Full Circle News
November 2025
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2025 Founders Award
Anne Arundel Women Giving Together proudly honored Elaine M. Shanley as the recipient of the 2025 Founders' Award, recognizing her outstanding dedication, vision, and service to our organization and community. Elaine exemplifies what it means to be a collaborative leader-- one who listens, inspires, and empowers others to achieve more together.
Since joining AAWGT, Elaine has strengthened our organization through her many leadership roles.
CLICK HERE to learn more.
Serving on the Leadership and Governance Committee for seven years, she introduced efficiencies, clarified processes, and championed innovative improvements that continue to shape how we operate today. As Assistant Treasurer and Treasurer (2018-2019), she enhanced our financial practices and transparency, ensuring that both the Steering Committee and membership were better informed and engaged. Elaine continued to elevate AAWGT as Vice President (2020) and President (2021)--guiding the organization with grace, clarity, and compassion through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her leadership style is marked by inclusivity and trust; she empowers others by delegating with confidence and fostering collaboration.
Elaine joins a distinguished group of women--the 18th recipient of this honor since its inception in 2007--who have each helped shape AAWGT into the strong, generous, and forward-thinking comnmunity it is today. Her legacy of thoughtful leadership and steadfast commitment to collective giving continues to inspire all who serve alongside her.
Congratulations Elaine!
One More Grant | Mark Your Calendar |
Halfway There! Your Gift Today = One More Grant Each year, we turn to our AAWGT members and the community to join together in giving One More Grant to help women and families in Anne Arundel County. In our lifetime, AAWGT has granted more than $2 million to 60+ local organizations and - now more than ever - the need continues to grow! With One More Grant, your contribution is leveraged to directly impact those in need. And we are already halfway there! Please use this link to participate. CLICK HERE to learn more.In just one month, we have already raised $20,000 toward our $40,000 goal for One More Grant. We hope you’ll donate to this important effort. In 2026, we aim to give $230,000+ in grants, matching what was awarded to our AAC grantees earlier this year. (Sadly, the unfunded requests totalled $730,000.) Our goal is simple: to expand our impact and fund more deserving organizations. Join us in boosting our impact today by giving a gift of any size by December 31 to One More Grant. This year, our AAWGT grants are funding advocacy for foster children, legal representation for immigrant families, micro-grants for teen projects and much more. And, as we grow, our grants can reach further. During this season of giving and gratitude, we ask you to help make a difference to those in need by using this link (via the Community Foundation) and donating to One More Grant – thank you! Don’t forget to mark the “Donate” box. |
Save the Date - Watch social media and your inbox to sign up! 1. November 12 - 8:30AM - Getting Together Coffee. Discoveries: The Library at the Mall. Register here 2. November 13 - 6:00pm “Poverty Amidst Plenty VIII: Building Community Together” Zoom. Learn more and register here. 3. November 13 - Equity Study Group. 4:00PM Zoom, Discussion with Chrissie Bowman, Social Impact Solutions. See Newlsetter for more info. 4. November 17 - Bi-lingual AAWGT Grant Application available (for pre-review only) 5. December 2 - Getting Together - Holiday Party, 5:30pm - 7:30pm. Members Only.$10pp. heavy hors d'oeuvres. Please bring non-perishable food items and/or baby diapers/wipes to donate to grantee Asbury Church Assistance Network (ACAN) 6. December 18th, 5:00pm - 8:00pm - Young Philanthropists Group - volunteer opportunity at Walk the Walk Foundation (Millersville). Brighten holidays for Anne Arundel children and families. Wrap gifts, sort donations, greet families, help load cars, All ages and abilities welcome. |
Getting Togethers
November Getting Together Join us in the Library’s new expanded space, the busiest library in the system, to learn about the Community Pantry that supports women and families by providing diapers and menstrual products. Click here to learn more and register Hosted by the Library Foundation, AAWGT members and guests are asked to bring diapers, wipes, or menstrual products in support of the Pantry - learn more about needs here: www.aacpl.net/services/discoveries/pantry | Kendra Scott Gives To AAWGT
Shop Dec 6 and benefit AAWGT Join us on December 6 for a special shopping day at Kendra Scott in Annapolis (Towne Center). During this promotion, 20% of sales—both in-store and online—will be donated to AAWGT in support of women and families in our community. Shop for holiday gifts and give back at the same time! Come to the store Dec 6 and watch social media and email for the online shopping code. |
Grantee Spotlight
PlayAnnapolis Where Every Kid Gets in the Game Recognizing this gap, a group of community leaders launched PlayAnnapolis in 2023 to make “Recreation for All” not just a motto, but a movement. CLICK HERE to learn more.In just two years, PlayAnnapolis has built partnerships with 18 local sports organizations and assembled a volunteer “Coalition Crew” of more than 60 dedicated members—including families, educators, partner organizations, city officials, and local police and firefighters. Most importantly, the organization has provided over 450 youth scholarships and essential sports equipment, ensuring that cost is never a reason a child can’t play. With support from Anne Arundel Women Giving Together (AAWGT), PlayAnnapolis is on track to exceed 500 scholarships this year. Through its partnership with the Annapolis Soccer Club, PlayAnnapolis created the first Interscholastic Soccer League for Title I schools, starting with three school teams in 2023. By 2024, the league expanded to five, and this year, six school teams are competing—supported with uniforms, scheduling, supplies, and referees—thanks in part to AAWGT funding. Beyond the playing field, PlayAnnapolis is advocating for a centralized registration system to connect families with opportunities across all 18 partner organizations, streamlining access and reducing costs for everyone involved. For PlayAnnapolis, this work is a labor of love for the city, its families, and its future. The organization remains steadfast in its mission to remove barriers to youth recreation and ensure that every child has the chance to play, grow, and belong. With the continued partnership of Anne Arundel Women Giving Together, “Recreation for All” is within reach. | DEIAB Survey Update and Progress
In October 2024, AAWGT’s Steering Committee invited a group of giving circle members to join them in exploring our collective path forward with DEIAB. 113 members serving as leaders and members of AAWGT committees were asked to share their thoughts via a survey that addressed both current activities and future possibilities. The results of this survey were then shared with the Steering Committee at their December 2024 retreat and ultimately provided to the DEIAB Committee this spring (2025) to assist the committee in its work. We are now pleased to share an overview of these results with all AAWGT members. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Several suggestions were offered for consideration, including:
There was also a common desire for a better understanding of “belonging” and what we can do across the organization to embrace/achieve it. To operationalize what we learned through this survey, the DEIAB Committee took the initial step of establishing a DEIAB Framework for AAWGT. The goal of this Framework is to provide a common lens through which each committee might look at their own work and ultimately guide how the organization operates as a whole. This work was embraced in September by the 2025-26 Steering Committee and will continue throughout this program year…and beyond. The DEIAB Committee is now working to share specific suggestions made in the survey with each committee to help them move toward the organization’s DEIAB goals. We invite all AAWGT members to join this important conversation as together we learn, evolve, and strive to build a truly inclusive and equitable organization. If you would like additional information about the survey and/or would like to be part of the DEIAB Committee’s work, please contact us at DEIAB@givingtogether.org |
Member Spotlights |
Nannetta Hall, Martha Blaxall |
 Nanetta Hall You likely saw Nannetta Hall most recently as our stellar emcee at the Grants Showcase. She’s a newer member and says she feels a strong obligation to serve under-resourced people in communities and loves giving back. Her passion for children and history led her to being Education Coordinator at Historic Annapolis and to AAWGT where she serves on the education committee. Nannetta says she loves meeting the incredible women in the Annapolis community and would like to help lead AAWGT to be more diverse with more involvement of women of color. Nannetta served 20 years in the Air Force, is an active member of Alpha Alpha Kappa Sorority Incorporated, has 3 boys, and lives in Severn. |  Martha Blaxall Martha Blaxall has been a member of AAWGT since it was first created in 2006. She welcomed the opportunity to be involved in her new community of Annapolis and the strong women doing important work to support women and families. Martha says AAWGT is effective because it brings together people on a common ground to promote friendship and collective activities toward improving the lives of others. She notes that nearly 20 years later, AAWGT continues to do exactly as it was intended through grants that help small female oriented non-profits - especially at this difficult time. |
Grants
2026 Application Available - Nov 17 A bilingual preview of the AAWGT grant application will be available online November 17th so organizations can start preparing their submissions. Applications are accepted from January 1st until midnight on January 31st. CLICK to read more.Our dedicated Grants Team of 62 member leaders and reviewers are excited to begin the process at the core of our AAWGT mission. As one past reviewer shared in an email, “It’s fun, exciting, and gives me a true sense of community.” Invitation letters were emailed recently. If you don’t receive one and want to participate in this important work, please email Chris (messinaboyer@gmail.com) or Sandy (snwb-570@comcast.net). The Grants Team is looking forward to continuing AAWGT’s work to help improve the quality of life for underserved women and families in Anne Arundel County. |
Equity Study Group
Visit to David C. Driskell Center On October 16, members of the AAWGT Equity Study Group visited the David C. Driskell Center for the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora. Driskell was a Maryland educator and artist who worked to preserve the art of Black America. The visit featured a guided tour of the current exhibition, a curator’s talk, and a special presentation from the archives showcasing the sketchbooks and rarely seen early works of artists such as Henry Ossawa Tanner, Langston Hughes, and a one-of-a-kind artist’s room featuring the quilts and paintings of Faith Rhinggold. (Click here to read more and learn about our November 13th zoom conversation with Chrissie Bowman, founder and principal of Social Impact Solutions.)Participants on the tour, organized by AAWGT member Jacqueline Hicks Grazette, were also given information on two Anne Arundel County artists suggested for the Driskell collection: Tawny Chatmon, who will have an exhibition at National Museum of Women in the Arts (which the group hopes to visit) and Greta Chapin Hill (member of the Anne Arundel Arts Council) who is producing paintings and photographs of residents of Highland Beach. The exhibition, “Solace and Sisterhood,” on view through December 5, explores the deep and multifaceted bonds that exist among women in varied media, ranging from collage to acrylics to three-dimensional compositions reflecting African, Caribbean, and Afro-Latin roots. As described on the gallery wall, “The special bond between women is a profound and intricate connection that has the power to provide comfort and strength in times of joy and adversity. Sisterhood encompasses a diverse range of relationships—from biological sisters to close friends and women who share common goals or experiences. It is a bond that goes beyond blood ties, built on shared values, trust, and emotional connection.” https://driskellcenter.umd.edu/events/solace-sisterhood-exhibition Don’t miss our next Equity Study Group conversation via zoom on Thursday November 13 meeting, 4:00pm, with Chrissie Bowman, founder and principal of Social Impact Solutions. She will discuss her success in Baltimore empowering non-profits and community-based organizations to support broadband in underserved areas. Please e-mail sharonboettinger@comcast.net to be included in the ZOOM distribution list, if you are not already an ESG participant. |
Inspiration Hour
Key Takeaways on Food Insecurity in AAC Thanks to Leah Paley, LMSW, CEO, Anne Arundel County Food Bank (AACFB), for participating in our member October 29 - Inspiration Hour “Food Insecurity in Anne Arundel County - Small Bites of Insights.” (Click here to read more and view takeaways)We learned that in Fiscal Year 2025, AACFB served more than 570,000 community members and distributed over 4.3 million pounds of food and necessities, including 1.2 million pounds of fresh produce. The AACFB anticipates that the need in our county will only continue to increase due to a number of factors. There are many ways that our members can and already do support a local food bank, such as hosting a food drive, volunteering, donating financially, or attending a fundraising event. If you were unable to attend the Inspiration Hour, please click HERE to view Leah’s interesting presentation. | Leadership, Governance, Nominating
Women who serve change the world. “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” (Click here to see more and access the list of committees)Whether your involvement is large or small, we want to plug you in to our workings of our all-volunteer AAWGT, a leading giving circle in the U.S. Please review committee descriptions HERE to consider where you’d like to serve, and please let the chair know. The LGN Committee (Leadership, Governance, and Nominating) also identifies and cultivates the breadth and depth of future leadership. Contact Kathy Brooks,Chair, LGN or Leslie Teichgraeber, Assistant Chair, LGN (LGN@givingtogether.org) with your ideas, interests, and talents. Get connected, get involved! Let’s serve together! |
Did You Know?
National Native American Month This is National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15). Let’s recognize and honor the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. The U.S government recognized this month in 1990, and in September of this year, County Executive Stuart Pittman proclaimed November as Native American Heritage Month in Anne Arundel County. Note: To celebrate and honor the diversity within our community, and to underscore AAWGT’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging, we will continue sharing federally recognized heritage/history months with you. We hope you will enjoy learning about the meaningful contributions these months celebrate. Resources: | Welcome New Members! Welcome Welcome New AAWGT members! So glad you’ve joined us. Caroline Blakely Kathleen Booth Susan Crawford Samantha Donovan Carol Farcosky Ammie Farraj Feijoo Jan Goebel Catherine Griffin Marijke Hannam Jen Hesse Maisie Howard Susan Koepp Holly Meadows Judy Miller Cindy Morris Kate Naughten Kathy Parks Becki Roemer Sharon Schwartz Katrina Stacey Kelly Sullivan Stacey Underwood (September 16 to November 3, 2025) |
National Conference
Join AAWGT women attending PowerUP! Texas. It isn’t just another conference—it’s the spark that ignites collective giving, leadership growth, and meaningful connections. From February 8–10, 2026, collective giving circles from across the country will gather in Austin to learn, share, and celebrate the power of women’s philanthropy. Click HERE to learn more and see the amazing line up of speakers. | Message From Leadership
Key Updates As we approach the end of our first six months in leadership, Liz, Jen, and I want to reflect on where we've been and where we are heading. Much has been accomplished within the organization as we continue to work to streamline communications, launch the 2026 grant process, create a strategic plan, conduct new education programs, and build revenue. (Click here to continue reading)Our October member business meeting, spearheaded by Leadership, Governance, and Nominating, presented committee updates and resulted in members joining and rejoining committees. There is always room for volunteers—you will learn so much about our community and each other! Please see Kathy’s message in this newsletter. Work on a strategic plan and the study of the impact of our grants continues, with both initiatives moving steadily forward. Sponsorship and Development is reaching out to local businesses, building valuable community partnerships. Education’s meetings have covered local food pantries, and on November 13 will host “Poverty Amidst Plenty”, always an informative report on our County. The Equity Study Group (ESG) has a fascinating presentation coming up in mid November. And YPP sponsored a volunteer event at the Maryland Food Bank on November 6. Please check out this newsletter and our website for events, dates, and times. On a personal note, through Philanos (a diverse collective philanthropy network), I am on a panel of 14 giving circle leaders from across the country, called "A Table for Chairs". We've discovered that we are all facing the same challenges—an aging membership, changing local and national needs, diversifying our membership, and managing communication, not to mention raising funds for our grantmaking! I am pleased to let you know that AAWGT is ahead in managing many of these challenges. We don't have all the answers, but by asking the hard questions, we are making progress. We look forward to seeing you at our many upcoming events and, as always, hearing your ideas about how to improve YOUR AAWGT. Stealey, Liz and Jen |
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Anne Arundel Women Giving Together | giving@givingtogether.org
AAWGT is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel CountyAAWGT is a member of Philanos: Accelerating Philanthropy through Women’s Collective Giving
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