Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle donates $7,000 to charity
Lake Club resident Barbara Najmy’s eyes sparkled as she rallied more than 100 women April 24 to empower each other and be a “gift” to their community through acts of giving.
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The Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle members and guests may have been having fun socializing, enjoying food and drink and shopping for handcrafted jewelry and handbags during the Wine, Women and Jewels event at The Lake Club’s Grande Clubhouse, but the purpose was singular — to raise funds for charity.
“We are celebrating the passion and love for philanthropy,” Najmy told the crowd of more than 100 women and a handful of men. “We as women have to make a different and continue to make a difference in our community. We have the power to touch lives and make this a better place for people to live.”
During the event, Giving Circle members awarded $7,000 in grants to four local nonprofits — Take Stock in Children of Manatee County, Hope Family Services, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County and 2 Steps Further. Monies distributed were raised during the group’s 2017 Wine, Women and Jewels event. There was no fundraiser in 2018 because The Lake Club clubhouse was closed for renovations.
The Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle, which has about 40 members, operates under the umbrella of the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund and the Manatee Community Foundation.
Najmy and other Giving Circle members said they hoped this year’s event will raise even more than the 2017 event. Twenty percent of jewelry sales benefited the giving circle’s fundraising efforts.
