Women Empowered - Philanthropic Luncheon

Event Sponsors

Through Her Eyes…Empowering Your Inner Philanthropist

Join us to hear from our speakers who will share their personal philanthropic journey and how they have made sustainable change in our community. We are excited to share stories of the JOY that comes from serving our community. Help us debunk the myth that you have to be a billionaire to make a difference! We will share tangible ways you can get involved here in Gilbert and the East Valley!

You will also have the chance to network, visit vendor booths, and participate in our raffle! Funds raised through our raffle will go to support scholarships for two female participants in the Gilbert Chamber Foundation’s Gilbert Leadership Program!

We would also love for your to share photos showcasing your involvement in the community whether personally or professionally. Your photos may be featured in the event slideshow! Join us on Cluster to share!

About Our Speakers:
Keynote Speaker:

Nicole Crites, Anchor for Good Evening Arizona
Nicole anchors "Good Evening Arizona" 4- 6:30pm weeknights on 3TV & CBS 5 as well as the noon show. A three-time Emmy award winner, Nicole has been telling stories about valley newsmakers for nearly 20 years, producing in- depth features and investigations to bring context and perspective to concerns and trends in our community and our world.

Born and raised in Arizona, Nicole grew up down in Tucson, with a big family, where she met her high school sweetheart. They got married after graduating from the University of Arizona. Now they have a son and daughter in baseball, gymnastics and cheer keeping them busy with weekend tournaments. Over the pandemic they went from entertaining a rascally Jack Russel Terrier to a mini petting zoo with a bunny and two guinea pigs. They make time for family RV trips and love exploring our local lakes, forests and trails.

She is an active board member for the local nonprofit, Military Assistance Mission, supporting Arizona military families with everything from rent to car payments and emergency grants.

Nicole loves storytelling and while everyone has a story, most enjoys spotlighting the humble supermen and angels among us doing extraordinary things without ever calling attention to their actions.

Additional Event Speakers:

Trinity Donovan, CEO of AZCEND

Trinity Donovan has served as the CEO of AZCEND for the past 12 years. AZCEND is a nonprofit that provides help and hope, so people don’t have to face their crisis alone. Working in nonprofit leadership positions for over 20 years, her areas of focus have included hunger and homelessness, early childhood, senior programs, and youth development. Trinity also served two terms as a Council Member for the City of Chandler. While on Council, she represented the city on a regional and national level in areas of human services, transportation, water, and sustainability. Trinity is a graduate of Gilbert Leadership and received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford University. And, she is a mom to two daughters who are 6 and 7.

Kelly Geisler, President and CEO of Cultivate Goodness

Kelly is a native Arizonan whose parents became foster parents when she was just 6 years old. Over the course of 25 years, she was a foster sibling to 125 foster kids. As a young girl she often dreamed of running an orphanage where every child was loved and cared for as her own. Kelly has been a foster parent to special needs kids since 1994 and is mom to 11 beautiful children. She feels these children have given her much more than she could ever provide for them. Her experiences have helped her develop great empathy and compassion for those who have challenges. She founded Cultivate Goodness in 2019 and hopes to inspire others to join her in serving those in need.

Mindy Jones, Founder of Community on Purpose

Mindy Jones is the owner of the Amy Jones Group and founder of Community on Purpose, a non profit organization serving women and families through volunteerism and community giving. A proud member of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Winner of the 2021 Community Impact Award, our real estate company specializes in residential real estate supporting hundreds of clients through the buy, sell, and owning process each year. Focused on empowering and educating our clients, giving back to our community, and living big lives - we launched Community on Purpose in 2022 in an effort to continue supporting women in leadership and business, organizations supporting youth and families, and direct giving as needs are uncovered by the all female owned and operated Amy Jones Group. As the incoming chair for the Women Empowered committee at the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, co-chair for the ICAN Dream Big team in Chandler, and a former recipient of the Women of Chandler award - Mindy is also the proud mom to an almost 3 year old boy named Nico who loves dinosaurs, super heroes, and all things the Beatles. With a deep passion for community building, Mindy stepped into the world of podcasting with the brand new Community on Purpose podcast featuring the stories of women who are intentionally creating community through business, giving and living. Listen to their stories wherever you listen to podcasts and learn from others as we seek to meet the version of ourselves who knows how to do the things we don’t quite yet.