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Our History
The Women's Leadership Initiative officially kicked off in October of 2004 and has grown to over 60 dynamic members dedicated to Investing in the Youth in Our Community. When established, Women's Leadership Initiative vowed to donate 100% of their membership dues to their beneficiary, The Whole Child Project Manatee. In May of 2005, these women presented their first check in the amount of $4500 to Whole Child. A second check was presented on November 15th, 2005 bringing the total amount donated to Whole Child Project Manatee to $9000.
The year 2006 proved to be a year of continued growth for this group of dynamic ladies. WLI established a grants process for the distribution of their annual dues to ensure that all monies would be directed to programs that align with the mission of WLI; to Invest in the Youth in Our Community. That year, a youth-based program from both the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County and the Whole Child Project were selected for funding that totaled $8000.
In 2008, the ladies of WLI continued to grow their membership through a Summer Membership Drive which resulted in a 20% increase in membership. The ladies also increased the number of networking opportunities for their members by creating a monthly networking social. These Networking Socials occur on the 1st Thursday of each month and are a great way to meet new people. In addition to all of this, the ladies were also able to fund 6 grant requests through their membership dues.
The growth of WLI continued through 2009 and 2010. Grant funding had reached an all time high in 2010, with more than $12,500 going to youth based programs in Manatee County. For a full list of these programs, please visit the WLI beneficiary page.
We fully anticipate that the needs of this community are growing and the ladies of WLI are committed to the youth in Manatee County. Please consider positively impacting our youth by joining the Women's Leadership Initiative.
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