From the November 18, 2006, edition of the Post and Courier

Business owner empowers women to give
By Ann Mitchell

Women always have been givers, volunteering their time and talents for generations to help community causes. But in years past, they haven't always given money to those causes because, in many cases, they weren't the family breadwinners. They didn't ultimately control the purse strings.

"Women have become empowered in so many different areas, but yet not in the area of financial giving," says Weesie Newton.

"Women have always given their time, but they've not always made the decision about where the resources go."

Newton and the organization she founded, a giving circle called Women Making a Difference, are out to change that.

"I think there are a lot of people now who are my friends, who are giving their time, but not in the capacity that our mothers did, so that's where I think (Women Making a Difference) fills a need," she says.

"Women might not be able to give a lot of time, but they can give a little time, a little money, have fun and see their friends, and still feel like they're doing something worthwhile - and they really are. I think there's definitely a need for a change in the way women give back."

Woman by woman, dollar by dollar, grant by grant, Newton is making that change happen, and 150 women (and counting) are helping her do it.

Finding a formula
Women Making a Difference started about five years ago when Newton felt a need to give back to the community where she grew up, but wasn't sure where to start.
She called Anne Lee, president of Darkness to Light, a Charleston-based group that works to prevent the sexual abuse of children, and told her she'd like to start volunteering.
Lee had just returned from a conference where there was a focus on women's involvement in philanthropy.

"She sort of gave us the idea of coming up with a women's group," Newton says. "Really quickly, I got involved with Nancy Snowden and Katie Dukes, and the three of us - different backgrounds, different ages - got together to try to figure out how to do something with women. We knew we would love to help lots of different organizations, and we decided to focus onwomen and children because that's what really pulled at the heartstrings for us."

The trio started meeting regularly at the South Windermere Starbucks to brainstorm ideas.

"We had been talking about why women get involved and how we could get them involved," says Newton. "So we decided: We pick a purpose women are familiar with and comfortable with, and that was women and children. Then we ask them to do it together. Then we don't ask them to do a lot because we're talking about people who are taking care of children, have careers, have a lot of things going in their lives, and they don't have time."

It sounded like a magic formula.

"If we go to someone and say, 'Can we have a little bit of your time, a little bit of your talent, a little bit of your resources, and we want to dedicate all that to women and children?' there really isn't any other answer but 'yes.' They're ready to do it. Then, if you pull all that together, the impact is much more significant."

In February 2002, Newton, Snowden and Dukes each invited 15 friends to a party at Snowden's home to launch the group. "We said, 'Here's the deal, here's what we want to do. Are you on board?' And everyone was really excited about it," says Newton.

Similar to an investment club, a giving circle lets members pool their resources in a way that creates a bigger impact than any one of them could have as an individual.
Members of Women Making a Difference give annual tax-deductible membership donations that range from $250 to $2,500. The money goes into an endowment fund that's managed by the Coastal Community Foundation. The yield from investments is used to provide grants to Lowcountry groups that help women and children. The Boys & Girls Clubs, Carolina Youth Development Center, Dress for Success Women, the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center, Wings for Kids and People Against Rape have been among the recent recipients.

Each year, 10 percent of the membership dues goes into the endowment fund and 85 percent goes to the grants. The Coastal Community Foundation gets 1 percent to 2 percent to cover administrative costs. The remaining 3 percent is held in reserve to cover unanticipated expenses, but Newton says it usually ends up going toward grant funds, as well because so many of the items needed for the organization's events are donated.

On Wednesday, as part of Charleston Philanthropy Week, Women Making a Difference awarded $50,000 in grants to 15 local agencies. "At the end of this grant cycle, we will have given more than $200,000," Newton says.

Her husband, Tradd Newton, laughs when asked if he was surprised to see her turn a relatively simple idea - volunteering - into such a successful and growing group.
"I'm never surprised when Weesie takes on something, since I know it's going to be done well and she's going to be successful at it," he says.

Kay Chitty, coordinator for the grants committee this year, says her regard for Newton continues to grow.

"I'm a lot older than Weesie, and it's very reassuring to me, as I'm nearing the end of my time as a civic volunteer, that women as talented as Weesie are coming along and stepping up to the plate and taking on such serious challenges," Chitty says.

"Not only is she just beautiful, she's accomplished, organized, down to earth and very friendly. I don't know how she does it all, and she makes it looks so effortless, although I know it is not."

Newton has held many roles with Women Making a Difference, including serving on the grants committee. Committee members review applications from local agencies and make site visits to learn more about the programs and their needs. One of the most memorable visits for Newton came in the group's first year, when she went to Crisis Ministries, an emergency shelter for the homeless and hungry.

"I grew up here. I knew the shelter was there. I knew they had families there," she says. "But I had never been there. That made a big difference. You walk out with your eyes wide open. You might think you know what the needs are, but you don't. I hope that's part of what we do: We educate people about what's going on out there and what the needs are."
It's been educational for her children as well. She has taken the two oldest - sons James, 12, and Warren, 10 - to Crisis Ministries with her to serve breakfast. Her youngest, daughter Chantler, is 3.

For the Newtons, raising a child who's aware of the needs of others involves not just talking the talk, but walking the walk. "I think children have to see you doing it, have to hear you talking about it, have to know that it's important to you," she says. "Ours certainly do."

The homefront

Born in Columbia, Louise "Weesie" Warren moved to Charleston in 1972 at age 4. She lived downtown with parents Helen and Johnny Warren and younger siblings Caroline and John. After attending Ashley Hall from the first through the ninth grade, she moved to the Madeira School, a girls school outside Washington, D.C., for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades.

"I credit Madeira for a lot about who I am today," she says. "We went to school four days a week and volunteered in the community every Wednesday. The co-curriculum program is still very much a part of the Madeira experience today."
While she and Tradd grew up just a few blocks apart - he on Meeting Street, she on Legare - they didn't meet until the summer before she went to college.

"We met at the birthday party of a mutual friend and dated for about two months. Then it was over, forget it. It was like that for six years. I think we dated six times in six years, and the longest was for about six months," she says. "Finally, the last time, I was at Tulane and he came to cheer me up after I'd broken up with somebody, just to be my good friend. We started dating again and I said, 'This is great, but if this doesn't work, we're not doing it again. We can't ever do this again.' "

At Thanksgiving that year, he had a question: "If I asked you to marry me, what would you say?"

"I said, 'When you ask me, I'll tell you, but this is about five years too soon.' I was 22 at the time. Then that February he asked me. The answer was yes either way."

She and Tradd married in November 1991, and in the process of looking for their first house, Newton found her career: real estate. In January 1992, she began working for Daniel Ravenel Real Estate.

"It's a little bit psychology, a little bit sales. You get to see different people and have different relationships all the time. It's very busy and crazy, and it's a little chaotic, which most of my friends will probably tell you I like. I've been doing it for 15 years and I still love it."

Launching the Fleet

On Nov. 30, 2004, the couple opened the restaurant Fleet Landing. Perched at the edge of the harbor on Concord Street, it's in a building the Navy erected in 1942 as a debarkation point for sailors. It offers classic and contemporary Southern fare with a focus on sustainable seafood and seasonal local vegetables.

Owning his own restaurant was Tradd Newton's dream. Because his family's company, Piggly Wiggly Carolina, owned McCrady's Restaurant, he got a real taste for the business, but venturing out on his own wasn't easy. "It was a difficult decision for me with a large family business and my involvement with that," he says. "Weesie really encouraged me to believe in myself."

When Tradd found the Fleet Landing space, the couple decided to dive in headfirst - together, as co-owners.
"For the first eight months or a year that we were open, I was at the restaurant all the time," she says. "Now, I just usually come to manager meetings once a week."

Her husband adds, "I don't know a lot of people who can work with their spouse and spend all day, every day, with them and make a success of it, but we truly enjoyed it."
The couple have been very pleased with the restaurant's success. It's earned glowing write-ups regionally and nationally for the food and the design. In fact, Newton says she's already thinking about developing another restaurant group in addition to Fleet Landing, and her dreams for Women Making a Difference are just as big.

"Growth, growth, growth. That's the goal," she says. "I'd like to see very soon that we're giving out $100,000 a year. ... I think within the next two years, it's definitely possible. I'd love to see that that's where we are."
 
Weesie Newton
Birth date and place: April 21, 1968, Columbia.

Occupation: Realtor for Daniel Ravenel Real Estate Co. and co-owner of the restaurant Fleet Landing; co-founder of Women Making a Difference (volunteer position).

Family: Husband, Tradd; sons, James, 12, and Warren, 10; daughter, Chantler, 3.

Education: The Madeira School in McLean, Va. (high school); Tulane University, Bachelor of Arts in English.

Biggest influences on my life: My parents and the Madeira experience.

People would be surprised to know this about me: I read my horoscope every day - and usually theirs, too.

If I had it to do all over again: I'm not sure I would change much.

Top three things I'd like to accomplish: 1) Learn to relax and enjoy the moment more. 2) Develop a restaurant group in addition to Fleet Landing. 3) See Women Making a Difference in every community - we just need to get on the Oprah show!

The place I go when I need to think: My home office.

I am bothered by: Inefficiency.

Strongest childhood memory: Entering the English Channel when my father and I were on deck during a bad storm on our 39-foot sailboat after crossing the Atlantic Ocean with my immediate family. I had no idea how bad it was - actually thought it was fun at the time.

Favorite comfort food: Spaghetti and/or any kind of homemade cookies.

First job: Odd jobs for the neighbors. I handed out a flier advertising everything from baby-sitting and walking the dog to baking cakes and cookies.

My ideal day: Someone else has car pool, I make it to the gym, my clients find what they are looking for, I have a nice lunch with my husband and a massage after lunch, and I arrive home to find everything in order, and the children have all had a good day as well!

If I were given an extra hour in each day, I would: Read. I have stacks of books and magazines that I never seem to get to.

Worst habits: I am impatient, and I have a messy room.

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For additional information, please email Ida Becker.