To ensure “women are economically and physically secure, safe, and healthy,” The Women’s Fund is hoping their fourth anniversary party brings more people into the fold.

On Thursday, Aug. 29, The Women’s Fund, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, will host Women Rock at The Chateau on Broadway, 2441 Broadway. 

The night will be a fundraiser with the Lilly Foundation matching each dollar raised. Along with food and drink, organizers will share their message and enjoy some live music from local female artists deeja, Rainee Perdue, and Eliza Toth. There will also be hors d’oeuvres on hand from Club Soda.

“In the past for our anniversary celebrations, we’ve had get-togethers with our members in The Women’s Fund,” said Patty Dunn, the organization’s development specialist. “Anyone who donates to The Women’s Fund becomes a member.

“We have realized to really make some big changes, we need a lot of people behind us. This Women Rock event, it is our anniversary celebration, but we wanted to open it up to the general public, not just out our members. 

“(Women’s Fund Director) Cassie (Beer) and I are both music lovers, so we thought what better way to highlight what we’re doing than by having some incredible female musicians.”

Seeing a need

The Women’s Fund began at the height of the pandemic, Aug. 26, 2020, but also on the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. 

“Prior to 2020, there were a lot of studies coming out, particularly in Fort Wayne, about what a great place it is to live,” Dunn said. “But the Community Foundation recognized there weren’t any studies coming out about where women stand in our community. 

“So, we worked with (Director of PFW Community Research Institute) Rachel Blakeman and she did a women’s and girls’ report that is on our website and is over 200 pages. It covers everything: from how much women get paid in our community, what those women’s health looks like in our community, how our mental health is for young women. 

“That study really gave birth to The Women’s Fund and really drove our mission for economic security, personal safety, and young women and girls. We found those were the three really standout areas that we have room for improvement as a community in Allen County.”

That report showed women in Allen County were making $15,590 less than men in median earnings; 26 percent did not have health care access due to cost; and 70 percent had experienced crime.

Through those findings, they based their three main objectives on Economic Security, Personal Safety, and Young Women & Girls.

Scoring employers

One way they’ve sought to reach equity in the workplace is through their Compass Survey which employers can take via their website. 

“We work with local employers, who can access (the Compass Survey) on our website, and their (Human Resources) department can put in the information they have for how many women are in leadership, what kind of pay does leadership staff receive, how much paid time off you have,” Dunn said.

“We take those metrics and are creating a scorecard for each of the employers. In March, after the survey is closed, we have a Women in the Workplace luncheon and we celebrate those that are doing fantastic.”

While some employers are empowering women, the organization sees work can be done to improve women in leadership roles, allowing for more benefits and policies to promote equitable workplaces for women, as well as more access to child care.

One-stop shop 

Along with working to “address employment issues that really impede women and girls from reaching their full economic potential,” The Women’s Fund also works to get help for women in abusive situations.

Through their website No Matter What (nomatterwhatfw.org), those seeking help are able to seek out resources in a streamlined manner. You may have noticed some coffee shops around town sporting the No Matter What coffee sleeves and other area businesses using coasters that include the QR Code to access the website.

“It’s a one-stop place where people can go to find information about the YWCA or Sexual Assault Treatment Center,” she said, mentioning two of the many organizations. 

“In talking to a lot of these organizations in town, we found that they’re really playing traffic control. People will reach out to one organization for something that they don’t really deal with. But when you’re in a traumatic situation, just reaching out takes a lot, and the chances really shrink the more and more you have to research where to find the help you need. 

“The Women’s Fund really wants to spread awareness of all the incredible people who are doing the hard work and uplift that organizations.”

Fostering growth

The third prong of their mission is getting to young women and girls before they become disillusioned. They do this through training sessions where leaders can learn skills to prop them up.

“If you work for The Girl Scouts or you’re a teacher, we have trainings you can attend to do a deep dive on your policies and the language you use when working with girls, making sure we’re building up their confidence, really listening to them, and just creating good spaces for them,” Dunn said.

To accomplish their goals, organizers have recognized they need help.

“As we’re growing our work, we wanted to grow our supporters, too,” Dunn said. “We decided to create (Women Rock) and make it a little bit larger and incorporate some music to bring in the general community to learn about what we’re doing.

“Hopefully, people can enjoy some really good music and also learn about the changes we’re making in Fort Wayne.”