Report of Grantmaking Investments from (2007-2010)

The

Impact of

PASSIONATE GIVING >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A Report of Grantmaking Investments from 2007–2010

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2006, The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem has brought together women who care deeply about the economic and social well-being of women and girls in Forsyth County. Whether passionate about education, economic security, health and safety, or leadership, our members have come together to translate their passion into positive action through the power of collective giving. Since 2006, over 1,400 members and donors have pooled their resources together in a united effort to improve the lives of women and girls in Forsyth County.

Together we envision a community where women and girls:

~ Have equal opportunities, skills and resources to be ~ ~ ~ ~

independent, self-sufficient and contributing members of the community; Are healthy and live in homes and communities without fear of violence; Are empowered and equipped to be leaders in the community; Are supported in their roles in their families, regardless of their family structure; and Are active philanthropists who share their time, treasures, and talents to better the community regardless of their economic status.

THE WOMEN’S FUND TAKES A MULTIPRONGED APPROACH TO ACHIEVING THIS VISION: RESEARCH: Despite the fact that women and girls make up over half of the population in Forsyth County, The Women’s Fund discovered a tremendous lack of data and research about the status of women and girls in our community. While there are many reports about the status of our community, none of these reports focus specifically on women’s circumstances and needs. As a funder, it is our responsibility to know the realities of those we seek to serve. Without knowledge about how women and girls are faring in our community, we cannot begin to solve the problems that exist. Therefore, The Women’s Fund undertook a study of the status of the economic security of women and girls in our community. In 2010, The Fund published the groundbreaking research report — Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County. In 2012, we released an issue brief on Teen Pregnancy and Parenting.

COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT: The Women’s Fund seeks to raise awareness of key issues impacting women and girls in our community. We do this 2

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

through our research and through educational events such as our Social Change Exchange series. The Social Change Exchange is an occasional forum where our members, grantee partners, and the community can discuss the issues raised in our research and other pressing social issues impacting women and girls in our community.

GRANT FUNDING AND EVALUATION: Using the pooled resources of our members, The Women’s Fund makes grants to programs that support women and girls in Forsyth County. In our first five years of grant making, The Fund has received over $2,943,000 in requests for funding and has awarded 49 grants, investing nearly $750,000 in the community. Initial grants by The Women’s Fund focused broadly on issues impacting women and girls. Many of these grants focused primarily on providing direct services to meet the needs of women and girls in our community. While direct services are vitally important to help address problems after they occur, The Women’s Fund began to shift its focus after several years of grantmaking toward the funding of programs that address the root causes of problems and therefore minimize their negative impact on the lives of women and girls in our community. The Fund does this by supporting programs that create social change in the community — addressing the social, political, environmental or systemic root causes of problems by creating change in the knowledge, attitudes, thinking, and practices of individuals, groups of individuals, the larger community, and the systems and policies of organizations and institutions. In addition to a greater focus on social change and addressing the root causes of issues, since 2010 our grantmaking focus has emanated from our research report Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County.

We have found that economic security encompasses and impacts all four of our original focus areas. We know that a woman’s ability to take care of herself and her family as well as her ability to contribute to her community depends

on her ability to be economically secure.

Because it can take a significant amount of time to see the results of this type of work, one of the challenges we face is how to articulate the impact of our grants. How do we hold our grantee partners accountable to our members so they know that their social change investments are being put to good use? To ensure accountability to our members, The Women’s Fund requires grantee partners to evaluate their progress using an online evaluation tool called Making the Case™ which was developed by the Women’s Funding Network. Making the Case™ allows grantees to measure and evaluate social change and the impact made on individuals and society. Making the Case™ also enables The Women’s Fund to aggregate information on individual grantees to better understand and communicate the social change occurring in Forsyth County as the result of our member investments.

While it will take time to see significant social change occur in our community, the Fund was interested in utilizing the Making the Case™ system to assess the impact of our early grantmaking. This report looks at the impact that has been made in the lives of women and girls by 32 of our grants.1 These grants cluster into four primary categories:

1 2 3 4

EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING GIRLS AND WOMEN HELPING HOMELESS AND LOW-INCOME WOMEN BECOME ECONOMICALLY SECURE STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES PROTECTING WOMEN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

These categories are interconnected, and arguably many of our grants could fit into multiple categories. However, in most cases we have placed the grants into one primary category. Summaries of the impact we have made with our grants in each category can be found in the remainder of this report.

Click here to watch The Impact of Passionate Giving Click here to watch video.

The Impact of Passionate Giving video.

1 Only those grants that have ended are included in this report. This includes the majority of grants from the first four years of grantmaking. A complete list of the grants that are included in this report can be found on pages 14–15.

www.womensfundws.org

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EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING GIRLS AND WOMEN THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING GIRLS AND WOMEN cannot be overstated. Research consistently shows that youth are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors (alcohol and drug use, sexual activity, violence) or find themselves at-risk for other problems such as depression, suicide, anti-social behavior, and school failure, when they have a strong core of developmental assets in their life. Developmental assets include things such as support from adults and social systems, a sense of empowerment and boundaries, positive values, social competencies and skills, a positive identity, a commitment to learning, and constructive use of time.

# of grants = 13 Amount invested= $206,709 # of people directly impacted = 843 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Grants given to programs that are educating and empowThe Teens-4-Change members raised the profile of teen ering girls and women represent the largest category of grantmaking. These grants have impacted the greatest number of girls and women in our community while addressing issues such as the low self-esteem that often lead to high-risk behaviors, the underidentification and underdiagnosis of learning disabilities in young girls, and the underrepresentation of women in scientific career fields and leadership positions.

20 mid-level female nonprofit staff members built their

GRANTEE OUTCOMES

leadership skills by participating in the pilot program of the Women’s Emerging Leadership program. All participants felt that the program helped greatly improve their leadership skills and one year after the program, eight of the participants had taken on new leadership roles and responsibilities in either their work or personal life.

The Augustine Project raised awareness about how to

Over 365 girls and teens participated in various

identify girls struggling with literacy through the creating and distribution of their Quietly Failing brochure, which significantly increased the number of girls referred to their program. For the 2011–12 school year, those girls who completed both pre- and post-testing showed significant gains increasing their phonemic awareness, reading and spelling by an average of 1–1 ½ grade levels.

260 5th grade girls at Title One schools received 10 hands-on science workshops which led to increased knowledge about scientific topics and increases in the belief that science is fun and that they might like to pursue a career involving science.

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dating violence among hundreds of their peers through a variety of workshops, performances and outreach activities.

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

programs designed to build their self-esteem, leadership capacity, decision making skills, and other developmental assets. Numerous studies have found that the more developmental assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors and the more likely they are to thrive and succeed.

NC CENTER FOR WOMEN IN PUBLIC SERVICE — ­ WOMEN ON BOARD WORKSHOP

GETTING WOMEN ON BOARD

J

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

EANNE MARIE HAS SPENT THE MAJORITY of her academic and working life in the world of healthcare, only

beginning to dabble in public policy over the last few years. In 2005, she got involved at the local level, offering to help develop and write a new health and wellness plan for her community. “I first got involved in my community

doing a volunteer activity that had to do with writing a strategic comprehensive plan for where the town should be going in the next five years,” she explained.

Fast forward to 2010, she said, and her town was looking for someone to write the next five-year plan. “I thought, I had done it once and might as well do it again,” she said. But 2010 was different. This time, Jeanne Marie became even more involved when she accepted an appointed position on the town’s Planning Board.

While Jeanne Marie knew that she was interested in working on the plan and playing a more active role in her community, she attributes much of her motivation in joining the board to the NC Center for Women in Public Service’s Women on Board workshop that she attended in the Spring of 2010. “I don’t think I would be where I am now without that workshop,” she said. “I think it was a really strong, encouraging and empowering experience. It enhanced my interest in public service by reinforcing and normalizing that need for women to be more involved, and showing me how to get involved.”

Jeanne Marie, a member of The Women’s Fund, first heard about the workshop through The Women’s Fund’s social media. “They were promoting this workshop, and it just caught my attention. It seemed to be a worthwhile Saturday endeavor.”

Launched in 2010, the Women on Board workshops were

JEANNE MARIE

created in an effort to introduce women to boards and commissions and encourage them to get involved in public policy at the local and state levels. “We just saw a great opportunity at the NC Center for Women in Public Service to start offering these workshops that were more of entry portals for women to start thinking about appointed positions in a realistic way,” Jess Aylor, who serves on the NC Center for Women in Public Service’s Board of Directors, said.

The nonpartisan Women on Board workshops are structured to be informative yet hands-on and are held throughout the state several times a year. The NC Center for Women in Public Service, based in Raleigh, relies on the help of local partners across the state, such as The Women’s Fund, to recruit the 20-25 women for each workshop.

“I just want to emphasize how grateful we were to partner with The Women’s Fund…It was not just the funding or the financial support, but their network and the work that they do to bring women together and channel them toward issues and opportunities that affect women,” Jess said, adding, “It’s so important for women’s groups across North Carolina to work together.”

“It was a very good experience for every woman, no matter how strong or diluted her clarity was, or what she wanted to do next,” Jeanne Marie said. “There is a need for women to continue to look for ways to step out and step up and step into the realm of service and influencing their world around them.”

www.womensfundws.org

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HELPING HOMELESS AND LOW-INCOME WOMEN BECOME ECONOMICALLY SECURE FAMILIES ARE THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT of the homeless population.

In 2011, 130 families with children experienced homelessness in Forsyth County, and the majority of these families were headed by single women. Of the individuals in our community unable to meet some basic need and therefore seeking emergency aid, 68% were women. Of the individuals in our community unable to meet some basic need and therefore seeking emergency aid, 72% were women.

Through a Gender Lens — the economic security report released by The Women’s Fund several years ago — found that women are disproportionately affected by poverty in Forsyth County (16.1% of all females compared to 12.5% of males living in poverty). Four in 10 families headed by single mothers in our community live in poverty — a higher poverty rate than their counterparts statewide and nationally.

# of grants = 9 Amount invested= $190,188 # of people directly impacted = 388 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> For a woman to build assets and achieve economic security, she must be financially literate and have the tools to navigate financial systems and access financial institutions, build good credit, and manage her financial resources.

Unfortunately, many low-income people, trapped in cycles of generational poverty, lack access to financial knowledge, understanding of and access to banking services and products, and have limited capacity for building assets.

Data such as this make it imperative that we fund programs that help women gain the skills and resources necessary to be independent, self-sufficient and contributing members of our community.

GRANTEE OUTCOMES

Nearly 100 women took part in financial literacy training offered by Experiment in Self Reliance and increased their knowledge of financial management tools and practices.

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The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

Over 200 women received case management services to help them address the multitude of issues that impeded their economic security such as access to housing, no or low-wage employment, lack of education, lack of financial literacy, etc.

Dress for Success was able to grow its network of referral agencies and establish a friendly location in which to serve clients so that it can provide business clothing and other services to help women get and keep jobs.

CRISIS CONTROL MINISTRY – BREAKING THE CYCLE PROGRAM

IT ’S ABOUT MORE THAN THE MONEY

L

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ORAINE LEARNED FROM HER FATHER, who had eight children and his own business, to never accept anything

from anyone. “That was the attitude we were brought up with — you don’t accept help,” she explained. But when her part-time job was cut back to only 10 hours a week, Loraine was no longer able to put food on the table for

herself and her son, who has multiple sclerosis and a bone disorder that have caused him to become nearly deaf, legally blind and in a wheelchair. “I support the family and was not able to work full-time,” Loraine said. “It was my job to find the help that we need.”

Another woman in our community, Liz, struggled to find and keep a job and a place to live after losing her job and separating from her husband of 27 years. “I just couldn’t get over what had happened to me,” she explained. “I was full of a lot of rage and emotions.” As she battled with depression, job opportunities and places to live came and went. Ultimately, Liz found a part-time job and help getting into an apartment, but she still needed help getting electricity in the apartment and understanding how to live within her means.

In search of help, both Loraine and Liz found themselves at Crisis Control Ministry. “Our mission at Crisis Control is to

LORAINE

assist people in crisis to meet essential life needs and to become self-sufficient,” Executive Director Margaret Elliott said. In 2007, Crisis Control created the Breaking the Cycle program to assist those who found themselves in crisis over and over again. “Every story was different,” Margaret explained. “The intent of the program was to work one-on-one with women…so that they wouldn’t have to repeat the crisis situation.”

Both Loraine and Liz have enrolled in the program in the last year, completing their oneon-one interviews, starting their online financial management courses through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, opening their emergency savings accounts and, in short, finding the help that they needed.

“It’s really hard to get to the point where you’ll accept help,” Loraine said, explaining that she has become more disciplined since joining the program. “This program is helping me to know who I am. It’s not a matter of being embarrassed or humbled or any of those things. I’m just figuring out how to fix things and make things work.”

Liz explained that, with her accounting background, creating a balanced budget had never been as challenging as living out that budget. “I know how to handle money…I just wasn’t taking the effort to do it correctly,” she said. “Now, I have a lot more peace…I always have food in my fridge. I know my bills are paid…That’s an awesome feeling, to have that peace when I lay my head down at night...It has definitely changed my life.”

While The Women’s Fund grant played an important role in getting the Breaking the Cycle program going, and thus changing women’s lives, Margaret said that their support is about much more than money. “The dollars come, but it is very clear that The Women’s Fund participants take seriously the value of the program to the women who are participating,” she said. “This is the incentive for Crisis Control and everyone else—to ensure that these programs are running well to improve the lives of women in the community.”

www.womensfundws.org

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The

Impact of

PASSIONATE GIVING

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

An estimated

6,323

people were indirectly impacted by these grants, so

1 person directly impacted another 2.8

for every

people were indirectly

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

impacted

# of grants = 32

DEMOGRAPHICS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Amount invested=

97% of grants served

$576,032 # of people

women and girls with low or no income.

directly impacted =

AGE OF THOSE DIRECTLY IMPACTED:

Children/Youth Only

42%

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CUMULATIVE GRANTS

Both

23%

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

2,271

Adults/Seniors Only

35%

1 2 3 4

EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING GIRLS AND WOMEN

13 Amount invested= $206,709 # of people directly impacted = 843 # of grants =

STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES

7 Amount invested= $119,135 # of people directly impacted = 680 # of grants =

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

BY CATEGORY

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HELPING HOMELESS AND LOW-INCOME WOMEN BECOME ECONOMICALLY SECURE

9 Amount invested= $190,188 # of people directly impacted = 388 # of grants =

APPROACHES USED

BY GRANTEES Grantees used a variety of approaches in their work.

The five most common

PROTECTING WOMEN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

5 Amount invested= $113,944 # of people directly impacted = 515 # of grants =

Skill building/training Service delivery

75%

47%

Leadership development

44%

approaches were:

Public education/organizing/awareness

44%

All grantees used at least one of these five common approaches.

Linking/networking/coalition building

38%

www.womensfundws.org

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STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES STRONG FAMILY BONDS PROVIDE A VITAL SUPPORT SYSTEM to the healthy development of children and youth. Research indicates that supportive parent-child relationships, positive discipline methods, and parental advocacy and support help to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors against risk taking activities such as substance use, premature sexual activity or criminal behavior. In the last five years, The Women’s Fund has supported programs and initiatives that not only foster positive mother-daughter relationships — considered the most significant of all intergenerational relationships, but also address the challenges faced by families with an incarcerated parent, the needs of single mothers of autistic children, and the economic instability associated with the high drop out rate among teen mothers in our community.

Regardless of family structure, it is important that we support women in their varied family roles and facilitate the implementation of programs that strengthen and support families.

# of grants = 7 Amount invested= $119,135 # of people directly impacted = 680 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GRANTEE OUTCOMES

Over 40 families with girls aged 10–14 participated in the strengthening families program and showed significant gains in areas such as stress management, family communication, school involvement, and resisting peer pressure.

Over 50 mothers received parent education training and support to teach communication, self-help and social skills to their children with autism.

Approximately 200 family members including female and male inmates and their children and spouses repaired broken relationships and strengthened parent/ child bonding through a variety of creative and emotional activities.

10 mother/daughter dyads built and nurtured their relationships as they participated in physical activities, gardening and a curriculum-based support group. The community garden created by the mothers and daughters at Kimberley Park Elementary School was featured in First Lady Michelle Obama’s book American Grown.

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The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

Over 200 pregnant or parenting teens received mentoring and guidance designed to help them stay in school and become a better parent for their child(ren).

The 4-year graduation rate for Hispanic/Latina teen mothers in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school district has increased from 26% in 2007–08 to 41% in 2011–12, which is higher than the national graduation rate of 34% for Hispanic/Latina teen mothers.

WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS – SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER FOR TEEN PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

EMPOWERING LATINA TEEN MOMS TO STAY IN SCHOOL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

W

HILE GROWING UP IN GUATEMALA with her grandmother, Elvia learned the importance of staying in

school at an early age. “My mind has always been, ever since in Guatemala, on staying in school because over there, life was hard,” she said. When she was 12 years old, she came to the United States to live with her moth-

er for the first time and was placed in the third grade in school.

It wasn’t until she was 17, in the ninth grade and pregnant that she faced her first thoughts of dropping out of school.

“I’d never thought of dropping out,” Elvia said. “But I came to a point where I was by myself and I needed a job, and I didn’t want to drop out of school but I thought I didn’t have a choice.” That is, until she met Faith Lockwood and Gricelda Mendez Flores.

Within the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Faith serves as the School Social Worker for Teen Parents and Their Families, and Gricelda serves as her Bi-Lingual Latina Assistant. They both work one-on-one with young Latina moms and their families to help them balance school and a new baby. “Our overall mission is social justice — to help Latina women gain empowerment and have a brighter future economically for themselves and their families,” Faith said, adding, “The short-term focus is on increasing graduation rates and keeping these teen moms in school while their children are in good care.”

The school nurse first introduced Elvia to Faith when she was about five months pregnant and already thinking that school was not going to work out for her. “I didn’t have support from my parents. The baby’s father was out of the picture from the beginning…But then I met Faith

ELVIA AND HER SON

and found out about vouchers for day care,” Elvia said, explaining that the most important part of her decision to stay in school was who would take care of her baby.

But Faith and Gricelda help all of these Latina teen moms with much more than the discovery of day care options.

Elvia said Faith and Gricelda have helped her with her baby’s care more than anything. “She helped me find daycare. She would always give me a ride to the doctor and the baby’s doctor appointments. I remember when I was working, and she gave me tickets for the bus since I couldn’t drive,” Elvia said of Faith’s help. “She just helped me a lot. And it started with school. She was the one who encouraged me to stay in school.”

Together, Faith and Gricelda serve 300-350 people each year, including about 100 Latina teen moms who Gricelda focuses on. “I’m appreciative of the fact that I can help these girls since I didn’t have that support,” Gricelda, who was a Latina teen mom herself, said.

“Gricelda has walked the walk and faced the challenges of going to school and being a member of her family with the responsibilities those bring,” Faith said of the importance of Gricelda’s position. “Gricelda has experienced those things and can strengthen our young women.”

With the help of both Faith and Gricelda, Elvia graduated from high school in 2010. She is now eager to continue her education in college and happy to pass along the importance of education to her son, who just started Kindergarten this year. “I think now, what if I never graduated?” she said. “I’m glad I graduated…I’m trying to get my papers, get a job and go to school. No guys involved. It’s all about my son.”

“It will come back to benefit all of us to have educated Latina parents and children,” Faith said. “And it wouldn’t have been possible without The Women’s Fund and the women who have donated to The Women’s Fund.” www.womensfundws.org

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PROTECTING WOMEN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY DESPITE A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF BREAST CANCER IN WHITE WOMEN, women of color die from breast cancer at four times the rate of white women — a disparity largely due to late detection. In our community, teen dating violence impacts approximately one in five female high school students and is a problem that crosses all ethnic/racial groups, religions, and socio-economic classes. In 2011, the Winston-Salem Police Department reported 48 out of 103 victims of rape were age 20 or younger. And over 400 cases per year of domestic violence are reported where children are present in the household. Children exposed to domestic violence — especially repeat incidents of violence — are at risk for emotional difficulties and problems due to the disturbance of their safety and care. They are also at risk of repeating their experience in the next generation, either as victims or perpetrators of violence in their own intimate relationships.

Health disparities, access to quality, affordable healthcare and the responsibility of securing healthcare for our families are women’s issues often directly linked to a woman’s level of economic security.

Similarly, in order to thrive, it is important that women and children live in homes and communities without fear of violence.

# of grants = 5 Amount invested= $113,944 # of people directly impacted = 515 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 30 Latina women and 10 girls developed the skills and GRANTEE OUTCOMES that they otherwise would not be able to afford.

resources necessary to promote better family relationships and protect themselves from verbal, physical and sexual abuse.

117 people were trained to be guardians ad litem and

Over 100 teen girls participated in programs and activ-

51 women received vital cancer treatment medications

represent the best interests of the children in domestic violence cases.

Over 200 children in domestic violence households had their interests represented in court leading to reduced exposure to violence in the home, and vital counseling that will reduce the likelihood that they will repeat the cycle of violence.

Nearly 70 women received mammograms and breast health education.

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The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

ities to better understand and reduce dating and sexual violence.

FAMILY SERVICES – TEENS FOR CHANGE

YOUNG WOMEN LEADING SOCIAL CHANGE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I

N 2010, THE YOUNG WOMEN of the Family Services’ Teens-4-Change program hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at

the Battered Women’s Shelter in Winston-Salem that would open up their eyes to the reality of domestic violence and assault forever. “They sat down with women and children with bruised arms and eyes who had been in abusive

relationships,” Family Services Victim Advocate/Outreach Specialist and Teens-4-Change Coordinator Kenyetta Richmond said. “It really changed everyone’s perspective on what abuse was.”

“It was so heartbreaking to see the women and kids there,” Teens-4-Change participant Sheree’ said of her experience at the shelter. “It really taught me to appreciate and be thankful for life.”

After her first experience volunteering at the Battered Women’s Shelter as a freshman in high school, Sheree’ went on to become an active leader in the Teens-4-Change program. “We would meet every Saturday or Sunday at Family Services and have food and discuss a different topic,” she said. “It was just teenagers and Ms. Kenyetta. It was a place to discuss things. It was a place you could go and share things that you might not share with your parents, and you would know it wouldn’t leave the room.”

The Teens-4-Change program grew out of the orig-

SHEREE’ inal teen crisis

line. “Students had been trained to answer calls on this

crisis line for

teens. Teens were calling in with issues such as dating

violence and

suicide. But we were just not getting a lot of calls,” Kenyetta explained. So, in 2008, she decided it was time for a change.

She began to take a look at the most common issues and vamp up the new program, creating an all-female group, ages 14-18, that would focus on dating violence, sexual assault, suicide, self-image and healthy living.

“The basis of the program is to create social change,” Kenyetta said, explaining that Teens-4-Change is meant to increase awareness of teen dating violence and healthy relationships, as well as improve leadership skills. Together, the young women receive training and education on pertinent issues, serve as peer educators, volunteer in the community and even plan and facilitate awareness events.

“I learned how to respect myself, respect other females, get involved in my community and become aware of domestic violence,” Sheree’ said of her experience in the program. “It’s a learning group. It’s also an empowerment group. You’re going to leave this program with a lot to take with you on your journey in life.”

With the help of The Women’s Fund grant, Teens-4-Change has made an impact in the community through its P.L.A.Y. (Positive Learning About Yourself) First Workshops and Expressions of Love events. “Last year, we probably touched the lives of at least 1,000 girls and guys because of our outreach efforts,” Kenyetta said.

Due to a more recent lack of funding, Kenyetta was asked to scale back the program over the last year. “But that’s just not me” she said. “If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it big and we’re going to do it right.” With this passion and determination, Kenyetta and the young women of Teens-4-Change continue to work hard to find funding and revitalize the program.

“We really, really appreciate the contributions that The Women’s Fund has made to the program,” Kenyetta, who just recently became a member of The Women’s Fund herself, said. “It’s really important that we support programs — and not just our program — but all of these programs that are uplifting our young women and girls, and making them the best that they can be.”

www.womensfundws.org

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GRANTEE PARTNERS 2007 ABC OF NC CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER was

awarded $21,008 over two years to launch a new program for single mothers of autistic children, Help Me at Home: Positive Techniques for Parents of Children with Autism.

CANCER SERVICES, INC. was awarded $20,000 over one

year to support their medication assistance program to enable Forsyth County women to receive free or low cancer medications.

COMMUNITY CARE CENTER OF FORSYTH COUNTY, INC. was awarded $20,000 over one year to support their

Mammography Program, which provides mammograms and other breast screening to low-income, uninsured women.

FAMILY SERVICES, INC. was awarded $25,000 over two

$20,000 for their Toward Independent Living program to help homeless women overcome barriers to housing and self-sufficiency.

CARVER SCHOOL ROAD BRANCH LIBRARY was award-

ed $3,220 to support the Girls with a Purpose program that helps motivate girls ages 11–16 to pursue their education and dreams while building their self-esteem.

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR RESEARCH, TEACHING, & LEARNING AT WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE was awarded $15,620 to partner

with Mad Science of the Piedmont to provide hands-on science education to 250 fifth grade girls in economically disadvantaged schools in Forsyth County.

CHILDREN’S LAW CENTER OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA was awarded $20,000 to train guardian ad litem

years to implement the Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth, a proven family skills training program that serves girls ages 10–14 and their parents.

volunteers to represent the interests of children in domestic violence cases.

FORSYTH JAIL AND PRISON MINISTRIES was awarded

the Breaking the Cycle program to help women become more self-sufficient and reduce their dependence on emergency aid programs.

$10,000 over six months to support a new Families-inTouch program that helps female inmates and the wives and daughters of male inmates improve family relationships and bonding to help break the cycle of intergenerational crime and incarceration.

WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS was

awarded $18,014 over one year to fund a bilingual community outreach worker to provide services and resources to Latina teen mothers to help them stay in school.

YWCA OF WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY was

awarded $30,000 over one year to conduct planning for the Women$Finances program, a self sufficiency program that seeks to move women out of poverty by providing training, technical assistance and access to capital so that women can start and grow successful businesses.

2008 AUTHORING ACTION was awarded $30,000 for their

Girl-to-Girl program to provide an arts-based education and mentoring program designed to empower, educate and support girls in developing positive solutions to their problems and challenges.

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BETHESDA CENTER FOR THE HOMELESS was awarded

The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

CRISIS CONTROL MINISTRY was awarded $30,000 for

EMPOWERING GIRLS IN REAL LIFE SITUATIONS

was awarded $30,000 for their mentoring and education program for girls ages 11–19 who have been emotionally or physically abused or live in other situations without a strong adult support system.

EXPERIMENT IN SELF RELIANCE was awarded $5,000

for their Financial Empowerment for Women and Girls program to help impoverished women increase their financial literacy and assets.

WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS was

awarded $28,436 to fund a bilingual community outreach worker to provide services and resources to encourage Latina teen mothers to stay in school.

2009 BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS was awarded $6,000 for

the Teen Mom Program to provide adult mentors to pregnant and parenting teens who are at-risk for not graduating high school.

EL BUEN PASTOR was awarded $23,944 for the Mujeres

Y Muchachas con Esperanza (Women and Girls of Hope) program to provide support and guidance to both Latina mothers and daughters.

prepare girls for their transition from childhood into adolescence by using a curriculum modeled after the traditional African tribal blueprint of the rites of passage.

WINSTON SALEM FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOL DIS-

FAMILY PROMISE OF FORSYTH COUNTY was awarded

TRICT, SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL (Kernersville)

$9,900 for the Interfaith Hospitality Network to provide female-headed homeless families with shelter, meals and case management to help them secure housing and become self-sufficient.

was awarded $8,145 for the GYRLS — Guiding Young Respectable Ladies to Success program to provide a variety of workshops and programming to build the self-esteem and developmental assets of at-risk girls.

FAMILY SERVICES was awarded $30,000 for the Teens 4

2010

Change program to train teenage girls as peer educators to teach other teens about dating violence and encourage positive dating practices and healthy relationships.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY was awarded $25,388 to

enhance their Habitat Deluxe program to help female Habitat homeowners obtain better paying jobs and a more secure financial future.

AUGUSTINE PROJECT FOR LITERACY OF ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH was awarded $18,000 for the

Literate Girls program to help identify and recruit girls who struggle with literacy skills and provide them with intensive tutoring to help improve their reading, writing and spelling skills.

CRISIS CONTROL MINISTRY was awarded $30,000 for

HANDSON NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA was

awarded $10,000 for the Women’s Leadership Essentials Training program to provide an intensive leadership development workshop for women currently serving as mid-level staff in Forsyth County nonprofits.

the Breaking the Cycle program to help women access services and programs that enable them to become more self-sufficient and reduce their dependence on emergency-aid programs.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS WINSTON-SALEM was awarded

ICAN HOUSE was awarded $9,999 for the Real World

Humanities program to provide teenage girls and young women with autism spectrum disorders a course to help them build social skills and form healthy relationships.

$9,900 for the Transitioning Women into the Workplace program to provide professional attire and a support program to help disadvantaged women get and maintain employment.

MAYA ANGELOU INSTITUTE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT

EXPERIMENT IN SELF RELIANCE was awarded $30,000

OF CHILD & FAMILY EDUCATION at Winston Salem

for the Financial Empowerment for Women and Girls program, a collaborative program with Salem College and the YWCA, to help women increase their financial literacy and assets.

State University was awarded $10,677 for the Mothers and Daughters: 2gether we CAN! program to strengthen relationships between mothers and their 4th grade daughters through a three- pronged fitness, wellness, and support strategy.

NORTH CAROLINA CENTER FOR WOMEN IN PUBLIC SERVICE was awarded $7,798 for the Women on Board

project to prepare women in Forsyth County to serve on boards and commissions.

TAKE THE LEAD NORTH CAROLINA was awarded

$10,000 for the Dancing Classrooms program to provide all 5th grade students at two Equity Plus elementary schools with ballroom dancing instruction to teach them critical social and teamwork skills.

STRIVING SPIRITS was awarded $9,983 for The

Dejembe Project to engage low-income middle school girls in a program to build development assets and

* Because this report draws on data from the final reports that were submitted to The Women’s Fund through Making the Case, only grants that were completed as of October 2012 are included in this report. There were two grants awarded in 2010 that received extensions and therefore were not completed and are not included. No grants from 2011 or 2012 are included.

www.womensfundws.org

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860 West Fifth Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 336 (714-3468) www.womensfundws.org info@womensfundws.org The Women’s Fund is a community initiative of The Winston-Salem Foundation.