Today we are awash with organizations designed to bring aid to families, disabled people, those whose lives have been disrupted, those who despair and those who need end-of-life care. What we take for granted today was not the norm in the 19th century in Ithaca. Entities like McGraw House and the United Way, among many others, were created by or with the aid of women to help address pressing needs.

Carol  Kammen, Retired Tompkins County Historian, Instructor, Author, will explore the roles of several interesting women who stepped beyond social, religious and legal constraints to begin the creation of care in our community. What impelled women to act beyond their expected roles? How did women go beyond female norms to expand the world of philanthropy, thereby creating the world we know today? Join us in meeting these pioneering women