Countywide : Women’s Legacy Fund Exceeds Goal

A new group dedicated to improving conditions for women and girls in Ventura County has exceeded its first-year, fund-raising goal, officials said Tuesday.

The Women’s Legacy Fund has raised $124,000, a month before its endowment campaign is scheduled to end, said Kate McLean, president of the Ventura County Community Foundation, which will administer the funds.

A fund-raising goal of $100,000 was set in May, McLean said.

“There were quite a few people who said you will never be able to do it,” McLean said. “So we feel pretty proud of ourselves.”

Earnings from the endowment, estimated to be about $20,000 annually, will be given out as grants for issues of concern to women and girls, such as workplace equality, domestic violence and assistance with child care, McLean said.

Westlake Village real estate agent Joan R. Young said she decided to donate $1,000 to the founding endowment because she believes women shoulder an unequal burden in society.

Besides bearing and caring for children, many women work, take care of elderly parents and do most housekeeping duties, Young said.

“Women have been juggling a lot and we need to recognize that,” she said.

Founders of the fund include influential Ventura County women as well as a handful of men, businesses and organizations, McLean said.