9 minute read
COVER STORY
local women's resource center
holds 24th annual herb festival
Women's Resource Center in Alamance County recently celebrated its 30th Anniversary (in 2021), honoring its visionary founders, Becky Mock, Tennala Gross, Bea Holt and Martha Smith. In the 1980s, these visionaries recognized the need to offer education, encouragement and support for displaced homemakers — those who had spent years care-giving then found themselves back in the workforce trying to support themselves and, many times, a family. Today, WCRAC's average client is a 34-year-old woman with 2-3 children, struggling to make ends meet. COVID has amplified the need for the services of Women’s Resource Center in Alamance County.
WCRAC Mission: We are dedicated to empowering women to improve and enrich their lives. We support them through life transitions to achieve stability, self-sufficiency, sustainability, and success.
"A wonderful and impactful quote from American professional tennis player great Arthur Ashe has become our daily mantra," Executive Director Susan
Watson tells us. "To achieve greatness, Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can." —Arthur Ashe " Arthur Ashe won three Grand Slam singles titles and was the first African American player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the
US Open, and the Australian Open. This quote from Arthur Ashe speaks to the way he managed the challenges in his life. Whether he was competing at the highest level on the tennis court or breaking the color barrier in the sports arena to bring about radical change at a time of deeply ingrained racism, he lived this principle throughout his life by opening the door for others. Through his foundation he provided access to the game for young black athletes throughout the world.
At the Women’s Resource Center this belief not only guides its approach in serving the women in Alamance County, but the quote has become the daily mantra.
"We meet clients where they are," Watson goes on to say, "knowing that each person who walks through our door has their own set of tools for achieving their goals. We believe our function is to help our clients recognize their tools, how to best use them, identify what may be missing, and support them as they build their own empowered toolkit. We coach and mentor, assisting with goal setting and identification of potential barriers to their success, or obstacles which could get in the way. Our Success ToolKit program is unique because it focuses on building a life by design instead of living a life by default."
Susan Watson Executive Director
April Snell Client Resource Coordinator Kate Meyer Community Outreach Coordinator
Echo Blum Graduate Student Volunteer
Sheila Washington Graduate Student Volunteer
Executive Director Susan Watson is in her 9th year with WRCAC and leads a small but mighty team. Kate Meyer is the Community Outreach Coordinator and April Snell is the Client Resource Coordinator. This year's MSW Graduate Students are Sheila Washington (A&T/UNCG) and Echo Blum (UNC). Our office volunteers are Julee Chacon and Maria Hernandez, who provide services to our Spanish speaking clients. Claudia Penny (Elon) is with us for spring semester and Sue Bugno volunteers weekly. Together in a small welcoming space, we are honored with the stories of each woman who walks through our doors.
Watson is the 3rd executive director for The Center, following the path forged by Heidi Norwick and Dion Terry, the two prior executive directors. When asked what brought her into this work, Susan answered, “My own story.” Her personal story of birth family, adoptive family, step-family, quitting college, marriage, divorce, raising three children as a working single parent (with much help from her parents), finally graduating from college and now a grandmother. Susan's story is the same as those of her clients.
WRCAC's hands-on, 20-member, Board of Directors now includes two LatinX, two Native Americans, three African Americans and two wonderful men who believe in our mission. WRCAC's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee is led by one of its own Native Americans. This committee reviews all aspects of the organization to be sure the focus remains on reaching marginalized communities. The staff has been through Phase I of Racial Equity Training and is being trained in Person First Training, taught by the Executive Director of Benevolence Farm. The Center's Governance Committee is led by one of its own LatinX directors. Yet another board member is on staff with City Gate Dream Center to assist in deepening the connection. A Spanish-speaking volunteer regularly assists with client appointments.
WRCAC is a community partner of the agencies represented by the Family Justice Center and also serves the residents of Benevolence Farm. The Center's vision is that of a community strengthened by all women leading self-sufficient, productive, rewarding lives. It is important for there to be an equitable opportunity for marginalized communities, including women of color, victims of domestic violence, as well as justice-involved women to share in the success of that same vision. Further, The Center's goal of providing the resources, tools and training to help all women achieve stability, self-sufficiency, sustainability and success is also key. The Center does this through a Success ToolKit Program which coaches women through life transitions and overcoming obstacles to their success, particularly for marginalized communities. Their focus is on job/ career readiness, financial literacy training and soft skill training for workforce development in order to create long-term success. The wrap-around collaborative approach aligns with the mission of United Way to reduce disparities and decrease poverty, especially in marginalized communities. WRCAC holds much gratitude for the support of United Way of Alamance County as well as corporate sponsors and individual donors.
Women Connecting Women is a 6-part career support series within the Success Toolkit program. People learn about personal branding, well-written cover letters and resumes to use traditionally and within social media. Community partners provide mock interviewing and linkage to real-world employment. Women start to build their professional community as they gain confidence working through the modules as a group and sharing their experiences. WRCAC's approach is flexible, relevant and compatible with today’s employment market. The program has been expanded to include soft skill development to further enhance women’s work preparation, marketability & goal achievement.
Alamance Community College (ACC) is The Center's soft skill development partner. ACC provides a trainer certified in Working Smart (Soft Skills for Workplace Success) developed by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Workforce Development Board. New components that are being added are Accenture Skills to Succeed Academy, which build the skills and confidence of people so they can make career choices, find a job, and keep it. Some clients take advantage of both workshops. In the latter offering, the community college issues a certification recognized by local employers. This curriculum puts WRCAC at the forefront of job readiness instruction, meeting specific employer requests to fill the soft skill knowledge gap in today’s workforce and with the goal of promoting job retention. Working Women’s Wednesdays is an exciting monthly series designed by the Women’s Resource Center and is dedicated to improving opportunities for women in the workplace since 2003. Dynamic speakers and proven leaders to Alamance County participate in these events. Join WRCAC for the best networking event of any kind held in Alamance County!
Dates and speaker announcements are sent through the Women’s Resource Center email list. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from fascinating women of leadership, creativity and vision.
Each month there are multiple workshops focused on empowering women and enriching lives. A full listing can be found on the website at www.wrcac.org
The team — the people — at Womens' Resource Center are storytellers, highlighting local female leaders who tirelessly commit to the cause of advancing women, to the next generation of emerging female leaders who are inspired to make a difference, and to those who have weathered their own life transitions while moving forward on their leadership path.
Leading the Way is a fall fundraiser which is an annual celebration of women’s leadership in Alamance County. The Center honors the work of its founders by presenting awards to women who demonstrate those same founding characteristics by providing outstanding contributions in the areas of philanthropy, community development, business and mentoring.
Read about our 2021 award recipients on our blog: https://alamancewomen.org/ or our website: wrcac.org/leading-the-way
www.uwalamance.org
The Center's much-loved Herb Festival is the Center's signature annual fundraiser and is scheduled for April 21st – April 23rd, 2022 at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington. Now in its 24th year, WRCAC looks forward to celebrating spring with the community. Can’t you just smell those fragrant herbs? The Center purchases local organic herbs, annuals, perennials and vegetables to sell at the festival. The funds raised support the daily work of serving women and their families through life transitions.
This event has the largest need for volunteers each year. Won't you mark your calendars with the dates and reach out to volunteer@wrcac.org to add your name to the email list for updates? The call for volunteers will be sent out on March 1st.
The Center needs the continued financial support of individuals and businesses from within the community. The Strategic Planning committee is setting the vision for the next five years and plans to expand services, meeting women and their families where they are, listening to their stories, allowing them the opportunity to set goals and create action steps to design a life that is stable, self-sufficient, sustainable and successful. You too can connect with the mission by donating to The Center: wrcac.org/donate
According to the United Way of NC Self-Sufficiency calculator, a single parent with 1 pre-school child and 1 school-age child needs an income of $54,730 to make ends meet and be self-sufficient.
ALAMANCE COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS
29% of children live in single-parent families
According to the NC Status of Women Report in 2018, women made up 51% of the population and had the following median incomes:
With the COVID epidemic still creating problems across the country, women are struggling more than ever as they try to care for their families, work, and educate their children with very limited resources. The programs of WRCAC are needed now more than ever to support women and their families as they navigate finding employment and accessing community resources. Marginalized populations were behind before the pandemic began, so recovery is a slow process.
Contact Executive Director Susan Watson TODAY to see how you can help: director@wrcac.org
cover story
sponsored by "CATHRYN HARTWELL
PASSION PROJECT"
411-B West Fifth Street Burlington, NC 27215
On the campus of First Presbyterian Church in Burlington
See more about the 24th Annual Herb Festival on Page 18
Cathryn Hartwell
Our philosophy is simple:
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