Kids & Family

Scarsdale, Edgemont Residents Help Form New United Way Women's Leadership Council

New United Way group formed "to harness leadership and philanthropy as agents of change to promote financial self-sufficiency, education, and health among women and their families."

From United Way of Westchester and Putnam:

Scarsdale, NY and White Plains, NY – The statistic is staggering: in Westchester, 44.8% of single moms, with children under 5, are living below the national poverty line of $23,000 for a family of four. But the new Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam is determined to do something about it. Women leaders from across Westchester and Putnam have joined hands as founding members of the WLC to harness leadership and philanthropy as agents of change to promote financial self-sufficiency, education, and health among women and their families.

Local residents Robin Colner (Scarsdale), Emily Sherwood (Scarsdale) and Kate McDonnough (Edgemont) are among the distinguished founding members.

Find out what's happening in Scarsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The WLC will engage its members in philanthropy and volunteerism through two compelling United Way initiatives. The “Teach Me to Fish” program gives hard-to-place women job training, work skills coaching, and professional opportunities. The second program, “Smart Start,” helps at-risk elementary school children to stay engaged in school and provides academic support.

The WLC’s inaugural celebration and luncheon – titled “Pearls of Wisdom” – will take place at Trump National Golf Club on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m, and area women are encouraged to sign up and bring friends who share their commitment to building better communities.

Find out what's happening in Scarsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ruth Mahoney, President of KeyBank and a WLC founding member, will be introducing special keynote speaker Retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Rebecca Halstead, the first female graduate of West Point to be promoted to General Officer rank. Other guests include WLC national committee member Alina Klein from Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and a slate of local business women and community leaders. The event will be emceed by Lisa Salvadorini, News 12 Westchester anchor and managing editor.

Luncheon guests are invited to join in the congratulatory champagne toast, learn about the real challenges women are experiencing in our community, and network with other women of influence.   

For additional information, visit www.uwwp.org/wlcluncheon or contact Margaret Tramontine at 914.997.6700 x 737.

About United Way of Westchester and Putnam

United Way of Westchester and Putnam, named by United Way as one of the top 24 chapters nationwide, operates with the fundamental belief that all people deserve a quality education, enough income to support a family, and opportunities for a healthy lifestyle. The not-for-profit organization works with agency partners, government, businesses and community leaders to solve problems that are too complex for any one entity alone. All contributions go toward improving the education, income, and health of the children, youth and families throughout Putnam and Westchester. United Way’s 2-1-1, which covers Putnam as well as Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster counties, answers thousands of online inquiries and calls per day ranging from tax, heating, and mortgage questions to childcare, basic needs, natural disaster and crisis calls. United Way of Westchester and Putnam is located at 336 Central Park Ave., White Plains, NY 10606. They can be reached at 914-997-6700 or by visiting www.uwwp.org. Follow United Way on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UnitedWayWP) and Twitter (@UnitedWayWP) for the latest news and updates.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here