Women United in Philanthropy holds first face-to-face lucheon since pandemic

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Women United in Philanthropy hosted its 2022 Human Services Grant Award Luncheon Tuesday, October 18.

“The circle keeps on turning when you empower and educate women to be philanthropic and active and advocates in their community,” Anna Patchias with WUP said.

Jennifer Feist is a founding member of the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation. After her sister died by suicide, her family turned that experience into a way to empower people across the country.

“We created a foundation that focuses on bringing awareness to these issues that impact the healthcare workforce, as well as the issues around suicide that impact the healthcare workforce uniquely,” Corey Fiest, a co-founder, said.

“We took her experience with her loss and what we learned and turned it into something more positive,” Jennifer Fiest said.

Turning tragedy into something positive is what WUP stands for: “And those are skills she built and encouraged as a founding member of Women United,” Patchias said.

The group also shows women that giving back as a unit generates positive change.

“Collective giving, women putting their money together was an empowering way to make a difference in our community,” Patchias said.

“Together we can do great things. Again, it’s not one person giving a lot, it’s a lot of people giving a little,” Libby Edwards-Allbaugh with WUP said.

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