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In May, we celebrate the hard-working, resilient, wonderful mothers in Columbus and all over the country. However, as we take this time to acknowledge the value of mothers and all they do for us, we also need to recognize the struggles that many mothers in Columbus face. About 35% of families in Columbus are headed by single mothers, compared to only 9% by single fathers. And the poverty rate for these single headed, female households are six times higher.
As a community we need to address the additional barriers mothers and single-mothers, in particular, face such as lack of access to child care, lack of access to equitable workplace policies such as paid family leave and sick days, unequal or insufficient pay, and being disproportionately affected by the city’s high eviction rate. These are all issues the city and the Columbus Women’s Commission strives to address and improve through our work so that mothers and all women can achieve success for themselves, their families and the community.
Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at the Columbus Women’s Commission!
On May 21, the Columbus Women’s Commission will be holding the 2nd Annual best practices half-day conference for organizations who have signed the Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity.
The purpose of this event is to share best practices from experts and learn from one another about how to address the issue of pay equity and gender equitable workplace policies within their organizations, and take active, effective steps to reduce the wage gap.
We will hear from Columbus leaders and human resources experts on the importance of creating gender equitable workplaces, how they began their journey and their advice to others. The morning will include a leadership panel moderated by Gale King (Nationwide) with Mayor Andrew Ginther (City of Columbus), Francie Henry (Fifth Third), Mike Kaufmann (Cardinal Health) and Denise M. Robinson (Alvis, Inc.)
The event will also include two breakout sessions. Pay Equity Analysis: Investigating Whether You Have a Problem, with Willis Towers Watson and Building a Workplace where Everyone Thrives, a panel discussion with local leaders moderated by Heather Whaling (Geben Communication), with Susan Basso (The Ohio State University), Nichole Brandon (City of Columbus), Melissa Johnson (Cameron Mitchell) and Qiana Williams (OhioHealth).
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO ATTEND: This is an invitation-only FREE event for companies who have signed the Columbus Commitment. Sign the pledge today and join over 300 individuals committed to learning about gender equity on May 21! Learn more & sign the pledge here: The Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity
Nationwide Children’s Hospital announced they will be raising their minimum wage to $15 per hour beginning in July, with full implementation by the end of 2020. This increase is the first for a central Ohio hospital and comes in acknowledgement of the discussions taking place among Columbus leaders and the community regarding the importance of a living wage for local residents. We thank Nationwide Children’s Hospital for taking a step toward economic security for their employees and making change in our Columbus community.
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To date, 194 Columbus businesses, non-profits, and public sector employers have signed The Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity. New adopters from the past month include:
Artina Promotional Products
Biehl Consultancy LLC
OCLC Inc.
Columbus Business First
Express Refrigeration/ Heating & Air
Fahlgren Mortine
Freedom a la Cart
Franchise D+I Solutions, LLC
Homeport
Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence
Ohio Women's Alliance
Scioto Analysis
Star House Columbus
Thank you to these organizations for committing to address the gender & race-based wage gap! Is your employer committed to closing the gender and race-based wage gap? Join us by adopting The Columbus Commitment today!
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Gina Ginn: Congratulations to Commissoner Gina Ginn, Executive Director of Columbus Early Learning Center. The Columbus Foundation chose the Columbus Early Learning Center as one of Central Ohio’s 5 Nonprofits to watch as they were recognized for their exceptional year of growth and progress. Thank you, Gina and everyone at the Columbus Early Learning Center for your continued work to serve the needs of children and families in our community. |
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Kate McGarvey: Kate has been named the new executive director of the Ohio State Legal Services Association, the umbrella organization over three groups that help low-income people in need of legal help. Legal Aid has been instrumental in our community and a strong partner in the Commission’s work on Evictions. Congratulations, Kate, and thank you for your passion and leadership to serving Ohio families. |
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Donnetta Peaks: We're pleased to share that Commissoner Rev. Donnetta Peaks has been appointed to serve as the Director of the Office of Ministry for the West Ohio Conference. Congratulations, Rev. Peaks! |
This past year, Mayor Andrew Ginther was selected along with 39 other mayors from across the world to participate a yearlong Innovation program with Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The program provides 40 mayors with world-class executive training for leadership development and innovation skills building to help deliver results for residents. As part of the program, the City of Columbus has to identify and propose innovative solutions for a problem our city faces where traditional approaches have not been successful.
Each mayor selected a pressing issue in their community to explore over the course of the year. Mayor Ginther tasked the Divisions of Police and Fire to double their number of minority recruits over the next 10 years. As a result of that goal, our city is focused on how to increase recruitment of minority candidates for the positions of police officers and firefighters.
The City’s Innovation Core Team, along with Harvard faculty, staff, and experts from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ global network is using a Design Thinking methodology and has spent the previous 6 weeks engaging the community and stakeholders in “field research”, gathering insights on how to best approach this problem. In the following months, the team will select a solution to prototype and test.
We thank Mayor Ginther for his bold leadership to address this issue and are humbled to be part of the team to advance opportunities for women in police and fire.
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The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio’s has just released a newly commissioned report in partnership with The Institute for Women’s Policy and Research, based in Washington DC. The report, Assets for Equity: Building Wealth for Women in Central Ohio takes a deep dive into the ability of women in Central Ohio to attain economic security and wealth for the long term and the importance of addressing wealth to create economic stability for women and people of color in Central Ohio. According to the study, single women, on average, own only 40 cents for every dollar a man owns. For Black and Hispanic women, it's two cents and eight cents, respectively.
This is one of few reports nationwide looking at the wealth gap and the first ever in Ohio. Taking a hyper local level approach, the report includes local initiatives and areas of need for Central Ohio to help shift the conversation and create change. Read the full report here.
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Women’s Fund of Central Ohio Keyholder 2019: You Hold the Key—May 22
Join the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio to hear Aly Raisman, Brittany Packnett, and Piper Perabo’s moving stories of those who have found their place and are using their voices and experiences to make an impact. The Women’s Fund is committed to connecting those who share a passion for the causes impacting women and girls, and we are so grateful to have them as a partner in our daily work. To find out more or purchase a ticket click here.
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Community Benefits Agreement: Careers in Construction Roundtable—May 22
Ever thought about a career in the skilled trades? Join the Community Workforce and Apprenticeship Committee, the City of Columbus and the Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council to learn more about careers in the skilled construction trades, how to apply and hear from construction professionals on why you should consider the trades. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 from 6 to 7:30 at Driving Park Recreation Center (1100 Rhoads Ave Columbus, Ohio 43206)
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Community Shelter Board: Under One Roof—June 12
Join Community Shelter Board on June 12 at Under One Roof to learn about the myths held about people living in poverty, and how we can help foster their strength, resilience, and possibility. Learn more here.
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WELD National Leadership Conference Beyond the Movement: Make Change Happen—June 13
The annual national conference attracts over 500 attendees and provides business and community leaders a great opportunity to gain new leadership skills, expand their network of contacts and identify business building relationships. Join WELD & Otterbein for this year’s conference featuring opening address speaker Chris Jansing, Senior National Correspondent and Anchor, MSNBC! To learn more & register click here.
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Dispatch: Central Ohio’s wealth gap is wide and female
Dispatch: DeWine signs bill creating women’s suffrage centennial commission
NBC: Ohio governor signs 'heartbeat' abortion bill, critics prepare to challenge in court
Columbus Business First: Women of Influence podcast: Linda Shetina Logan on building confidence and creating your own magic
Columbus Underground: Video: The State of Affordable Housing in Columbus
Columbus Business First: $1B bond package would keep Columbus from missing out on jobs, mayor says
Smart Cities Dive: Columbus, OH to spend millions to increase housing capacity, affordability
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