond to emerging needs. Now a staff of three, AIJN has provided services to over 1,200 immigrant families, children, and individuals and has provided over $1,000,000 for legal representation. AIJN provided funding for Mercedes and her daughter's legal representation, our volunteers provided rides to legal appointments, and AIJN staff helped them attend virtual hearings. Mercedes and her daughter were granted asylum in 2025. She told us that for two weeks, she could not stop looking at her papers in awe, disbelief, and gratitude. Their lives will be changed forever. *Names and photos changed for client privacy and safety Legal Representation, Due Process, and Justice with AIJN
Annapolis Immigration Justice Network (AIJN) connects vulnerable members in our community to immigration attorneys. For many families, finding reliable legal representation can mean the difference between staying together and being separated, between building a future here and facing deportation. AAWGT’s grant has brought hope and stability to five women in Anne Arundel County. These are women who have already survived unimaginable challenges. They are asylum seekers who fled persecution in their home countries and survivors of domestic abuse seeking safety. Without legal help, they would be facing a daunting immigration system alone. Because of AAWGT’s grant, these women and their children have trusted, high quality, legal representation. AAWGT’s support has been instrumental in AIJN’s work, especially during a time when our community needs it most. With a surge of immigration enforcement, AIJN has been able to swiftly connect our neighbors to legal representation. For these urgent cases, legal representation isn't just helpful, it's critical to ensuring due process. The Lasting Impact of AAWGT AIJN began in 2017 as a group of volunteers working to help their immigrant neighbors. And while the first 5 years, AIJN was a 100% volunteer run organization, the group knew they wouldn’t be able to keep up with growing needs. AAWGT’s grants have helped AIJN have the impact it has today. |
Grants
Record-breaking 2026 Grant Fund to Disperse! WOW! You did it! YOU helped build the largest grant pool in our history, $262,913! Along with your memberships, our “One More Grant” fundraising effort rose to the challenge and brought in more than $65,000!! Another record!! This effort along with our growing membership, new lifetime members, new and renewing sponsors, and a record breaking “One More Grant” effort, will make possible an even larger 2026 impact in Anne Arundel County. Don’t forget to vote on our grants May 1. Click HERE to read more about this year’s applications and process.59 Grant Applications + 69 Reviewers + AAWGT Members = AAWGT Impact Grants and Grants Systems had a very busy start to the new year. We wrapped up the 2026 Grants submission process which closed on January 31st. We also held online guidance sessions to help nonprofit administrators apply for a portion of AAWGT’s record-breaking $262,913 in grants funding this year. We’re delighted to report that we received 59 grant applications from a diverse group of nonprofits making a meaningful difference in the lives of women and families in our area. Of that number, 17 are from first time applicants. We are excited to partner with our 69 Team Leaders and Reviewers who begin their work later this month. After that, it’s up to each team to review, discuss and identify those initiatives that best align with AAWGT’s mission. And in May, it all comes down to you—our members—who will cast the final votes! |
Leadership, Governance, Nominating
The Importance of Female Mentorship “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” - Marissa Mayer (former CEO of Yahoo!) CLICK HERE to read more.Our committee is actively working to put together a slate for leadership nominations for the 2026-27 year. This includes for our executive team, committee chairs and assistant chairs. We are looking for engaged, enthusiastic, dedicated members who feel ready to step up into one of these positions. You may already be serving and wish to participate in a different committee, or you may be somewhat new to the organization and want to jump right in. Our theme this year is female mentorship, where our lead chairs work collaboratively with assistant chairs to advise, teach, train, and support – preparing them for future leadership opportunities If this is you, we want to hear from you. Join in an AAWGT leadership role to serve our Anne Arundel Community and partner with women and families to strengthen the quality of life. (Click here to see more and access the list of committees) | Recent Events/Photos
AAWGT in Austin at “Power Up!” National Conference! Margaret Davis, Deborah Chin, and Sue Pitchford participated in Philanos’ biannual gathering of more than 350 women who came together to learn more about national philanthropic trends, about best practices in giving circles around the country, and be inspired by national figures passionate about collective impact. CLICK HERE to read more.Past President Sue Pitchford, assistant chair - membership, facilitated a session titled “How Well Do You Know Your Members?”, a discussion focused on how affiliate giving circles are using membership data to strengthen engagement and connection. Deborah Chin, assistant chair, AAWGT’s DEIAB Committee, was a panelist for the breakout session “Continuing the Equity Journey: Remaining Committed During Challenging Times.” Deborah shared AAWGT’s history and actions related to DEIAB, contributing to a powerful conversation among giving circle leaders about sustaining equity work and its impact on membership. Past President Margaret Davis, chair marketing and communications committee and Philanos finance committee member, attended to glean best practices to share throughout AAWGT. We are grateful for members who lead, share, and represent AAWGT with thoughtfulness and integrity on the national stage.
February Getting Together More than 50 women joined us at Blackwall Hitch for our AAWGT Getting Together event! |
Mark Your Calendars  April 16 - Spring Open House Membership Recruitment Calling all members to spread the word and encourage your friends and colleagues to discover how Anne Arundel Women Giving Together is more than a giving circle, it’s a powerful network of passionate women creating meaningful change in Anne Arundel County. The Open House is a chance for potential new members to learn how collective giving multiplies impact, connect with like-minded women, and explore opportunities to give, learn, and lead. April 16th @ 5:30pm. Register HERE. | Sponsor Spotlight  Meet Sarah Greenlee Morse, AAWGT Sponsor & 20th Anniversary Co-Chair “I support AAWGT because I believe in “women helping women” and our work creating a positive impact in our County. As Membership Chair in 2015, I started our popular Getting Togethers, which enhance our success and growth. As a long-time financial sponsor, I can directly support activities geared to forge AAWGT connections and friendships.” Read more about Sarah here http://www.sarahgmorse.com/ |
Announcements
We Want to Hear From You! The AAWGT Strategic Planning team is conducting a brief member survey to incorporate into our new plan! Please look for the survey in your email on or before March 1. Your response is anonymous, and we hope you’ll participate to help shape our future - thank you! | 20th Anniversary News
Our New 20th Anniversary Endowment In celebration of AAWGT’s 20th Anniversary, we’ve launched a campaign to build our Endowment Fund to $1,000,000 and beyond! First created with a generous member gift and then multiplied by many 10th Anniversary donations, our Endowment Fund is securing a strong financial future while annually contributing dollars today to AAWGT’s grant and administrative funds. Join us in securing AAWGT’s future today! By becoming a Lifetime Member or by making a one-time contribution – thank you! |
Leadership Message
Thank Goodness for Zoom! It’s a love-hate relationship we have with zoom, but during the recent “snowcrete” event AAWGT kept moving forward with our committee undertakings thanks to our virtual meetings. Still, we thrive on the connections made at in-person gatherings as evidenced by the 50-60 members who met at Blackwall Hitch last week. Click here to read moreNew members spent time learning about AAWGT and we learned about what brought them to us. And we had over 100 members attend the February 17 Business meeting, most in person. We will soon be entering springtime and the unfolding of our grant making, new committee creation, 20th anniversary plans, including our strategic plan, which will help lead us forward. Stay tuned- there is much excitement in the air! Stealey Ashley, President | Welcome New Members! Welcome! Welcome New AAWGT members! So glad you’ve joined us. Elizabeth Adams (1/20/2026 - 2/19/2026) |
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