By Peggy O'Farrell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Four organizations will receive an economic boost from the Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation this year.

But supporters of the fund want to see it make an even bigger impact for women and girls in Greater Cincinnati, says Vanessa Freytag, chair of the leadership council that oversees the fund.

"We want to make the fund large enough to have the kind of impact that some other cities have been able to create," Freytag says.

The Women's Fund, which was begun by a group of former Women of the Year, has a permanent endowment of about $750,000 in Cincinnati, but Indianapolis's fund totals more than $5 million.

Local organizers would like to see more women and donors get involved with the endowment, which is geared toward making life better for girls and women, and to call all women to philanthropy.

The Women's Fund disburses $30,000 to $50,000 a year in grants to different agencies, Freytag says.

This year's recipients are:

• $18,000 to the Women's Connection in the Price Hill area to train for resume preparation, interviews and other skills to help women upgrade employability.

• $5,000 to the Girl Scouts' Great Rivers Council to establish an after-school scouting program at four schools in the Cincinnati Public Schools system.

• $5,000 to the Girl Scouts' Licking Valley Council for a program to expand and deepen scout leader training to retain and recruit more scout leaders.

• $5,000 to Comprehensive Community Child Care to develop leadership and skills training for day care providers.

Leaders of the Women's Fund are also awaiting the results of a major study that will identify needs and gaps in services and opportunities for women and girls in Greater Cincinnati. The study, which should be finished in the first quarter of 2005, will cover education, economic development, leadership and health and safety issues, Freytag says.

To learn more about the Women's Fund, call Karen Zerhusen, 768-6135.