bleecker street diaries

The other week I held the second Women Supporting Women gathering of the year. I was really excited to get everyone together again after having such a blast the first time around. This time did not disappoint either! A small group of us dished on family dynamics, celebrity encounters, job woes, office etiquette (we all agreed it was inappropriate to walk around without shoes at a new job) and embarrassing college stories. With thanks to Andrea who steered the conversation to why we were there in first place, we chatted about our organization du jour, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project and the positive impact it’s having on the young women’s lives the program is reaching. Turns out Tanya had participated in leadership camps herself as a young girl and I can attest to the leader she is today (she runs her own arts program for elementary students and leads them into excellence).

Sadie Nash Leadership Project is a leadership training academy for young women in NYC ages 14-21 with priority given to those attending public high schools. Participants are engaged in various programs (year long after school program; 6-week summer program; 9-month leadership training, and more) – all programs focus on building leadership skills to empower young women to be agents for social change. Several programs place young women at organizations of their interest where they serve as volunteers and leaders, enabling “Nashers” to give back to their communities. All programs are free to the participants with some even offering paid work for the young women working at an organization of their interest. SNLP just celebrated their 10th Anniversary last year and this year they hope to serve almost 500 low-income girls – our donation will go towards direct program costs with a portion going to the women themselves in the form of stipends, internships pay and fellowships!

Thanks Massoumeh for a great suggestion and  to everyone who came over and sent donations, including those who mailed in checks that weren’t available that evening. The next and last soiree for the year will be in September, you don’t want to miss it!

* Women Supporting Women is a newly-formed group of New York City women dedicated to enriching, improving and empowering the lives of other women. Our intention is to get together socially three times a year, select an organization we feel is making an impact on girls’ and women’s lives, and make personal donations to that organization. *

Tags: sadie nash leadership project, social philanthropy, women supporting women