by Victoria Rodarte, Spark Member & Investment Committee Chair

I was raised by a kick-ass working mom. She is my example of what it means to care about the world, engage politically, and take pride in your work. School was number one in our house. She always emphasized the power and importance of education, and continues to unconditionally push me to follow my dreams.

I believe every young woman deserves someone like my mom in her corner. Yet, every year, we continue to see statistics that show nearly 2/3 of all illiterate adults in the world are women and over 130 million school-age girls are not in school. We know that when girls and women are educated, communities are healthier and have the opportunity to thrive. Poverty, war, and gender biases are all barriers to girls’ education and I want to do something to help balance that disparity.

That’s why I joined Spark. Because I had an itch to engage with other socially minded individuals and give back to organizations trying to improve the lives of women and girls in their communities. I was hooked from my first Investment Committee meeting – each organization under consideration was doing such norm-changing work! And everyone in the room brought their own unique perspectives as we discussed jointly where our dollars could have the greatest impact. I also loved that Spark members could take leadership roles to advocate on behalf of these organizations. Now, I’m incredibly proud and excited to contribute my time and skills as chair of the Investment Committee.

Now is the time to harness the momentum of the Women’s March, the fight for Planned Parenthood, and the #MeToo movement to magnify the impact Spark can have in the Bay Area and beyond. In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, I hope you’ll join me in raising awareness and funds to support women and girls worldwide.

Spark has a goal to raise $5,000 by International Women’s Day, this Friday, March 8th. No amount is too small – whether $20 or $200 – donate what is meaningful to you and watch it amplify its impact exponentially around the world.

Thank you!