Women’s Fund believes women working in all areas of healthcare should play a role in making grant decisions that can improve health outcomes for women and girls in Central Indiana.
That was the motivation behind our Women in Health Collaborative Fund.
Last month, the steering committee for Women in Health reviewed applications and provided a list of those for donors to consider. The co-chair of that steering committee is Cara Berg Raunick, DNP, Director of Clinical Quality and Advancement for HCET (Health Care Education & Training). She is also a Women’s Fund OPTIONS Alumnae donor. We caught up with Cara to ask what motivates her to secure wider access to care in Indiana.
(This interview has been edited for length)
What inspires your work, both personally and professionally, in support of reproductive health and reproductive justice?
I am passionate about normalizing and talking about things that people find hard to talk about. Reproductive and sexual health covers a huge range of things and truly affects all people, and yet we are so afraid to talk about it and it is shrouded in such stigma.
People deserve medically accurate, inclusive, trauma-informed care. I want to normalize reproductive health as just another part of health and these conversations and experiences as another part of the human experience. I trust women. I trust people to know what is best for themselves and their families.
Tell us about your philanthropic journey. How do you use philanthropy to supplement the time and talent you dedicate to reproductive health and reproductive justice?
Throughout my childhood my parents reinforced the Jewish values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Tzedakah (righteousness, commonly translated as charity). I remember early lessons about the value of giving, especially when it is done without an expectation of recognition or thanks but rather with a focus on making the world better, easing suffering, or helping someone to thrive. I come from a place of privilege and my parents always emphasized that it was a responsibility to help with the resources we had and that we must continue to look outward not inward.
Another big influence on my philanthropy was being part of OPTIONS Class 16. I am so grateful for everything I learned both about the greater Indianapolis community and philanthropy more generally through that experience. It absolutely changed the way I give and helped me be more strategic and impactful.
What legacy do you hope to leave your daughter and her generation?
I want the girls of today to know that they are valuable, that they are strong, that they are worthy, that they can lead. I want them to feel safe. I want them to know that supporting one another will always get them farther than tearing each other down. My daughter is young, so I am always trying to balance being honest and sharing the world as it is with her while also keeping her unafraid and keeping things developmentally appropriate. So, when I think about the moment we are in, I hope I am modeling all of that for her. I want her to remember that when women’s rights were taken away, when vulnerable people were being harmed, that I didn’t stand by, but was always working hard to make the world a better place for her, for other women and girls, for others who don’t have the resources or voice that I have.
What gives you hope for a better tomorrow?
It’s definitely been a hard season. But, when I look around even just in my immediate community, I know of so many incredible people, especially incredible women, who are working every day to make the world a better and more just place. We may not always win, but we are always there, doing what we can to move things forward. It can feel like two steps forward, one step back, or even one step forward, two steps back sometimes. But I believe that standing up for women and for the vulnerable will always be the right side of history.
This article was published within the February 2025 issue of the Women’s Fund’s Diane magazine.
