American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter CEO Cindy Erickson with Tiffany Circle Member Nancy Galvin.

I recently returned from the annual Tiffany Circle Women’s Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. The Tiffany Circle program, which started just four short years ago, is growing and expanding across the country to become a powerful movement in support of the American Red Cross. Members of the Tiffany Circle are women leaders and philanthropists who support their local Red Cross chapters with an annual investment of $10,000.

The Summit brought together over 300 Tiffany Circle members to network, mentor and share best practices on how to support the American Red Cross. The two-day conference was both exciting and educational. The Summit kicked off with a lovely tea and reception at Red Cross Square Headquarters where members mingled, socialized and learned more about the history of the Red Cross. It was inspiring to recall the importance of women leaders in the Red Cross – from founder Clara Barton to today’s National CEO Gail McGovern.

The opening dinner was held at the National Museum for Women in the Arts, where we honored Wounded Warriors and members of the military. We were reminded of the critical role the Red Cross plays every day in providing emergency communications between our brave military men and women and their cherished loved ones back home. It was truly a heartwarming evening.

The second day of the Summit included a “State of the Red Cross” address from CEO Gail McGovern and fabulous breakout sessions on topics ranging from how to build safer communities to trends in women’s philanthropy. Lunch was at the historic Mayflower Hotel and featured a panel discussion from Tiffany Circle members across the county sharing their personal Red Cross stories and explaining why they support the Red Cross.

The closing dinner was lovely. Held at the beautiful Embassy of Italy on Embassy Row, we enjoyed fabulous food, a wonderful keynote speaker in Judy Woodruff, the co-anchor of “PBS News Hour” and heard an amazing musical performance by Italian recording artist Romina Arena. All in all it was an extraordinary experience.

I am very proud to be a Tiffany Circle member. Meeting such talented, savvy, smart and philanthropic women from across the country who care and support the Red Cross as much as I do, was truly the highlight of the Summit!

If are interested in learning more about the Tiffany Circle, please contact Cathy Sullivan, Director of Major Gifts, at 314-516-2290 or at csullivan@redcrossstl.org.

Nancy