3 Birmingham residents among successful Oakland County women gathering to help struggling Michigan women and their children

Media Contacts: Blanca Fauble, WCP board member; 248.540.8478; blancafauble@gmail.com; Anne Masterson, WCP board member; 313.664.7463; amasterson@collegeforcreativestudies.edu 

West Bloomfield, Mich. – Aug. 9, 2013 – More than a hundred Southeast Michigan influential businesswomen, elected officials and professionals will gather on Thursday, Aug. 15 at the home of Alicia Masse, Midwest Restructuring Leader at EY, in West Bloomfield to celebrate the fifth of seven Twilight Gathering fundraising events taking place this summer across the state to support the Women’s Caring Program (WCP). The evening brings together successful women to join forces in helping struggling Michigan women and their children achieve economic stability.

The WCP provides scholarships for children aged 0–5 from low-income, working families that earn too much to qualify for governmental childcare assistance but frequently struggle to make ends meet and are unable to afford quality early care and education for their children.

WCP’s Twilight Gatherings sprouted from a small front porch gathering of women in 1979 with the initial goal of expanding their circle of friends. Each year thereafter, friends invited more friends, and more than three decades later, the Twilight Gatherings attract hundreds of women statewide for a festive evening of spirited laughter and mingling in gorgeous outdoor settings.

Auburn Hills City Council member Anne Doyle, author of POWERING UP! How America’s Women Achievers Become Leaders, is a co-hostess for the event and a longtime Women’s Caring Program supporter. Doyle understands that women can be both wonderful parents and effective breadwinners for their families. 

“I’m passionate about the Women’s Caring Program because it is a very targeted way for successful, Michigan women to help other working women lift themselves out of poverty,” Doyle explained. “Many of the parents WCP helps are single mothers. When they know their children are safe, they can focus on finishing their educations or earning money to care for themselves and their children.”

In recent years, the issue of quality early care and education has become a major discussion point among state and federal policymakers. However, the WCP recognized the need early on and has been delivering services to children from low-income families for 15 years via ChildCare Commitment, Michigan’s only statewide program of its kind. In total, the nonprofit has awarded over $2.5 million to families in 81of Michigan’s 83 counties.

The Masse home is located at 5500 Putnam, West Bloomfield 48323. Tickets are limited so guests are encouraged to register online prior to the event. Tickets are available at the door until the event is sold out and payment can be received either by credit card or check.

In addition to Alicia Masse and Anne Doyle, co-hostesses for the event are Blanca Fauble, Shannon M. Hannon, Terry Olejnik, Carol Walters, Tricia Llewelyn, Diane Antishin, Celeste Arduino, Debra Kiteley, Judy Malburg, Terry Barclay, Tricia Sherick, Beth Gotthelf, Faye Shamoun and Carole Winnard Brumm.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.WomensCaringProgram.org. 

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