The Vermont Women’s Fund and Change The Story VT will co-host a special breakfast on Tuesday, February 5, from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. at the University of Vermont’s Davis Center featuring guest speaker Ted Bunch. Link to event invitation here.
Ted Bunch is the co-founder of A CALL TO MEN, a violence prevention organization dedicated to helping men find ways to create a culture of respect, equity, and value for all—in the workplace and in schools. Ted has presented to audiences all over the United States from colleges and corporate boardrooms to major leagues sports teams and the U.S. Military.
“It is vitally important that we include men in the conversation,” says Meg Smith, director of the Vermont Women’s Fund. “For too long, wage disparity and the lack of women in leadership positions have been considered ‘women’s issues’ and addressed in a vacuum. But the headlines in the past few years following the Harvey Weinstein story and the #MeToo Movement have changed the climate in our workplace culture.” Adds Smith, “But there hasn’t been much space to talk about it. That’s what this breakfast is all about.”
The Vermont Women’s Fund, the state’s first and largest philanthropic resource devoted to Vermont’s women and girls, is co-hosting this event with Change The Story, a statewide initiative formed four years ago to fast-track women’s economic security in Vermont. Change The Story issued four reports on the economic status of women in Vermont in 2016-2017, the first of its kind in over a decade. The initiative also engages with employers through their Business Peer Exchange, with men through Champions for Change efforts, and with all Vermonters using their signature Let’s Talk Gender conversation toolkits. Change The Story is a partnership initiative of the Vermont Commission on Women, Vermont Works for Women, and the Vermont Women’s Fund.
The breakfast is being led by a host committee of 27 male business and community leaders including Mayor Miro Weinberger, Senator Michael Sirotkin, Burlington City Councilor Ali Dieng, and UVM Director of Athletics Jeff Schulman. Tickets are $35 per person, $10 per student and are available online at vermontwomensfund.org.
###
The Vermont Women’s Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, gives grants to Vermont nonprofit organizations that support women and girls in job training, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and pathways to increased career opportunities. The Women’s Fund is also the lead funder of Change The Story, an initiative that addresses women’s economic security in the state in partnership with the Vermont Commission on Women and Vermont Works for Women. Visit vermontwomensfund.org for more information
The Vermont Community Foundation inspires giving and brings people and resources together to make a difference in Vermont. A family of hundreds of funds and foundations, we provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise that make it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love.
The heart of the Community Foundation’s work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. We are aligning our time, energy, and discretionary resources on efforts that provide access to early care and learning, pathways to college and career training, support for youth and families, and community and economic vitality. We envision Vermont at its best—where everyone has the opportunity to build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.