|
|
Raising funds to support local benevolent or philanthropic charities in Northern Virginia and for Lake Barcroft community projects is a primary purpose of the Woman’s Club. Every year, local charities and community projects are nominated and then selected by the club’s membership.
In September, members vote by ballot for three nominated charities. The six charities receiving the most votes are selected to be recipients of that year’s fundraising efforts. Ninety percent (90%) of the funds raised is distributed evenly among the top three charities receiving the most votes and the remaining 10% is divided equally among the next three charities receiving the most votes. Funds are distributed in May.
Congratulations to the following charities (listed alphabetically) as the receipients of the funds raised in 2025-2026!
The three charities to share 90% of the funds include:
The next three charities will share the remaining 10% of funds:
Information about each selected charity follows:
Doorways
The mission of Doorways is to create pathways out of domestic violence, sexual assault, and homelessness, leading to safe, stable, and empowered lives. Doorways provides violence prevention education, community-based services for survivors, and both emergency shelter (called safehousing) and supportive housing for survivors experiencing homelessness. Doorways is Arlington’s only provider of these services for survivors, serving adults and families in Arlington County and the City of Falls Church. Doorways sheltered 150 survivors this past year, a record in the organization’s 47-year history. Almost half (70) were children. A grant from the Lake Barcroft Woman’s Club would help children and families stabilize, grow, and thrive. By providing financial assistance, the Club would give kids living in shelter and supportive housing the opportunity to just be kids, while also helping parents build toward stability. Your gift would be used to help children at Doorways take part in extracurricular activities and camps where they can learn, play, and grow. The Club’s donation would also help provide emergency childcare, a critical resource for families, particularly for newly single parents without networks to lean on for help. While children are in camp, activities, and childcare, their parents can work, train and apply for higher-paying jobs, attend court hearings (e.g. protective orders, custody, and child support), and take many more steps toward building the life they dream of for themselves and their kids. Doorways is a 501c3 organization with Tax ID: EIN:99-3376487
Beautification of Lake Barcroft's Beach 5 (SEED Initiative)
SEED (Service, Education, Ecology, Discovery) is a passionate new volunteer group working to restore Lake Barcroft’s natural beauty—one native plant at a time. By removing aggressive invasive species and reintroducing beneficial natives, SEED is transforming our common spaces into healthier, more resilient habitats for people and wildlife alike.You may have noticed the group’s work: the blooming pollinator pathway by the Woman's Club Garden footbridge, refreshed native demonstration gardens at Beach 5, and flourishing plantings at Beach 1. With funding, SEED will revitalize the stage and seating area at Beach 5, replacing choking invasives like liriope and vinca with flowering, low-growing natives like Packera, Tiarella, and Heuchera. A rented mini skidsteer ($500) will help volunteers efficiently clear the site, followed by community-led replanting of deep plug flats with bulb augers and power drills. These plantings will reduce stormwater runoff, stabilize soil, and create vital habitat for pollinators and birds. Just as importantly, they serve as a model for sustainable landscaping that residents can replicate. By investing in native restoration, we enhance the beauty, function, and environmental health of Lake Barcroft for everyone.
Culmore Clinic
Culmore Clinic brings the community together to provide medical care and health education at no cost to uninsured neighbors in our Bailey's Crosssroads community. EIN for this 501(c)(3) organization is 30-0765570. Culmore Clinic will be upgrading facilities significantly thanks to becoming a permanent institution within the upcoming Kindred Crossing Senior Adult Residential Property. Because of this, however, we will need to find a temporary home for our programming for the next two years. The funds will help support patient care during the transition.
CK Fund
The CK Fund was founded in 2020 by Lake Barcroft residents Chris and Kacey Clayton with the mission of helping our community in the areas of school, youth sports and food security. The Fund has held food & school supply drives for the Culmore Resource Center and Bailey's ES. Since 2020 CK has donated 1500+ lbs of food & has recently focused exclusively on food drives for Culmore. CK is part of the CORE Foundation, which is a 501c3 & derives the same status. Funds received from the LBWC would be used to purchase food & hygiene products for our lower-income neighbors residing in the Bailey's ES catchment area, addressing a growing need for support for food pantries in that area. As our neighbors face the threat of losing many types of support from state & federal gov't, we cannot turn away. EIN is 20-5997764
Save the Swift Island Trees Project
Swift Island is one of our community’s sacred resources. It provides a sanctuary and safe nesting place for many of the birds that grace us with their presence. The health of the island and its trees is critical to maintaining this treasure. Last year, the woman’s club awarded funding for the Save the Swift Island Trees project. This funding provided the WID, LBA, and the Board’s Environmental Quality (EQ) Chair the resources it needed to collaborate with Arborbuds. They have been able to make significant progress towards removing the invasive species and vines that plague the Island. In addition, the funds will support continued maintenance and removal throughout the year. Providing this funding for an additional year will help ensure that the LBA/WID EQ Team once again has the funds it needs to eradicate the ivy and invasive plants from Swift Island and to maintain it as a healthy preserve that supports native plants and wildlife.
The Northern Virginia Mental Health Foundation
The Northern Virginia Mental Health Foundation (NVMHF), which provides creative and critical funding to our neighbors with mental health challenges and limited resources. The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board refers people to NVMHF. The mission of NVMHF is to provide support to individuals in our community who are seeking mental health services on their journeys to wellness and recovery. An LBWC donation would provide tailored direct grants to fellow neighbors for individual needs. Each case is different; funds could be used to buy a bicycle to get to a treatment, train tickets to get to an out-of-state medical center, or adaptive clothing for a disability. Their 501c3 number is 69483 (Tax ID: 54-1663921).
