West Palm Beach City Commissioner Christina Lambert participated in the Legislative Panel hosted by the Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Greater Palm Beaches (JWF) on November 19. She was joined by panelists, Vice Mayor Rachelle Litt of Palm Beach Gardens; Felicia Goldstein, the District Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Lois Frankel; Executive Director of the PBC Legislative Delegation Victoria Nowlan; and moderator, Professor Penny Miller.
During the panel, Commissioner Lambert discussed the challenges women deal with in the workplace, at home and in society with fellow panelists and audience members.
Commissioner Lambert pulled from personal experiences to share examples of the hurdles women have to overcome in society and some of the solutions that local government and the private sector are leveraging. Previously as the CEO of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, Lambert launched a revolutionary new program called Red Apple Supplies. This program was created to serve as a free teacher resource store to equip teachers with essential school supplies for their classrooms. Lambert noted that about 77% of teachers are women and are adversely impacted by the low level of funding teachers receive to provide school supplies for their students. During the discussion Lambert stressed that oftentimes, single women with no additional income from a spouse or partner, are unable to fund the necessary school supplies for proper student education. Red Apple Supplies, launched under Lambert’s leadership as CEO, worked to fill that gap experienced by teachers. Additionally, Lambert stressed the need to encourage and support young women in seeking degrees in STEM curriculum. As City Commissioner, Lambert is working with members of the Palm Beach County School Board on how municipalities can better assist their local schools and students.
As a City Commissioner, Lambert has advocated for small, minority and women owned businesses in the city. Through programs that increase diversity in the workplace and in government contracts, Lambert has been a passionate advocate for women owned businesses to receive the same opportunities as other local businesses.
The JWF was established in 2002 within the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County as a social change grantmaking foundation dedicated to advancing the status of women and girls. JWF recently became an independent nonprofit in 2014 from a groundbreaking $1 million donation. The anonymous donation set the stage for continued growth, and the foundation’s work has expanded to include funding projects outside the Jewish community, advocating for legislative policies that empower women and girls and the development of two leadership training programs – one for teens, and one for young women.
To learn more about Commissioner Lambert, please visit: https://www.christinaforwpb.com/.