The cutting-edge, hands-on philanthropists of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of South Palm Beach County (JWF) have again planned a provocative program and reception for Granting Wishes, their annual evening of funding announcements. Women are invited to hear bestselling author Naomi Wolf challenge women to take a cold, hard look at our culture of beauty, how it rules our lives and how we can break free. (Naomi Wolf bio below)

When they gather at 5:00 pm on March 7, 2011, at Boca Rio Country Club, 22041 Boca Rio Road, Boca Raton, they’ll also enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, pasta and stir fry stations, wine and soft drinks. Dietary laws will be observed. 

“We’re very excited to offer a speaker of Naomi’s reputation, whose perspective and topic are of prime interest to women who care about improving the opportunities, choices and status of Jewish women and girls,” said Rose Singer, Co-chair of the evening. “This will be a wonderful experience for women to share with their friends, their mothers, their daughters and their granddaughters, and we anticipate a capacity crowd.” 

“We’re also excited to announce JWF’s new grant recipients, and share how our combined dollars and shared decisions will be helping women and girls in the coming year,” said event Co-chair Cindy White. “JWF’s hands-on, independent philanthropists select and support programs that address their most passionate concerns in our own community and around the world. It’s remarkably satisfying to see the impact we have together.”

The grants will be awarded in three focus areas: abuse prevention, educational opportunities, and health and welfare.  Trustees of the Jewish Women’s Foundation serve as equal partners in selecting grant recipients, deciding together how to direct their combined resources.  

Founded by Roxane Frechie Lipton in 2003, JWF granted more than $60,000 for its selected 2010 projects and has allocated a total of nearly $250,000 over the past five years. JWF is currently led by 2010-11 Co-chairs Ann Kelman and Marlene Silver.

The Jewish Women’s Foundation of South Palm Beach County is generously sponsored by Oppenheimer.

The Granting Wishes event couvert is $36 pre-paid, $45 at the door; students under 23 will be admitted free of charge with a current student ID. To RSVP online, visit www.jewishboca.org/grantingwishes.  For more information about the event or about becoming a JWF trustee, contact 561-852-3188 or maureenm@bocafed.org

The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County serves the Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach areas, raising and allocating millions of dollars each year to meet vital needs locally, in Israel and more than 70 countries worldwide. The Jewish Women’s Foundation is an initiative of the Federation’s Jewish Community Foundation.

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Photo captions:
bottom:  L-R: Rose Singer, Cindy White; JWF Granting Wishes Co-chairs
top:       Naomi Wolf

 NAOMI WOLF BIO:

Author, social critic, and political activist Naomi Wolf raises awareness of the pervasive inequities that exist in society and politics. She encourages people to take charge of their lives, voice their concerns and enact change. Her seven books include New York Times bestsellers The Beauty Myth, The End of America and Give Me Liberty. She has spoken worldwide to audiences from all walks of life about gender equality, social justice, and the defense of liberty. She co-founded the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, which teaches ethics and empowerment to young women leaders, and the American Freedom Campaign, which defends the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. A graduate of Yale and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Wolf was a women’s issues and social policy consultant to Al Gore during his presidential campaign.