The Women’s Giving Network of Wake County will host its annual issues forum and lunch on Thursday, April 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Room B of the Royal at 3801 Hillsborough St., Suite 109, across from Meredith College in Raleigh. “Sex Crimes in Our Community” is the topic for this year’s forum.

Event speakers include Dr. Donna Bickford, executive director of the Women’s Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Lt. Chris Carrigan, who works in the sex crimes division of the Raleigh Police Department. Dr. Bickford will provide a general overview and background of the issue, along with positive actions individuals can take. Lt. Carrigan will share the role law enforcement plays in combating sex trafficking.

Doors to the event will open at 11:30 a.m., and a boxed lunch will be served at noon. Presentations will begin at 12:30 p.m., and there will be an opportunity for questions afterward. Pre-registration is required by April 4. Participants should send a check for $18 made out to the Wake Women’s Giving Network to Jeanne Lawson, North Carolina Community Foundation, 4601 Six Forks Road, Suite 524, Raleigh, NC 27609. The boxed lunch will include a sandwich, salad, dessert bar and iced tea. This event is open to the public.

For more information, contact Lawson at 256-6914 or email her at jlawson@nccommunityfoundation.org.

About the Women’s Giving Network of Wake County:

The Women’s Giving Network of Wake County is a program of the North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF) and is designed to maximize women’s leadership in philanthropy by engaging and educating its membership, increasing charitable contributions and strengthening the Wake County community through the impact of collective giving. The Network has awarded $424,000 to Wake County initiatives supporting women and/or children since its inception in 2007.

About the North Carolina Community Foundation:

The NCCF is the single statewide community foundation serving North Carolina and has made nearly $63 million in grants since its inception in 1988. With more than $100 million in assets, the NCCF sustains 1,000 endowments established to provide long-term support of a broad range of community needs, nonprofit organizations, institutions and scholarships. The NCCF partners with 60 affiliate foundations to provide local resource allocation and community assistance in 66 counties across the state. An important component of the NCCF’s mission is to ensure that rural philanthropy has a voice at local, regional and national levels.

For more information, visit nccommunityfoundation.org or the North Carolina Community Foundation page on Facebook.