Recently in the Women Category

Ninety-one years ago today, women won the right to vote upon the activation of the 19th amendment. The courageous suffragettes inspired us and fought valiantly for a privilege that we hold dear today. Because of these efforts, women are evident in many of the highest offices in America; however, we still have a long way to go. Today, we hold just 17% of the seats in Congress and only 6 governorships. We must continue to be involved, for our future, our daughters' futures, and America's future.    

At the WIPP Annual Leadership Conference, October 11-13, WIPP will celebrate its 10th Anniversary at the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum. The Sewall-Belmont House was once the home of Alice Paul, leader of the suffrage movement and is one of the oldest residential properties on Capitol Hill, serving as a center of political life in Washington for more than 200 years. Click here for more information and to register for the WIPP Annual Leadership Conference.

By the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation

How will you celebrate the 4th of July this year? No matter what you do, it can be an opportunity not just to mark our nation's founding, but also to launch (or build on) a healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

No doubt about it, eating is a big part of the 4th of July holiday. But it's important to remember: There's also a 5th of July. Making sure our kids live a healthy life depends on BALANCE, especially energy balance - making sure that the energy (or calories) we consume is balanced by the energy we expend through physical activity.

July 4th is a day to play. Since it falls on a Monday this year, it makes for a great weekend to do these things - as a family. That works in perfectly with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation's Together Counts™ program, which encourages families to eat meals together and engage in physical activities together to counter obesity and promote good health.

Why not go out for a family walk after dinner for all three days of the holiday? Or you can throw the Frisbee around. Or how about going on a swim as a family - maybe even make it a race.

If you're having a family picnic, there is nothing more fun than a potato sack race or a three-legged race - or just a regular footrace. When is the last time you got the chance to play touch football with the kids? Or if the kids are younger, tag or hide-and-seek?

The important thing is to keep on moving. It all burns calories - and it all balances out that great food we'll be eating. Let's have a great - active - Fourth of July.  

Even if you're not a federal contractor, there are many lessons to be learned from the 11-year struggle to make the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program a reality.  It is, among many other things, a lesson in perseverance, finding your voice, and the importance of having a strategy.  The Late Spring 2011 issue of The Exchange, the Women's Leadership Exchange newsletter, featured an article by Barbara Kasoff, WIPP President, "Why You Should Celebrate the Women's Procurement Program Even if You Are Not a Federal Contractor."  Follow the link, or read the article below:

I was having dinner with a friend recently and she said "enough already" about the women's procurement program.  She doesn't want to be a federal contractor and so all of WIPP's attention to this program seems a bit much to her.  Not at all surprising, but I would submit this "case study" is applicable to every woman business owner even if you never plan to be a contractor.  Below is a list of lessons learned from this 11-year journey, which I hope you will find helpful in your business or policy organization.

•    Women Business Owners Won.  If there is ever any doubt in your mind whether the Congress listens to women business owners, think no further.  Women business owners are the sole reason behind this program from passage of the law to implementation by SBA.  If you are a woman business owner, this victory is yours.

•    The Importance of a Strategy.  While passion is required for good advocacy, strategy makes the difference between success and failure.  In the case of this program, we had to know how to play the Congressional rules to our advantage.  We had to build a record, know when to mobilize, when to push and put in place a program to increase the number of women interested in contracting.

•    A Lesson In Perseverance.  It took eleven years to make this happen.  This goes to show that even though making changes in government are not necessarily fast, persistence will result in change.  This lesson applies to anyone running a business.

•    Mobilizing Many Voices Works.  If you want to affect change in your community, state or national level, assemble a large coalition of supporters.  While one or two people can make inroads, a coalition will make change possible.  In this case, millions of women spoke out and many, many organizations registered their support.

•    Take Criticism With A Grain of Salt.  Someone once wisely stated that if you are an effective leader, you will be criticized.  In this case, while we did everything we could to minimize animosity, pushing for change subjected us to criticism within the government.  But that just comes with the territory.  Don't let it derail you.

•    Find Your Champions.  In the case of this program, women Members of Congress really stepped up to the plate.  A majority of women in the House supported implementation of a good program and every single women Senator supported us.  Even though women are not the majority in Congress in terms of numbers, they pack a mighty punch.  There were also many unsung heros that worked behind the scenes to help. Elected officials are not the only ones who will step up to be champions.

•    Repeat Your Message Often.  Even though you think the whole world knows your message and can recite it word for word, think again.  Studies show that it takes in the range of 25-40 repetitions to learn.  WIPP and its coalition partners repeated the message that women needed this program to succeed in government contracting and we kept repeating it to Congress, federal agencies, and the White House for 11 years.

•    It Takes Leaders - Are You One?  There is no question that without leadership within the women's business community, this program would simply have died due to unanswered opposition.  Women who head women's business organizations provided leadership at the national level. Individual women business owners who are influential in their communities provided leadership at the local level.  Hundreds of thousands of women business owners responded to action alerts, sent letters when asked, visited their legislators and supported organizations like WIPP who provided the united voice.

Now That We Have the Program, We Need Your Help To Make It Work.  Getting this program in place is just the first step although it took 11 years.  Now the challenge lies ahead- making it work.  That will require visits to the federal agencies and local SBAs to promote the program.  It will require identification of contracts which could be utilizing this program.  It will require educating women on the specifics of the program.  If you don't want to become a contractor, consider supporting the women who do.  They will be there for you when you need their voice on your issue.  And don't forget to celebrate- you won.

Barbara Kasoff is the President and CEO, and Co-Founder of Women Impacting Public Policy, Inc., a non-profit, nonpartisan public policy advocacy organization with over half a million members including over 50 business organizations, educating and advocating on economic issues for women in business.  For more information visit www.wipp.org.

By Lisa Gable

For many American families, this is the summer of making Together Count. I'm talking about the Together Counts™ program, which encourages families to eat meals together and engage in physical activities together to help counter obesity and promote good health.

The campaign was launched by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) - 160-member organization to which Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) belongs. HWCF and WIPP share a commitment to reducing obesity, especially childhood obesity. The Together Counts initiative makes good sense. Families that eat together and share regular physical activities are happier and healthier.

The Together Counts campaign invites families to take the pledge - to work together and share meals together.
One of the most important ways to fight obesity is by engaging in healthy physical activity. It's a two-way street:  Both how many calories we take in and how many we expend. The best time to start pursuing this kind of energy balance is the summer -- the season of swimming and hiking, playing baseball and just plain going out and having a good time.  There are lots of opportunities for families to engage in healthy physical activities together. And sharing a meal together is especially fun when it's a picnic or a barbecue. So this summer, let's start making Together Count.  

For some tips, check out www.togethercounts.com.  

By Lisa Gable, Executive Director of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation

Childhood seems to have moved indoors. Kids today spend an average of 4-7 minutes a day outside in unstructured play. Kids who spend all their free time in front of a video screen don't know what they're missing. Rather than simply tell them, parents can show them - by taking part in outdoor family activities.

The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation's national Together Counts™ campaign - see www.togethercounts.com - encourages families to engage in healthy physical activities together (and to eat more meals together).

There are many opportunities for families to have fun together, while encouraging kids to get into a physically active lifestyle. One way is to participate in the National Wildlife Federation's Great American Backyard Campout® on June 25th, a nationwide event that asks families and friends to take one night and campout in their backyards, back porches, or local parks. To join the campout, register with National Wildlife Federation at www.backyardcampout.org  and open the door to sleep under the stars.  The website provides camping resources and tools, such as packing lists, recipes and suggested activities. You can pledge to camp with your family in your own backyard or join up with a team of campers in your neighborhood.  Great American Backyard Campout is free.  NWF encourages participants to fund-raise to help support NWF programs (similar to a walk-a-thon).

This Spring, NWF launched Ranger Rick's Geocache Trails - a treasure hunt that incorporates GPS positioning technology and gets kids and parents out together on healthy nature hikes to find hidden geocaches .  Ranger Rick Geocache Trails GPS coordinates can be found at www.geocaching.com/rangerricktrails.
 
It's healthy and wholesome. Oh, one more thing - it's a lot of fun.