On Our Cover

The first meetings of The Women’s Giving Circle of PebbleCreek (TWGC) were held in 2020 with thoughtful consideration given to social distancing. Covid gave the club’s founders a sense that unprecedented needs were placing a strain on existing social safety nets; the club was born of the idea that members could offer something new to the PebbleCreek community a way to offer support productively and sustainably to non-profits in the West Valley.

Since that time, the club’s efforts have generated gifts of money and product valued at over $20,000 in support of local efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, benefit local crime victims through the Southwest Family Advocacy Center (SWFAC) and alleviate period poverty by hosting the popular Annual Packing Party with home sewn bags on behalf of Go With The Flow (GWTF).

This year, a new effort, Date with a Plate, was inaugurated to benefit the Agua Fria Food Bank. The event raised an additional $5,800 that was donated directly to the organization. Agua Fria Food Bank is a well-known southwest valley agency that serves roughly 50,000 residents each year with emergency food; many PebbleCreek residents are regular volunteers.

Club President, Willa Kravitz, was introduced to the Date with a Plate concept through her professional non-profit career and was excited to introduce it to our community. The event is based on sharing table settings – the sort of thoughtful table settings that you might imagine creating for a treasured family member’s milestone birthday or to honor a significant achievement. Guests at the sold-out event sipped champagne and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres while touring the exhibitor’s tables and hearing the stories that inspired each display. Offerings ranged from designs honoring family members recently lost to cancer, Zen Garden inspiration, Elvis Presley and even the Dollar Store. In addition to the table settings, a silent auction was held based on items donated by PebbleCreek artists – it was exciting to see the work of our talented community offered in support of such a critical – and undoubtedly growing – need. As interest exceeded capacity, the club is planning to host Date with a Plate again in January 2024.

As the rapidly growing West Valley continues to emerge from the covid pandemic, there will be an ongoing need to support local non-profit efforts. For more information on The Women’s Giving Circle or to join the club, plan to attend the Spring Semi-Annual Meeting in the Chianti Room on April 17th at 4:30pm or reach out to the club at thewomensgivingcircle@gmail.com.