Because only together we can
build a world where FAMILIES are safe, strong, and valued
WHO WE ARE
01.
- Our Mission
Our mission is to empower women and families in local and global communities. We want to enable them to improve their quality of life in areas such as health, education, economic development and spirituality.
02.
- Our Vision
Envisioning a better tomorrow through giving.
03.
- Our Story
The 20/20 Sisters of Vision Giving Circle is a community Giving Circle which empowers and provides financial aid and other assistance to women and families in need. The Circle is comprised of women of the African diaspora whose common mission is to “Empower women and families in local and global communities.” The organization is part of the Community Investment Network (CIN), which is a network of African-American Giving Circles throughout the U.S. The organizations is also affiliated with the Triangle Community Foundation for purposes of administering its nonprofit funds.
WHAT WE DO
01.
— We Find & Fund
02.
— We Build Networks
03.
— We Strengthen
04.
— We Educate
05.
— We Provide Care
06.
— We Collaborate
BOARD MEMBERS
Rev. Joanne Browne Jennings is a native of Pembroke, Bermuda. As a distinguished preacher, ordained minister, and licensed marriage and family therapist, she has offered counseling, consultation, and training seminars in her Durham office for over 20 years. She is committed to collective giving as a means of creating opportunities for strategic philanthropy.
Prior to moving to Durham in 2014, Willette Carter was a special projects manager with the city of San Antonio, TX. During her 28-year career in the Air Force as a public affairs officer, she held positions world-wide, in New York City and the Pentagon, to bases in Asia and Europe, before retiring at the rank of colonel. She is active in the community through various social, religious and non-profit organizations.
Linda is an ordained Baptist Minister. Her spiritual life message,"God's Grace is Sufficient". She uses her gifts and talents for teaching and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ; reaching out to people in crisis following natural disasters and serving in areas of health disparities locally and abroad. Professionally, she is a Nurse Educator and Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner.
Roberta grew up in Durham and is a program director for a local Communities In Schools affiliate where she has been employed for nearly 10 years. She is a tennis enthusiast. She plays year-round on tennis leagues and coaches youth tennis for the City of Durham and the Town of Carrboro. She serves on the Raleigh Tennis Association’s board of directors.
Denise Rowson has been an educator for over 40 years, working with children and adults in traditional and non-traditional settings. She prides herself in the love and dedication to her faith, her community, and family, especially her grandsons Derrick 18 and Shomari 2. Following retirement in June 2019, she is excited about what God has in store for her to accomplish in this new season of her life.
Dr. Patricia Parker is professor and chair of the Department of Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is also the founding director of the Ella Baker Women's Center for Leadership and Community Activism. From her early experiences to her current work as co-chair of the UNC Commission on History and Race, Pat has been committed to catalyzing community power to fight oppression and transform the world into what it ought to be.
Dr. Harshaw-Ellis earned a BSN at UNC-Chapel Hill, an MSN at the Duke School of Nursing and later a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the Duke School of Nursing. She is a Nurse Practitioner in the Duke Advanced Heart Failure Program and a Consulting Associate to the Duke School of Nursing. She has a passion for reducing health disparities and educational and economic barriers in minority communities.
Antoinette has been a member of 20/20 Sisters of vision since 2009. She has a strong commitment and love for people. Her care and concern are expressed in her work as a public school teacher, and as an assistant minister in a local church. Her non-profit organization, DOVE Institute, serves middle school students with education enrichment through summer camps.
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Our Giving
GRANTS
Panzi Foundation – $250
NCCU Food Pantry – $150
Change Paths Ministry – $150
CAARE – $100
Helping Hand Ministry – $250
Ignite Ministries – $100
Student U – $1, 000
Swing Pals – $50
Mission of Grace (Haiti) – $125
UCAN – $100
Southwest Aid – $100
OTHER GIVING
Fall Fundraiser – Helping Each Adolescent Reach Their Spark (H.E.A.R.T.S.) – $6,525
2020 Cynthia D. Brown Educational Scholarship (2) – $1,000
Charitable Giving To Support Individuals And Families In Need – $625
Support for Printing of Cynthia Brown’s Book On Her Cancer Journey – $100
GRANTS
Wake Up Reach Up – $100
Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN) – $350
Bethel Christian Center – $250
OTHER GIVING
Charitable giving to support individuals and families in need – $850
Cynthia Brown Scholarships – $1,000
GRANTS
Durham Black Children’s Literature Symposium – $400
Ella Bake Women’s Center – $400
Wake Up Reach Up – $300
OTHER GIVING
Charitable giving to support individuals and families in need – $1075
Cynthia Brown Education Scholarships – $1500
Diverse Occupation and Vocational Education (DOVE) Institute – $500
Community Investment Network – $1,000
Community Investment Network – $250
The Ella Baker Women’s Center for Leadership and Community Activism – $500
Project BUILD – $3,000
Community Investment Network – $250
Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society – $1,000
Areawide Health Committee – $5,000
Community Investment Network – $256.95
Helping Hand Mission – $500
Family Health Ministries – $1,000.00
Bagley Swamp Wesleyan Church – $270.00
Interfaith Hospitality Network – $500.00
DONATE
support us and change the course of a family’s life today!
Events
Scholarship, Grant Presentations and Other Activities: 2022
Scholarship, Grant Presentations and Other Activities: January - December 2021
Scholarship and Grant Presentations : August - December 2020
Sip & Taste Fundraiser: December 14, 2019
Annual Tea Fundraiser: May 4, 2019
Cynthia D. Brown EDUCATION Scholarship
Cynthia’s book on her cancer journey, From Cynthia With Love: Reflections of Living With Cancer, was published in 2020. Visit, fromcynthiawithlove.weebly.com to view the virtual book launch and for details on how to purchase copies of the book.
Cynthia Denise Brown Dedication
An activist for social justice and human rights, Cynthia dedicated her life’s work to the uplifting of people, regardless of race, gender affiliation, or religion of any other category. Among her many life’s affiliations and accomplishments, she was a member of 20/20 Sisters of Vision Giving Circle. Cynthia departed this life in November 2016 and we deeply miss her. She brought a sense of direction, vitality, and knowledge, but most of all she gave her sisterly love to all of us. To know Cynthia was to love her and we thank God for allowing her to pass our way and touch our lives the way that she did. One of the common “threads” that we all share in our organization is the importance of education. We all agree that when you educate a woman or a girl, you educate a nation. In memory of our dear sister, Cynthia Denise Brown, we 20/20 SOV Giving Circle, have agreed to develop an education fund in her honor solely for the college and technical education of Black women.
The 2023 Scholarship is Now Closed.