Women Inspired Network hosts 2025 kickoff event

Speakers at Tuesday night’s Women Inspired Network 2025 kickoff event in Utica noted the organization’s growing influence and impact.

About 40 women attended “Time to Give, Gather and Grow” at the August Hill Winery tasting room. WIN, a component fund of the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation, is a charitable giving circle of local, philanthropic women.

Scholarship Committee Chair Jane Goetz said establishment of the Young Women Leaders Scholarship in 2021 was a “testament to WIN’s commitment to empower the next generation of women leaders.”

For the first time this spring, WIN will award two $3,000 scholarships. A record 40 students applied for the fall awards.

“Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the success of the WIN golf outing … we have made a profound impact on the lives of young women in our community,” Goetz said.

She credited Carol Kuzmich of Ottawa for leading the golf fundraisers.

Goetz also noted, “WIN is more than just a scholarship program: It is a movement to put the power in the hands of the women in our community – a movement to ensure better opportunities, both in the workforce and in our personal lives.

“Together we can stand for change, advocate for equality, and lift up the voices and futures of women who are ready to make their mark.”

Other speakers included WIN co-Chair and co-founder Cherie Reynolds, grants and events Chair Debbie Buffington, and La Salle County Sheriff’s Chaplain Dave Van Laar.

Van Laar thanked WIN for making the first significant investment in his program when it granted $4,500 to strengthen its ability to assist individuals in crisis by addressing urgent needs such as food, clothing and transportation. WIN “validated” the work his program is doing, he said.

Guest speakers were Jennifer and Stephanie Bias of Camp Aramoni, the boutique campground in Lowell.

For information, visit Women Inspired Network on SRCCF’s website at srccf.org.