WGF 2011 Recap

As 2012 gains momentum, the Women and Girls Foundation would like to take a moment to highlight some of our efforts in 2011 toward achieving gender equity.
We started off the year with a press conference where PA State Treasurer, Rob McCord and the Women and Girls Foundation recognizing leading Pittsburgh corporations for female board representation. At the press conference, Treasurer McCord addressed the importance of having women represented on corporate boards.  To help achieve this goal, he announced his plan to use state proxy votes to sponsor and support shareholder resolutions that seek a greater representation of women on corporate boards.
Click here to watch the PA Treasurer Press Conference.
In April of 2011, the Women and Girls Foundation sponsored Equal Pay Day Rallies in Allegheny, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland counties to raise awareness of the gender wage gap in our region, and throughout the country. Nationally, women make an average of 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. In Southwest Pennsylvania women make an average of 75 cents on the dollar. This year, national Equal Pay Day is April 17^th. Please check the WGF website in the coming weeks for details about Equal Pay Day activities in Allegheny, Greene, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties.
Click here to watch WGF’s Equal Pay Day Rally.
On November 19^th, 2011, the Women and Girls Foundation celebrated 12 important and influential Women Greening Pittsburgh. During the award ceremony, WGF also recognized two young women who have been consistent and integral change agents in their community. Kara Curry and MiKayla Sonneborn became involved with WGF as members of our Regional Change Agents program in 2009.  As their team project, Kara and MiKayla developed Greene Going Green – a school board advocacy campaign directed at reducing the diesel emissions students are exposed to in Greene County. This award served as a special recognition for their collaborative work with WGF and their dedication to improving and empowering themselves and their community.
Click here to watch WGF present Kara and MiKayla with their awards.
Finally, on December 9^th, WGF held a special Policy Breakfast that included a private screening of PAI’s new 15 minute film ”Weathering Change” exploring the connections between global population, family planning, and environmental health.
A response panel of honorees from WGF’s Women Greening Pittsburgh event gave remarks about how environmental concerns regionally impact women in SWPA, and how women in our community can – and should – be at the forefront of advocating for improved policies to protect our environment.
Click here to watch the Policy Breakfast.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in these events, as well as those who support us in our efforts to bring about systemic change and gender equity. With your help, we will continue to work to achieve equality for women and girls in our region. We ask that you continue to follow our website, as well as our pages on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, for updates and details on our work in 2012!