December 20, 2022

On December 14, the Bethesda Women’s Giving Circle held its first annual Holiday Dinner and Awards at Eddie Merlot in Montgomery.

The event, which was hosted by Bethesda Foundation, gave members of the Giving Circle the opportunity to hear 3 presentations about programs benefiting women at Bethesda. At the end of the evening, members voted to award $19,221 in pooled funds to the Center for Abuse, Rape and Emergency Services (CARES) program.

The CARES program offers services to survivors of sexual assault, elder abuse and domestic violence, ages 14 and up. The CARES team is specially trained to collect evidence in both sexual assault and domestic violence cases.

Christine Hassert, MSN, RN, TNCC, CEN, FNE, Forensic Nurse Examiner Program Coordinator, accepted the award and said:

“We are so proud and humbled to be able to do the work that we do, and even more humbled by the generous support from our community such as the Women’s Giving Circle.”

The Bethesda Women’s Giving Circle was created in May 2022 to give women the opportunity to become philanthropists through collective giving that supports Bethesda Hospitals while focusing on current health issues facing women.

Membership in the Circle is made up of women who give at the $1,000 level or more each year. The Circle currently has 28 members and is open to any woman interested in joining.

For more information about the Giving Circle, please contact Mellissa Gayer in the Bethesda Foundation at 513-865-1614 or Mellissa_Gayer@TriHealth.com.