THE AURORA FOUNDATION
GIVING CIRCLE.
GIVING CIRCLE
What is the Giving Circle?
The Aurora Women’s Giving Circle is a welcoming and diverse group of women - moms, professionals, activists, and everyday changemakers—who believe in the power of collective giving.
Together, we pool our resources, share our voices equally, and fund local organizations supporting women and girls in Greater Hartford.
No minimum donation. No red tape. Just impact.
Every dollar goes directly to local non-profit groups doing urgent, life-changing work. Learn about our 2025 Focus below.
Our year-long membership includes
four powerful sessions held virtually each spring where we:
- Dive into a pressing issue affecting women and girls
- Hear directly from community organizations tackling the issue we're focusing on
- Learn how our collective giving can make the greatest impact
Topics are informed by Aurora's relationships and research, so we're making data-driven decisions about where funds will have the greatest impact.
Whether you give $1 or $1,000,
you belong here.
Every voice matters.
Every gift counts.
This is more than giving.
It’s learning. It’s community. It’s action.
Members also learn that philanthropy can be tough—there’s never enough money to solve everything. But we show up anyway, with open hearts and shared purpose, because
we believe in a world where women and their families not only survive - but thrive.
Quick Facts:
- No minimum donation
- 100% of funds go to local organizations
- 4 purposeful, inspiring sessions
- A warm, inclusive, action-oriented community
Got questions?
📧 Marie McNamara:
marie@aurorafoundation.org
THE AURORA FOUNDATION
WOMEN'S GIVING CIRCLE
WHY?
Right now, in our own communities, women and families are living in fear and uncertainty. The need is urgent—and deeply human.
Community Partners tell us stories of:
- Mothers skipping food pantry visits, too afraid to ask for help
- Children missing school—not because of illness, but because of fear
- Survivors staying silent, unsure where it’s safe to turn
- Families navigating complex paperwork and legal aid is stretched thin
This is not happening far away, it’s happening here, in Greater Hartford.
This is the power of convening.
Which is the heart of Aurora.
We’re responding with compassion, care, and collective action.
Because every woman deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.
Ready to Join Us? Together, we can make sure no one walks alone.
2025 Giving Circle Meeting Schedule
📍 Session 1 – April 30, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
(Zoom*)
The Landscape for Immigrant Women
Tabitha Sookdeo, Executive Director,
CT Students for a Dream
📍 Session 2 – May 7, 12:00 - 1:00 PM (Zoom*)
Community Action: Defending Families, Building Safety
Mary Smith, Co-Deputy Director,
Make the Road CT
Constanza Segovia, Community Organizer Hartford Deportation Defense
📍 Session 3 – May 14,
12:00 - 1:00 PM
(Zoom*)
Feeding Hope, Fueling Change
Jendayi Scott-Miller, Co-Chair and CEO,
Angel of Edgewood
📍 Session 4 – June 4, 11:30 AM
(In-Person at the Mandell JCC)
Funding with Intention
Member Discussion, Vote & Lunch
*all zoom meetings will be recorded
Thank you to the members of the
2025 Steering Committee
Chloe Carlson
Anne Carroll
Michele Dyson
Sandra Fischer
Sivan Hines
Leah Murchie
Chef Renée Williams
2024 FOCUS:
REPRODUCTIVE EQUITY
In 2024 we addressed the inequity in access to reproductive care that disproportionately impacts low-income people and people of color.
Newly released data shows that maternal mortality has doubled in the United States. We explored how we can center women’s reproductive health—to benefit women, their families, and our community. Together, we learned how to help increase access to care that will make a difference by allowing women to be healthy, make decisions about their bodies, plan their families and ultimately fully participate in our communities.
Donations Ranged from $30 - $5,000
resulting in:
$30,000 raised by 70 members
Funding Awarded
Mutual Aid Hartford - $10,000
Diaper Bank - $7,500
Reproductive Equity Now - $7,500
Planned Parenthood of Southern New England - $5,000
2024 Giving Circle Members
Amber Anthony
Janet Bailey Faude
Katherine Ballard
Sara Barczak
Melody Bernhardt
Karen Binkhorst
William and Cyndi Bittinger
Lisa Bonner
Cyndi Brown
Carlene Bush
Mary Carangelo
Chloe Carlson
Anne Carroll
Nicole Castelli
Janine Cote
Christina D'Amato
Angela Delaney
Natalie Demers
Meghan Dubois
Jill Dulitsky
June Dunn
Michele Dyson
Kate Eikel
Sandra Fischer
Tracey Flynn
Gretchen Fountain
Kathleen Francalangia
Tammy Freeberg
Karen Gilbert
Katherine Hall
Sivan Hines
Carolyn Hoffman
Lisa Hurley
Princess Hyatt
Roberta Kurlantzick
Jane Leary
Paddi LeShane
Suzanne Levere
Farmington LINKS
Regina Livingston
Mickey Mattei
Marie McNamara
Karen Diaz Meaike
Amy Miller
Sarah Moore
Debra Morton
Leah Murchie
Michelle Murphy
Thomas Murphy
Ann Newbury
Rita Ortiz
Sara Pierce
Sharon Pope
Johanna Rincon
Ellen Robinson
Gilda Roncari
Alison Scherer
Nancy Shaich
Emma Simon
Christina Smith
Donna Sodipo
Molly Spolarich
Donna Stout
Katherine Sullivan
Ann Thomas
Patricia Visintainer
Joanne Vitarelli
Sharon Ware
Chef Renee Williams
Linda Wright
FOCUS FOR 2023:
Women in the Workplace: Moving from Covid to Economic Security
The 2023 Aurora Women's Giving Circle focused on the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on working women. Members asked the question: "How can we help women in the workforce coming out of the pandemic?" The continuing concentration of women, especially women of color, in low-wage service jobs means they struggle to support their families, especially with the rising costs of everyday essentials, as well as expensive and hard-to-find childcare. Large numbers of women left the workforce during the pandemic, and we may lose the hard-earned gains that we’ve been working on in corporate America. This could lead down a path where we see even more inequality in the workplace.
Awarded $6,000
Awarded $6,000
Awarded $4,000
Awarded $4,000
The 2022 Aurora Women's Giving Circle funded programs that addressed the ongoing effects that the pandemic has had on girls, particularly girls of color, their education, access to mentors and role models, and social/emotional intelligence.
The group pooled their resources to raise over $20,000 and made an impact on programs that will reach hundreds of girls in Greater Hartford.
Our 2021 Women's Giving Circle identified childcare, housing and mental health as the focuses for 2021 funding.
2021 Grant Recipients included:
GIVING CIRCLE
WHAT WILL I GET OUT OF IT?
GIVING CIRCLE
GIVING CIRCLE GRANTMAKING
The 2019 Giving Circle voted to award a $5,500 grant to Strong Girls Camp at the Albany Avenue Branch of the Hartford Public Library. This six-week summer program will serve 25 Hartford girls and offer them lessons in gender inequality, body image, building self-esteem, and intersectionality. The program addresses the social and emotional obstacles young women face and helps them to overcome them and express themselves.
The 2018 Giving Circle voted to award a $6,500 grant to Girls for Technology, a Hartford-based organization whose mission is to inspire and increase girls’ interest in STEM through educational enrichment programs and partnerships with area business leaders. Funds from the Women’s Giving Circle will support a bi-monthly Math and Science Academy serving up to 100 low-income girls from Hartford’s North End.