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The Giving Circle has two segments for annual disbursement with 75% of funds allocated to Faculty & Staff Special Projects and 25% of funds allocated as Student Academic Enrichment grants.
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Faculty & Staff Special Projects - 75%
Faculty & Staff awards will be up to $5,000 each and proposals will focus on curricular and approved student experiential learning opportunities. Proposals require the approval of the department chair prior to submission. Project funding will be determined by voting Members.
Student Academic Enrichment Grants - 25%
Awards will be up to $2,000 each and any remaining funds are dispersed as appropriate according to Women for BW bylaws. Recipients are determined by voting members as an award. Honoring the current Women's Club legacy, all recipients will be female.
Each year, these special awards allow for opportunities that otherwise may not be possible. 100% of Giving Circle Membership funds are allocated to these awards.
Please visit our Membership page to learn more about how you can help make an
even bigger impact this coming year!
2025 Giving Circle Award Results
Student Academic Enrichment Award
Up to $2,000 (women students only)
Faculty/Staff Special Project Award
Up to $5,000
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2025 Student Academic Enrichment Awards
Berta Gashi ’26 (From Learning to Impact: A Global Service Experience in Guatemala)
Berta used her funding to organize a book donation drive for her study abroad trip to Guatemala with Mission Guatemala, a nonprofit organization that provides health and educational services to the town of Panajachel and surrounding communities. She collected over 1,100 Spanish and English books for children in Panajachel. The project supported early childhood education by building and furnishing reading spaces, including bookshelves and reading nooks. It also created a leadership opportunity for BW students while addressing the critical lack of access to books, where classrooms of up to 60 students may share only five books.
Jackie Kaminski ’26 (Beginning a Professional Career: The Importance of the Right Setup)
Jackie will use her funding to purchase a professional-quality cello and bow, valued at $15,000 and $3,800 respectively as she prepares to begin her career and goal of becoming a university professor of cello performance and cello pedagogy. Having trained on a beginner-level instrument, she has faced limitations in achieving the advanced techniques expected at the Conservatory level. Upgrading to a Y. Chen Montagnana model cello has already improved her playing significantly, demonstrating how critical a high-quality instrument is to her development and success.
Brie Roeser ’25 (STEM Success Center Innovation Project)
Brie will use her funding to create a dedicated space called the STEM Success Center where students can access on- and off-campus resources to support academic progress and graduation, with a particular focus on those interested in healthcare careers. This space will also foster professional development and serve as a hub for programs such as Choose Ohio First, STEM Scholars, and the Rural Healthcare Initiative, enabling effective marketing, communication, and engagement between coordinators and students.
Total Award Amount for Students: $5,500
2025 Faculty & Staff Special Project Awards
Beth Hiser (Women Who Rock)
Beth will use her funding to purchase equipment needed to continue BW’s The Rock Band Class, which introduces undergraduate students—primarily non–music majors—to the collaborative, creative, and technical skills needed to perform in a rock ensemble. In its Spring 2025 debut, 12 of 16 students were women, marking meaningful progress in a traditionally male-dominated field. To maintain a high-quality, hands-on experience, enrollment will be capped at 18 students per semester, and funding will support the purchase of shared equipment—including electronic drum kits, amplifiers, microphones, PA systems, and hearing protection—in fall 2026, enabling the course to run again in spring 2027 and annually thereafter.
Claudine Grunenwald Kirschner ’93/Courtney Robinson (Phase II of the BW Women’s Center)
Claudine and Courtney will use their funding to sustain the Women’s Center’s programs and services for the 2026–2027 academic year including Women's History Month events and health and wellness resources while ensuring ongoing student engagement, meaningful programming, and long-term stability. The Baldwin Wallace Women’s Center, located in Strosacker Student Union, is a welcoming, dedicated campus space that empowers, informs, and connects students, faculty, and staff while providing essential resources to the broader community; made possible entirely through grants and donations, the Center was established with initial funding from Women for BW, which transformed it from a Pop-Up Center into a permanent and impactful resource with secured space, operational support, and campus visibility.
Amy O’Brien (Seeing Speech: Enhancing Communication Through Ultrasound)
Amy will use the funding to expand ultrasound equipment for the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Baldwin Wallace University, enhancing clinical training and programming focused on treating persistent speech sound disorders through real-time visual biofeedback. Increased access to this technology will better prepare undergraduate and graduate students with practical, evidence-based skills while improving outcomes for clients served by the university’s free, on-campus speech clinic, which supports individuals across the Greater Cleveland community. Currently limited by a single ultrasound unit, the clinic’s capacity to train students and serve clients will be significantly strengthened through this investment, which also includes developing a standardized training protocol; beyond equipment, gel, and cleaning supplies, no additional costs are anticipated, making this a high-impact opportunity to advance student learning and clinical care.
BW David and Frances Brain Center for Community Engagement (Student Resource Center (SRC) Programming)
The BW Brain Center will use funding to provide food insecure BW students with food, materials, and meal swipes to sustain services and continue leadership development opportunities at the Student Resource Center (SRC) at Baldwin Wallace University. The SRC supports students’ basic needs through initiatives such as the Campus Cupboard, Pop-Up Pantries, Swipe Out Hunger meal swipes, and Survival Kit distributions, ensuring reliable access to food and essential items for those facing financial hardship while also empowering women leaders to run and sustain its operations. In 2024–2025, the SRC served 1,143 students—63% of whom identified as women—and over 80% used referrals to connect with additional campus and community resources; notably, participants maintained a 94% retention rate and an average 3.1 GPA, highlighting the link between basic-needs support and academic success. Supported through the Brain Center, the program is entirely women-led, including roles such as Director, Community Engagement Outreach Intern, Student Director, and Foodstop Delivery Ambassadors, providing hands-on leadership and service experience.
Total Award Amount for Faculty & Staff: $16,500
Total award amount for 2024-2025: $22,000
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