A legacy of impact: the story of the Women’s Fund

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – What began as a single idea from Shannon Vitale has grown into an organization making a major impact in the community.

Over the years, the group has contributed well over $100,000 last year alone.

Back in 2011, a simple lunch meeting sparked what would become a powerful legacy thanks to a few women willing to give back to south-central Kentucky.

Jennifer Wethington, the executive director for the Community Foundation, shares, “I’m the chair of the community foundation, and it’s just so much bigger than any of us could have ever imagined. We had the germ of an idea, and it just shows how women coming together can really make a difference.”

The Women’s Fund, which is a part of the Community Foundation, creates a space for everyone in the community to be impacted.

Cara Benningfield, a founding board member, says, “One of my fond memories when we were first getting the fund started is we had set a goal that we wanted to make a $50,000 grant. And to make a $50,000 grant, we had to raise $100,000 because half of it would go to the endowment, and the other half we would give as our grant. And we were so excited, and we weren’t sure if we would meet our goal. But when we did, we were thrilled. To support women, children and families in our community. And now our endowment is over $2 million, which is a number we never would have dreamed of. ”

Wethington emphasizes a particular goal within the foundation, which is to shine a light on the necessity for others.

He says, “There’s always going to be needs. And I think helping to raise awareness is one of the main goals of the women’s fund, to help raise the awareness of what the needs are in our community, how it’s impacting our children, our women in our families, and how we can invest in meeting those needs and also making a difference in the long term. So those investments not only look at the current need, but also future needs. And that makes you feel good that not only are you making a difference, but you’re building for the future as well.”

Over the years, hundreds of members of the women’s fund have had the opportunity to contribute to the organization and raise more than $2 million for their endowment that will be utilized in years to come.

Benningfield says, “We as individuals can all do things to help. But when you put hundreds of women together, we can do things that we could never dream of doing alone, and the thing I love about the women’s fund is that every time we give, part of our money goes to the endowment. And that endowment will support women, children, and families in south-central Kentucky long after we’re all gone.”

This is just the beginning for the women’s fund and organizations that receive support from it. More information can be found on their Facebook.