Community, Connection & Doing Good Together
There is something special that happens when women come together with a shared purpose. Last night's Happy Hour at Mitote Food Park was the perfect reminder of what makes Santa Rosa Women for Good such an incredible community.
Around 30 women joined us for an evening filled with conversation, laughter, delicious food, and meaningful connection. One of our favorite things about these monthly gatherings is seeing a wonderful mix of familiar faces and women attending for the very first time. Longtime members welcomed newcomers, new friendships were formed, and everyone left knowing they are part of something bigger than themselves.
While the food and drinks were certainly a highlight, the real purpose of the evening was giving back.
As part of our Happy Hour, we hosted a Back-to-School Donation Drive benefiting local children in partnership with Catholic Charities. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our members, we collected school supplies and assembled 60 backpacks filled with everything students need to start the school year with confidence—including lunchboxes, water bottles, notebooks, pencils, paper, and other classroom essentials.
Next month, these backpacks will be distributed to local families experiencing homelessness, helping ensure children can walk into their first day of school prepared and ready to learn. Watching everyone pitch in to sort supplies, pack backpacks, and work together was a wonderful reminder that even small acts of generosity become something powerful when a community comes together.
The evening also marked an exciting milestone for Santa Rosa Women for Good.
Just last month, we set an ambitious goal of reaching 100 donating Impact Members: women whose quarterly contributions make our community grant program possible. We are thrilled to share that we reached that milestone far sooner than we ever expected!
When we announced the goal, we also promised that reaching it would allow us to increase the size of our grants. Thanks to the generosity of our growing membership, we're able to do that immediately.
This summer, instead of our original grant amounts, we will award:
One $6,500 Impact Grant
Two $1,500 Seed Grants
This is the first time in our organization's history that we'll award three grants in a single cycle, and it's only possible because more women have chosen to join together in collective giving.
We were also excited to announce this summer's three nonprofit finalists: The Zane Templin Foundation, Free to Be, and Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County.
Representatives from each organization joined us during Happy Hour to share information about their incredible work and connect with our members. It was inspiring to learn more about the impact each organization is making throughout our community.
Today, voting officially opens, and our Impact Members will decide which organization receives the $6,500 Impact Grant, while the remaining two finalists will each receive a $1,500 Seed Grant. No matter the outcome, it’s so exciting to know that all three organizations will receive funding to continue their important work.
As our community continues to grow, so does our ability to create meaningful change. Whether we're assembling backpacks for local students, volunteering together, supporting nonprofit organizations through our grant program, or simply creating space for women to connect and build community, every new member helps expand the impact we can make together.
We're incredibly proud of everything this community has accomplished in such a short time, and even more excited about what's still ahead. Thank you to everyone who joined us, donated supplies, packed backpacks, and continues to make Santa Rosa Women for Good a community where generosity, connection, and local impact thrive.
Here's to doing even more good together.