About the Hadley Woman’s Board
Established in 1953, the Woman’s Board has been a vital source of personal and financial support for Hadley. Its roughly thirty members work together throughout the year to support Hadley’s free programs for people adjusting to vision loss.
Our history
Hadley was founded in 1920. In 1953, women who had long played important roles behind the scenes formalized their support by creating the Hadley Woman’s Board.
The move was prompted by necessity. Hadley had just $500 left in the bank and no immediate plan for making payroll. Nancy Brown Jones, daughter of Hadley founder Dr. E.V.L. Brown, recognized what was needed: “women who keep their shoulder to the wheel.” She rallied women from across Chicago’s North Shore to help secure Hadley’s future.
More than 70 years later, women continue to bring their time, talents, and ingenuity to the Woman’s Board, carrying forward a tradition of service to Hadley.
What we do
First Wednesday
Monthly meetings
The board meets on the first Wednesday of the month (September through May) at Hadley’s Winnetka headquarters.
Each fall
The holiday card sale
Since 1956, Hadley Woman’s Board has created and sold an annual braille holiday card to support Hadley. View and purchase our beautiful 2026 card (opens in a new tab) here.
Annual
The Benefit
Each year, the Woman’s Board organizes a fun and unique event to raise funds for Hadley programs.
Year-round
The Teen Board
High-school students plan fun activities, gain valuable leadership experience and support Hadley’s work.
About Hadley
Hadley was founded in Winnetka in 1920 and has helped people adjust to vision loss for more than a century.
Hadley offers practical help and emotional support: workshops, discussion groups, podcasts and one-on-one help by phone.
Everything Hadley offers is free, delivered online, by phone and by mail.
Hadley serves people across all fifty states and around the world, most of them adults adjusting to vision loss later in life.*
Where to next
* Placeholder until the board’s own words arrive.