January 2025
JANUARY…a time to look forward to possibilities and consider upcoming challenges…AND…a time to review the pluses and minuses from last year to capitalize on strengths and learn from missteps. This recipe for effective leadership guides 1st Amendment-1st Vote in our work with and for teen girls, so, be confident that we are in good hands with today’s young women who are already imagining themselves as effective government leaders!
2024 Recap:
LARGEST DONOR-BASE to DATE: With grant funding and individual donations, we are successfully into our 6th year of programming. We closed 2024 with record revenue due to the generosity from scores of individual donors and these Major Funders: Allyn Family Foundation; Ben & Jerry’s Foundation; Canandaigua National Bank & Trust; Canandaigua Rotary; Central New York Community Foundation; Generations Bank; Greater Rocherster Area AAUW; Humanities New York; Marilyn Tedeschi & Frances Vickie Fumia; Women’s Fund of Central New York.
LARGEST STATEWIDE STUDENT COHORT to DATE: 167 students from city, rural and suburban districts in Western NY, Central NY/Finger Lakes, Rochester-area, Syracuse-area and Capital Region, representing 21 high schools. We’re proud and pleased to have two new Chautauqua County school districts join us this school year: welcome aboard WESTFIELD ACADEMY & CHAUTAUQUA HS.
CONSISTENT MEASURE of PROGRAM SUCCESS: students again report an 83% HIGH SATISFACTION-rate re “program helps me to imagine myself in elected office or a professional government-related job.
AMANDA MYERS is serving as our Program Services Manager responsible for planning and implementing all student sessions.
WHAT’S AHEAD: program expansion throughout New York and beyond; strengthening existing partnerships; succession planning.
MAJOR CHALLENGE: as a volunteer-run organization, we’re at capacity program-wise & otherwise. Expansion is not only possible, it’s probable if we add paid staff to administer operations and plan/implement student sessions for this successful leadership development program.
EXPECTATION: continued support from donors and volunteers who share our passion to uplift the status and numbers of women in government leadership either as elected representatives in our democracy or in professional government-related jobs. We expect to affiliate with a like-minded/like-hearted/like-
PLEASE CONSIDER a donation in support of our work. Thank you and all the best to you and yours in 2025! www.1sta1stv.org/ways-
Sincerely,
Melina
Melina Carnicelli
Board President & Founder
1st Amendment-1st Vote, Inc
2025 Major Funders
