Investing in Women

Want to make a social impact with your everyday purchases? Then, read the book Buy the Change you Want to See, by Jane Mosbacher Morris. (The book will be published at the end of January by Penguin Random House.) Morris is the CEO of To the Market that sells products from women artisans in vulnerable communities. She works with 100 suppliers from more than 20 countries.

Morris educates consumers on how thoughtful purchases can transform lives. She explains the second largest industry in the developing world is the artisan arena — sewers, beaders, leather makers, etc. To the Market connects artisans to factories to buyers. The ripple effect of purchasing a product from a country like Haiti can create positive change and economically empower several people.

I had the opportunity to hear Jane speak at the Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Greater Palm Beaches (JWF) event Imagine the Possibilities in West Palm Beach. (Disclosure: I was the co-chair)

The event theme was Investing in Women as the mission of the Foundation and the book align perfectly. The Jewish Women’s Foundation mission advances the status of women through strategic grantmaking, education and leadership development. It’s an inclusive organization that seeks to improve the lives of all women and girls regardless of background, religion or socioeconomic status.

In the photo, Jane Mosbacher Morris is in the middle, while I’m on the left and my daughter-in-law Jessica Rocher Schwartz is on the right.

Tags: artisans, Buy the Change you Want to See, empowering women, Investing in Women, Jane Mosbacher Morris, Jessica Rocher Schwartz, Jewish Women's Foundation, social change, To the Market, vulnerable communities