A press release: June 3, 2008

The Women’s Fund of the Capital Region announced its 2008 grant recipients and Trailblazing Women of 2008 at its Second Annual Trailblazer Luncheon today, June 3, at The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center.

The 2008 Trailblazing Women, selected for their philanthropic leadership and longstanding commitment to community initiatives, are Sister Constance Casey, snjm; Jane Golub; and Candace King Weir. Also at the luncheon, $46,500 in grants was awarded to programs serving women and girls.

Founded in February 2006, the vision of The Women’s Fund of the Capital Region is to promote the independence, growth and self-determination of women and girls by supporting projects that create systemic change and move women and girls toward financial stability and independence. Since 2006, more than 260 women, organizations and businesses have donated or pledged more than $160,000 to the fund.

  • Sister Constance Casey, snjm, is president and CEO of the Academy of the Holy Names and a member of the religious congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. She has devoted her professional life to providing quality education for young women and to seeking ways to extend this educational opportunity to the poor and economically disadvantaged.
  • Jane Golub currently serves as director of Vendor Marketing Programs for Price Chopper Supermarkets and has served in several other management positions within the company. She is also vice president of the Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium Board and is actively involved with Soroptimist International of Schenectady, the Schenectady Day Nursery, Literacy Volunteers, Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy Association and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
  • Candace King Weir is the president and CEO of one of the first woman-owned broker/dealer NASD registered firms in the United States and has directed the growth and development of C.L. King & Associates since its 1972 founding into a well-respected institutional research boutique. Weir also founded Paradigm Capital Management, an investment management firm specializing in the small-cap asset class. She is widely respected for her service on local not-for-profit boards, including the Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany Medical Center, the Greater Loudonville Association, Ordway Research Institute, and The Corporation of the Yaddo.

Grants were awarded to the following programs:

  • Strengthening the Bond Between Mothers and Daughters – This program will strengthen the bond between girls and their mothers or guardians. Partners for this program include Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region, Bank of America and The Sage Colleges.
  • Career Development Program for Underemployed Women – The program will provide resources and expertise to empower, support and connect women living in poverty to career/job opportunities. Partners for this program include Albany Community Action Partnership; Career Links: Creating Opportunities that Last, Inc.; Equinox Inc.; and SEFCU.
  • Older Women’s Stability & Independence – This project will work with women over age 70 to address and overcome the multiple barriers challenging their financial stability and independence. Partners for this program include Jewish Family Support Services of Northeastern New York, Catholic Charities Support Services, Community Caregivers, Bethlehem Senior Services and the Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community.
  • Project Hope and Power – This project involves an eight-week financial literacy program for women who are domestic violence victims or at risk of victimization. Partners for this program include Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County and Soroptimists International of Saratoga County
  • St. Patrick’s Home-Based Child Care Partnership – This neighborhood-based project emphasizes the support and training of childcare providers residing in the low-income inner-city area of Albany. Partners for this program include Catholic Charities, SEFCU and Capital District Child Care Council.

The Women’s Fund of the Capital Region is a groundbreaking collaboration of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region and United Way of the Greater Capital Region.