This year is the 40th Anniversary of the South Bay Women’s Network. To celebrate, we are asking our community, yes you, to help us grow our scholarship program through our “40 for 40” fundraising campaign. Our suggested donation is one dollar for each year of SBWN’s existence ($40), but you can always give more so that we can pass it along to enterprising young women who apply for the Cuesta College Female Reentry Student Scholarship Program.
In 2000 SBWN awarded its first two scholarships of $75 each. Since those first two scholarships we have awarded 92 scholarships to support local women in their decision to finish a college degree, a total of more than $49,000 so far. This has become our signature fundraising effort and focus!
South Bay Women’s Network began in 1983 when founding member, Jean Brown saw a need for a group to support women in the business community. Five business women interested in the idea spread the word and 40 women showed up for an organizational meeting and the first mixer.
Over the past 40 years, SBWN has not only been a networking group for women business owners, employees, retirees and homemakers but a supporter of many causes, beginning in 1988 at a holiday meeting where members assembled holiday gift packets for SLO Women’s Shelter (Stand Strong, Rise). From 1988 to 2019 more than $30,000 was raised at the Holiday Dinner & Benefit along with other fundraising events.
Through the years SBWN has supported other organizations and causes, such as Los Osos/Baywood Park Chamber of Commerce, Commission on the Status of Women, food banks, blood drives and running a voting poll since 2012.
South Bay Women’s Network continues to support women’s issues through community outreach and empower them through education and volunteerism. As a network we offer the opportunity to build professional and personal relationships.
