This May, Burnett & Williams is pleased to present our Ampersand Award for Community Excellence to the Network of Enterprising Women, or “N.E.W.”, a Richmond-area non-profit women’s networking organization. What makes N.E.W. special is not just the way the group works to provide aspiring businesswomen the tools they need to succeed, but also in the way they are focused on encouraging high-school-age girls to pursue higher education. N.E.W. sponsors multiple local scholarships every year, and all of the proceeds from N.E.W.’s special events and fundraising go toward the organization’s High School Scholarship Fund. Last year alone they awarded ten $1,000 scholarships to a diverse group of local college-bound senior girls.

On May 10th, N.E.W. launched what they hope will become an annual fundraising event: Rocking The Runway For a Cause, WEAR RVA Charity Fashion Show. The sold-out event, organized by N.E.W.’s publicity officer, Amber Reinink, and local businesswoman Taylor Pitera, transformed the Hofheimer building into ‘Skylight Clarkson Square,’ where area high school girls modeled the creations of seven local fashion boutiques. In addition to raising money, the fashion show also generated enthusiasm and awareness for local business, as well as for N.E.W.’s High School Scholarship Fund.

Not only are we privileged to honor the Network of Enterprising Women with the Burnett & Williams Ampersand Award for Community Excellence, we’re also committing to sponsoring one of their upcoming professional development workshops. If you care about local women entrepreneurs, we encourage you to get involved and consider making a donation to this great local cause.

If you’d like to apply for one of this year’s N.E.W. scholarships, the deadline is June 1!