Kathy Booth funds women forever in her mother's name
One of the purposes of the Women's Endowment Fund is to enrich the lives of women in our community – all of the mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, nieces and friends who are woven into the fabric of our families.
By improving life for future generations of women, we honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of those who came before us. WEF President Kathy Booth honored one very special woman – her mother – by establishing a designated fund in her name that will support the Women's Endowment Fund forever.
Hear what the fund means to Kathy, in her own words:
"I established the Mary K. Booth Fund as a way to recognize my mother for all that she is and all that she has done for her family and her community.
My mother's life epitomizes all that the Women's Endowment Fund is about, starting from the time she was a young woman who wanted a college education. Her father told her that educating women was the dumbest thing he had ever heard of. Fortunately, my mother received an inheritance from a great aunt and was able to complete her dream of a college education.
After college, she became a social worker and helped families throughout the area. She went on to raise six children and support a husband who was deeply involved in the community. With all of these responsibilities, she still found time to volunteer for organizations like the Girl Scouts and PTA.
While growing up, we learned from both our parents the value and rewards of giving back to the community. As we grew older, Mom returned to her social-worker roots, finding children good families and later developing support groups to help women in all stages of life, from new parents to empty nesters.
After retiring, she continued her involvement in the community, serving food to the homeless, comforting children in the recovery room after surgery, and caring for those on their final journey in hospice. I am incredibly proud to be her daughter.
My mother realizes that women are an essential part of the community and bear a significant part of the responsibility of raising subsequent generations. Without proper resources for women, we imperil future generations and the very health of our communities.
Her fund will be used to support the activities of the Women's Endowment Fund, helping ensure that those resources are available for future generations.
I would like to think that the idea of establishing this fund would have come to me eventually, but I need to credit the Women's Endowment Fund board. In preparing for our endowment campaign, they showed me ways I could contribute that would allow me to give far more than I ever thought possible.
I established the Mary K. Booth Fund with a multi-year pledge, combined with a planned gift that will add to the fund upon my death. The existence of the fund will also provide a vehicle for others to honor my mother in a way that gives her great pleasure."