Celebrities, Philanthropies & Charities - Women's Forum for The Economy & Society 2010

This week, the 6th edition of The Women's Global Forum Meeting will begin on October 14 and conclude on October 16. This year's theme is "Change - make it happen".

The Women’s Forum Meetings aim to bring together leaders from all over the world – women and men – representing the business world, the government, academic circles, culture, etc. in order to give new perspectives to key issues in our present and our future; to create a powerful, global network in order to strengthen the influence of women throughout the world; to draw up innovative and concrete action plans to encourage women’s contribution to society and promote diversity in the business world.

I am honored to have several of my network.attending this event, which is billed as the women's equivalent of the World Economic Forum which takes place annually at Davos, Switzerland.

Among them are Jeanniey Mullen and Jennifer Halliday of the Zinio organization. They are event partners along with their one-of-a-kind, all digital magazine for women - Vivmag. They are participating in several of the programs during the event, and I am hoping to bring you some of their insight as they progress.

Celebrities, Philanthropies,Charities - Jacki Zehner

I would be remiss in not mentioning the recent change of "virtual venue" by one of my favorite Gal Pals and fellow 85 Broads member, Jacki Zehner.

Coupled with a physical change in venue, Jacki now continues her popular blog as part of her namesake website, jackizehner.com. Her previous blog posts from pursepundit.blogspot.com have been ported over so none of her brilliant insight and true humanity will be lost.

For those of us who have seen Jacki grow into one of the world's most powerful women on Wall Street, this is a very welcome step. Take a look at her latest op-ed piece for a taste of how committed she is to action and not just words. When Jacki speaks, it is with a strong voice calling for Women's Equality.

Few know that Jacki and her husband, an ordained minister, are supporters of many causes through the Zehner Family Foundation. Both of them are retired Goldman Sachs partners, Jacki having been the youngest woman and the first trader to be invited into the partnership.

I know from firsthand experience that with this couple, family comes first. And despite their wealth, they know that stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure are the most important lessons to be learned, and the most difficult to live by.

For a great list of upcoming global women's events (maybe you will be lucky enough to catch Jacki at one!) click here.

Celebrities, Philanthropies, and Charities: Honor Thy Mother AND thy Father...

...because increasingly, they are both. Although Women of Wealth may find themselves today, Father's Day, providing for their children as both female and male role model, many do not realize that a substantial number of women do so, however, under extremely difficult economic circumstances.

In last Thursday's Truth post, I highlighted the issues of child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Many women have bravely left the comfort of a marriage, or co-dependent relationship, to get their children out of harm's way - and break the cycle of abuse.

But here are some sobering facts from U.S. Census Data and Not Just Getting By!: Single Working-Poor Mothers and Education, Mary Gatta, Ph.D., Center for Women and Work, Rutgers University

Single mothers are increasingly running the show with 80% of single-parent families headed by women.

There are 12,905,000 one-parent families in the United States — 10,404,000 are headed by women; 2,501,000 are headed by men.

• 47% of women are on their own.
• 27% are single.
• 20% are divorced, separated or widowed.

---

Single mothers lack the financial safety net of a spouse

• 22% of single working mothers earn more than $30,000 per year.
• 14% of single working mothers earn more than $50,000 per year.
• 5% of single working mothers earn more than $75,000 per year.
• 50% of married working women earn more than $40,000 per year.

---

Single mothers generally fare worse financially than single fathers

• 16% of all single parent male family households live in poverty.
• 35% of all single parent female family households live in poverty.
• Overall, women earn about 74% of men's wages.

---

More than 80% of single moms lack the education they need to advance in a career

• 83% of single mothers have a high school diploma.
• 33% of single mothers have some college education.
• 16% of single mothers have a bachelor's degree or higher.

60% of sales-related jobs in the service sector require skills beyond high school.
Jobs that require advanced skills are experiencing significant growth.
High level skills are required across industries.

---

Women are working every day—and not getting ahead

• 99% of all American women will work for pay at some point in their lifetime.
• 60.7% of mothers with children under the age of 3 work.

Women comprise 46% of labor force.
Women's labor force participation is expected to grow to over 2.3 million in 2015.

Whether you are a single mom, married with children, or single with no kids, please take time today, or this week, to reach out to one of your fellow women who may not be as fortunate. Or, give freely of your time and/or money to support an organization that has a scholarship fund to assist single moms with the cost associated with furthering their education, which will help them build a better life for their children.

One such organization is The Women's Independence Scholarship Program.

WISP, Inc. is a private family foundation founded by Doris Buffett and funded through her generosity. The mission of the foundation reflects the midwestern values and no-nonsense approach to decision-making that Doris grew up with in Omaha , Nebraska . Each scholarship is considered an investment, and the decision to grant funds is always based on an expected successful return. Doris Buffett is grateful to her father and brother not only for providing her with the wealth to fund the foundation but also for their inspirational examples of integrity and generosity.

Doris is passionate about her responsibilities as a philanthropist and good citizen; her energy and enthusiasm are boundless. Among her many other roles, she has been a first grade teacher, domestic violence crusader, political activist, mother and grandmother. She is the self appointed Buffett family genealogist and her avocation is historic preservation.

Since its inception in 1999 the Women’s Independence Scholarship Program has awarded more than $16 million in scholarships to some 2,000 women across the United States.

Celebrities, Philanthropies, and Charities

On May 17th, 2010, Audemars Piguet and the Tony Awards held an auction event at the Four Seasons Hotel to mark the opening of their flagship store on 57th Street in NYC.

Host and Hostess of the evening were Francois-Henry and Alice Bennahamias. This power couple and many of their celebrity friends helped raise over $800,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

Francois is CEO of AP North America. His wife Alice, is VP, Luxury Brand Development, for Axcess Luxury & Lifestyle, a business development agency for prestige and ultra-luxury brands. Alice works with clients to connect people, ideas, products, platforms, and organizations to build measurable value and achieve extraordinary results.

I had the privilege of being in attendance at both the Auction event and after-party in the new store, which is adjacent to the Four Seasons. Joining me was Evie, a frequent guest blogger here at WWRG, and an international spokes-model, fashion show producer and UN Cultural Ambassador. Other celebrities that were in attendance included Jay-Z, Kelsey Grammer, Vanessa Williams, and Nick Cannon (pictured here with Alice and Francois).

We also caught up with Fashion Designer, Juliette Longuet, who we featured in our last Lifestyle Lifters post.

Kudos to Alice and the entire Axcess Team for putting on a first-class event!