Power of Women to Make a Difference Award Luncheon 2019

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 
—Sheena Wright, President & CEO, United Way of New York City

On Wednesday, March 6, 2019, United Way of New York City (UWNYC) raised more than $1M in support of child literacy at its 13th Annual Power of Women to Make A Difference Award Luncheon. Over 600 UWNYC Women United supporters came together at the elegant Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan, to celebrate three powerful women and support UWNYC’s community impact program, ReadNYC. This program focuses on improving third grade-level reading while underscoring the power of education to help moms and families living in NYC to lead self-sufficient lives.

When ReadNYC started in 2013, only 9% of children were reading at the third-grade level. By 2018, 43% of children were reading on grade level – a 377% increase! This is pivotal because learning to read by 3rd grade is the biggest predictor of whether or not a child will graduate from High School. If a child doesn’t learn to read by 3rd grade, they will be unable to read to learn. And thanks to our Women United group, ReadNYC’s impact will continue through 2019 and beyond.”

Thank you for standing with us, united – WOMEN UNITED – to help create a city where every individual has the chance to thrive.

A special thanks to our host, Cheryl Wills, and this year’s phenomenal honorees:

Erika Irish Brown

Tonya Robinson

Gena Smith

Get to know this year’s honorees a little better by clicking their names above. 

Another big thanks to our sponsors: HP, Lafayette 148, Louis Vuitton, Macy’s, S & P Global and ServiceNow.

We can’t thank our Luncheon supporters enough!

Watch these amazing testimonials, that we shared at our Luncheon, from a few of our ReadNYC parents. 

About Women United

Women United (WU) is a leadership society of United Way of New York City female donors. Women who make a gift of at least $1,000 or more, are invited to join. Founded in 2002, UWNYC’s WU is a multi-industry network of accomplished, philanthropically-minded women who bring together their talents and power to make a difference in the lives of low-income New Yorkers. WU is connected to a global movement representing 70,000+ women in 165 communities across six countries, and the network’s engagement centers around three pillars of activities: fundraising, personal/professional development, and volunteerism.

A key element of WU’s program is support for ReadNYC, the collective impact initiative designed by the UWNYC to enable children to read at grade level by third grade—a critical milestone in a child’s future success. Of note, the WU community has raised over $5 million for this and other youth empowerment initiatives since its inception.

For more information or to be a part of Women United, contact Meghan Droge at mdroge@uwnyc.org.