100WomenStrong Announces $639K in Nonprofit Grants

The 100WomenStrong organization on Tuesday announced the award of grants totaling $639,000 to 51 nonprofits headquartered or providing services in Loudoun County. Since 2009, their philanthropic giving has provided more than $4.6 million to support charities addressing shelter, health, mental health, hunger and education.

Founder and President Karen Schaufeld stressed the need for broad engagement in addressing community challenges. “Small acts, when multiplied by many, can make a huge impact,” she said.

Schaufeld launched the program with 12 other founding members and provided two grants totaling $28,600 during the first year.

The 2024 100WomenStrong grants are as follows:

  • A Farm Less Ordinary – $10,000
  • A Place To Be – $20,000
  • All Ages Read Together – $25,000
  • Boulder Crest Foundation – $10,000
  • BRAWS – $15,000
  • Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties – $10,000
  • Crossroads Jobs – $10,000
  • Dulles South Food Pantry – $12,500
  • Dulles South Neighborhood Closet – $2,000
  • Every Citizen Has Opportunities (ECHO) – $24,000
  • Food for Neighbors – $5,000
  • Friends of Loudoun Mental Health – $12,000
  • Galilee Backpack Buddies Program – $2,500
  • Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia- $5,000
  • Greater DC Diaper Bank – $3,750
  • Hunger Response Team of Sterling – $5,150
  • Inova Health Foundation – $15,000
  • Just Neighbors – $12,000
  • LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services – $20,820
  • Legacy Farms – $20,000
  • Leonard W. Kidd Memorial American Legion Post 2001 – $15,000
  • Loudoun Cares – $10,500
  • Loudoun Club 12 – $12,000
  • Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls – $7,000
  • Loudoun Education Foundation – $15,000
  • Loudoun Free Clinic – $8,800
  • Loudoun Hunger Relief – $25,000
  • Loudoun Literacy Council – $20,000
  • Loudoun Serenity House – $20,000
  • Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation – $7,200
  • Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers – $24,000
  • Loudoun Youth – $5,000
  • Love, KK – $3,500
  • Mobile Hope – $10,000
  • Morven Park, Inc – $5,000
  • NAMI Northern Virginia – $13,250
  • Northern Virginia Family Service – $10,500
  • Opportunity Scholars – $12,500
  • Ryan Bartel Foundation – $10,500
  • St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church – $15,000
  • SCAN of Northern Virginia – $14,000
  • Seven Loaves Services – $12,600
  • Shelter House Inc. – $20,000
  • The Arc of Loudoun – $25,000
  • The Fenwick Foundation $15,000
  • The New AG School – $12,000
  • The Salvation Army of Loudoun – $7,200
  • Vine and Fig Tree – $6,700
  • Virginia Hunters Who Care, Inc. – $3,000
  • Women Giving Back – $25,000
  • Youth for Tomorrow – $9,000

Today, the group has 68 members, with membership capped at 100.

“100WomenStrong is always looking for new members to become participants in helping our community of Loudoun to thrive.  With more members, our giving circle of concerned philanthropists can do more for Loudoun,” Managing Director Pam Ray said.

Eligibility for membership includes the ability to make an annual contribution of $10,000. Individual and corporate memberships are welcomed.  Donations are tax deductible and may be paid annually, semi-annually, quarterly or monthly.

Learn more at onehundredwomenstrong.org/join-us/ or contact Ray at pam@onehundredwomenstrong.org

100WomenStrong is a component fund of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.

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Scammers target veterans’ disability benefits

POSTED ON FEB 8, 2024 from DAV

Increasingly, claim sharks are targeting veterans by seeking payment to assist with filing public disability benefits questionnaires with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

WHY IT MATTERS
It’s an illegal and predatory scam. Veterans should never pay to file an initial benefits claim.

  • DAV and other VA-accredited representatives are the only ones the VA permits to file an initial claim on a veteran’s behalf. DAV does not, nor will it ever, charge for this service.

THE BIG PICTURE
With the VA reporting $135 billion in total annual compensation and the PACT Act becoming law in 2022, veterans benefits are a lucrative target for scammers.

  • According to the U.S. government’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, claim sharks, who present themselves as consultants or coaches, use aggressive tactics and false promises to pressure veterans into paying fees for assistance. These fees are often a percentage of future benefits payments.
  • DAV National Service Director Jim Marszalek: “DAV will never charge a veteran for claims assistance. We have over 3,700 benefits advocates who expertly assist hundreds of thousands of veterans annually. Helping veterans should never be about making a profit. It’s simply about ensuring they receive the care and benefits they’ve earned.”

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Heed these deceptive tactics and warning signs. Report suspected wrongdoing to the VA at va.gov/oig/hotline or 800-488-8244.

  • Any person or organization that charges a fee or a percentage of benefits to help with an initial claim.
  • Guarantees for a large increase in a veteran’s service-connected disability rating. Only the VA makes disability rating determinations.
  • Payment in exchange for a health care provider’s promise of a diagnosis or exaggeration of a medical condition. Scammers use this deceptive practice to lure veterans.
  • Demands that veterans sign contracts with membership fees, provide banking information and share account passwords. Claim sharks typically have veterans file their own claim and then come to collect after the VA makes a rating determination.

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