Women for The Inn (WINN) Community
Women for the Inn is a community for women who support the mission of The Children’s Inn at NIH. Joining this group provides members with the opportunity to connect with healthcare luminaries, volunteer their time, donate (and direct) funds towards Inn projects, and network with like-hearted women.
Funds raised by WINN in 2020 were directed by WINN members to fund two important efforts. First, we supported the newly renovated E-wing Kitchen by supplying small appliances, electric servers, dishes, pots, pans, baking supplies, kosher items, gluten-free ingredients, and utensils. We also directed a majority of funding into the Feeding Families program which provided approximately two months of individually packaged breakfast, lunch, and dinners for Inn families from local restaurants.
Benefits of Membership
Our programming and engagement with The Children’s Inn offers many different opportunities for involvement. Members are invited to special events such as:
- Networking events, connecting members with corporate and community leaders
- Speaker series with nationally recognized leaders in areas such as medical research, business, etc.
- Volunteer engagement opportunities, such as organizing Family Dinners, holiday gift drives, service days, virtual programs to entertain Inn children, teens and young adults, pro-bono services, etc.
Membership – How to Join or Renew
Membership is open to any woman who would like to contribute the minimum annual amount of $1,000, which is fully tax-deductible. Each September, in consultation with Inn leadership, WINN members vote on how to allocate the combined WINN contributions for the greatest impact. For example, WINN funding may be directed toward family support programs, educational activities, scholarships, emergency financial assistance, room/facility enhancements, etc.
2021-2022 WINN Leadership
WINN is led by a small leadership group, WINN Champions, headed by co-chairs Lois Alperstein and Julie McPherson. The champions are responsible for identifying, developing and implementing WINN’s goals and objectives, and oversee all WINN events, activities and membership/volunteer recruitment.
Our other committees are led by members within WINN. These groups are responsible for creative programming, volunteer opportunities, engagement with Inn families, and membership development. Sandy Davis has been involved with The Children’s Inn for over 30 years and heads our membership committee. Pam Kanstoroom and Nancy Dianis serve as WINN programming co-chairs.
For more information about WINN, please email Elaine Currie or call 202-276-2431.
WINN Events
On Thursday, September 30th, members will gather for a virtual WINN Quarterly Meeting. This event will include presentations, by staff members, on The Inn’s areas of greatest need which will be followed by a vote to decide which program the community will fund with this year’s membership contributions. Participants will also hear an update of Life at The Inn by CEO, Jennie Lucca, as well as keynote remarks by Tiffany Powell-Wiley, MD, MPH on Women and Heart Disease.
WINN Speakers
Julie E. Ledgerwood, D.O.
Deputy Director
Chief Medical Officer
Chief, Clinical Trials Program, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
“COVID-19 Vaccine Research and Development”
Shelli Avenevoli, Ph.D.
Deputy Director of the National Institute of Mental Health
“COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health”
Janine Austin Clayton
NIH Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health,
“The Promise, the Potential & the Power of Women’s Health”
Christine Grady, M.S.N., Ph.D.
Senior Investigator
Chief of the Department of Bioethics, NIH Clinical Center,
“Vulnerability and COVID-19: An Ethical Perspective”
Lori Wiener, Ph.D., DCSW, LCSW-C
Senior Associate Scientist
Pediatric Oncology Branch at the National Cancer Institute
Co-Director, Behavioral Health Core
Head, Psychosocial Support and Research Program
Senior Associate Scientist
“Psychosocial Research and its Impact on Children and Families“
Nirali N. Shah, M.D., M.H.Sc.
Head of the Hematologic Malignancies Section of the Pediatric Oncology Branch at the National Cancer Institute
“The New CAR on the Block,” explaining a promising type of immunotherapy
Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, Ph.D.
Director, National Library of Medicine at the NIH
“Information for Health in Contemporary Times”
Diana W. Bianchi, M.D.
Director, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the NIH
“Key Indicators of Women’s Health”
WINN Family Engagement
By becoming a WINN member, you will join a group of powerful group of philanthropically minded women who pool their talent and resources for the greatest impact.