Community Centers and How They Care for Their Communities

As an OPTIONS alumnae, and a donor to Women’s Fund, I’m committed to learning more about where my dollars are going – and sharing with readers what I learn. This time, I decided to explore the community centers that Women’s Fund has funded, including Concord, Hawthorne and John H. Boner Community Centers. Each has received operational support from Women’s Fund so I was interested in learning what the centers do for their communities.

I had an interesting and enlightening conversation with Niki Girls, executive director, Concord Neighborhood Center. While I toured the Center through OPTIONS, it’s been awhile, so it was nice to reconnect with Niki. The topic of our discussion … the challenges in our neighborhoods and the role community centers play.

After 28 years at the helm, Niki has seen a lot in her community (Concord serves Indy’s south side). She has helped a lot of people and has made an incredible impact in the lives of south side children and families. One thing I quickly realized in our conversation is that a lot of people, including me, don’t know and understand the comprehensive services community centers provide. As Niki put it, “we’re here if you’re three or 93. It’s the nature of who we are.”

The challenges her families face today are probably no different than others in Central Indiana:

• Unemployment continues to be prevalent, challenging families who are searching for summer programs and activities for their children. Concord helps by lowering fees and subsidizing programs.


• Families are stretched financially during the summer with children at home, often times causing an increase in food, water and electrical bills. Concord helps with financial assistance.


• Working parents are looking for summer camps, programs and activities for their children. Although operating at capacity for day camp, Concord looks to ways to take care of as many kids as possible. They also have added teen programs two nights a week to give older kids in the neighborhood something to do (and to keep them out of trouble).

Niki credits Women’s Fund as one being instrumental in allowing them to continue serving families and individuals in their communities through their grant dollars. And after talking with Niki – and getting a sense of how passionate she is about her Center and “her families”, I felt proud that my contribution is supporting her in the work she does.

Use What You've Got Prison Ministry Keeps Families Connected

Imagine you are a parent, miles away from your children and family members with no way to see them unless someone brings them to you. This is a reality for many in the justice system; the impact of this separation can be devastating to a family and, in particular, to developing bonds between parents and children.

Use What You've Got Prison Ministry's mission is to provide transportation for prison visitation while promoting family wellness through education, supportive resources, and spiritual enhancement. They drove a total of 24,586 miles last year, shuttling family members to sixteen correctional facilities spread throughout the state. A $5,000 grant from Women's Fund supported children visiting their mothers, helping the organization drive more miles last year, transporting them from places in Indiana such as Evansville, Gary, Goshen, Paoli, and Wabash. In 2009, Use What You've Got Prison Ministry transported 642 adults, most of which were women, and 167 children; in addition, they took 2,832 calls, up from 1,505 calls in 2008. 95% of their riders are female, 30% are unemployed, 82% have children, and nearly 60% have children living at home.

The transportation program is clearly a vital component of Use What You've Got Prison Ministry. The organization also offers other important services such as education, family advocacy, outreach, and support groups. Last year, they hosted a women's retreat, a parenting and life skills class, survival skills course, and health fair - "Keep Your Life in Sync." Outreach programs include donating clothing to needy families within their programs, assisting families with Christmas gifts to 150 children involved in their programs, and providing holiday food baskets to families. They also facilitate several support groups, such as a girlfriend support group (including a workshop on depression) and a "Girls Beyond Beauty" support group for young girls.

Families separated by incarceration and with limited options can find great support and consolation from Use What You've Got Prison Ministry. As someone who values spending time with my family members, I appreciate the great work of this organization and Women's Fund's support.

Sniffles and summer vacation mean extra planning for moms

Today I was struck by my good fortune of having a strong network – particularly in terms of quality daycare, a good family who helps with the kids and the ability to tap into the great community resources available for working moms. I’m currently facing two situations that are not uncommon to working moms – a sick kid and planning for summer care. Both raise the question of balancing work and family responsibilities.

After shuffling schedules, cancelling a few meetings and attempting to get some work done (this blog being the last thing I will do before conceding to the sniffles and playing nurse to my sick one), I’ve successfully handled the first issue.

The second issue, however, takes a little more planning. While summer vacation is great for the kids, it’s often hard on working parents. Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources offered in Indianapolis – not surprising to know that several of them are supported by Women’s Fund of Central Indiana.

• Summer Camps: Women’s Fund has provided scholarships and operating support to Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, Girls Inc. of Franklin/Johnson Co. and Girls Inc. of Shelbyville – all with the goal of providing safe, fun and affordable summer activities for girls.
• Day Care: Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis has been awarded several grants from Women’s Fund to help with its tuition assistance program, helping families afford excellent early care and education for young children.
• Community Centers: Concord Neighborhood Center, Hawthorne and John H. Boner Community Centers have all received operational support from Women’s Fund to allow them to continue serving families and individuals in their communities.

While my oldest will be attending various camps this summer (including Girls Inc. and Indy Parks); my youngest will continue to attend his daycare. Both will allow me to continuing working, while knowing they are in a safe place.

Challenging what we know

Today's blog post is contributed by Raquel Richardson, OPTIONS Alumna, Class 6. We thank Raquel for sharing her perspective on a recent OPTIONS Alumnae event, a discussion of the novel Push, by Sapphire, inspiration for recent Academy Award Best Picture nominee, Precious.

By Raquel Richardson

Principal
Silver Square :: Marketing + Design

We know the sun will come up tomorrow. We know the leaves turn colors in the fall. We know the earth is round. We know the truth – until we don’t. Our world has a funny way of keeping us off balance and adding in those little idiosyncrasies that make us pause and take note, challenging what we know.

Then we are exposed to a story like Push, by Sapphire, which later turned into the award-winning movie Precious. Most of us go about our day thinking children are cared for, mother’s take care of their children, teachers hold our kids accountable and on and on. Then we realize, that’s not the truth.

Our latest OPTIONS Alumnae event conversed about the challenges, stereotypes, personal experiences, parenting fears and more in our discussion of this story. Anita Carpenter from the Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault joined us to help facilitate the evening, and act as a mentor to us in our ability to find answers we could relate to, and ways in which we can take our talents and steps to ensure fewer and fewer children walk in a life like Precious.

Anita introduced us to a couple new ways to help teach our children to deal with uncomfortable situations:

1. Bystander Intervention. We can teach our children, and practice ourselves, to speak up when we witness others doing something they shouldn’t. Using simple phrases such as "that isn’t appropriate" or "we don’t allow that kind of language in our house" are effective and simple ways we can interrupt a situation;


2. Go tell a Mommy. My childhood advice when I felt like I needed to tell someone of authority something was to go talk to a police officer. That’s not realistic today. When a child is out at a mall, out with their friends or find themselves in a situation where they are lost or scared for any reason, they are told to go tell a Mommy. A Mommy will find an answer and take care of you.

Discussing this story, hearing comments from my peers and learning of the real-life cases Anita has experienced, brought a whole new awareness for me. It’s good to expand your personal comfort zone on topics you would otherwise not bring to your dinner table. Likewise, it’s good to hear how we can help. Thanks to other volunteers at the coalition, you can assist children in schools or on-call in hospitals once properly trained on these topics. If this is a personal cause of passion for you, take advantage of the training and help one child at a time never have to relate to Precious’s story.

Follow Raquel on Twitter @silversquare or join Silver Square's fan page www.facebook.com/graybox.

Challenged to make a difference by a group of kids

Give a few kids a video camera and see how they can inspire others. That’s just what Women’s Fund of Central Indiana did during their GO Family Philanthropy Day. Their creativity, passion and honesty are heartwarming, touching and motivating. They asked simple questions – and answered them with their own ideas of how they could change the world. In just two minutes, they made me think about ways I could make a difference (they also made me smile). Click here to see the video.

I know I’m already making a difference in some of the volunteer work I do throughout the community, but what can I do to do more? After watching the video, I realized there are simple things I could do that would make a difference. Serving on the boards of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Lacy Leadership Association, volunteering to serve meals at Wheeler Mission Ministries throughout the year and chairing the Komen Indianapolis Race for the Cure are all important work, but so is giving up something to give to others.

• Their simple ideas of buying less gum and giving away unwanted items to people in need are easy to do, so why not do it?
• Their idea of getting their friends together to start a club sounds fun, so why not get family friends together and start a project?

I’m going to take them up on their challenge. I don’t know how yet, because I want to involve my family. I always ask my kids to dig through their toys before their birthdays and donate unused toys, but is that what they really want to do? Maybe my 7 and 3-year-old have their own ideas of how they want to help others. We’ll soon find out.

I encourage you to take the challenge – and then share with us what you’re doing to make a difference. I’ll plan to report back in a month and share some of the ideas – and actions the Young family is doing. If you feel compelled to share your story, please do. We’d love to know what other Central Indiana families are doing to make a difference in our community.

GO Family Philanthropy Day: The Power of Half

Last Saturday, about 60 people, including 16 families, gathered for 2010 GO Family Philanthropy Day at the Indianapolis Art Center. This event provided a meaningful and enriching philanthropy education experience to parents whose children are involved in GO: Give Back.

The day featured speaker Joan Salwen, whose husband, Kevin, and teenage daughter, Hannah, wrote the book The Power of Half. Joan shared first-hand her family's story of coming to the decision to sell their home, moving into a home half the size, and donating half the proceeds to a cause they mutually agreed upon as a family. See teenage son Joseph Salwen's YouTube video for a great synopsis of their story.

After hearing the Salwen's story, families were divided into age-specific groups to explore concepts shared in The Power of Half, such as: "What's your half?" (What can you give?), "Follow your heart," and "Use your voice." Parents engaged in a group discussion with Joan to explore the topic, while intermediate ages worked on a PSA video project to share their message, and elementary ages engaged in interactive art projects. Preschool-age children were also included in the day's events with their own special activities.

The day concluded with a family art project and picnic lunch. To further connect the concept of giving half, half the expense budgeted for the day's food and all of the expense budgeted for an event token was saved, to be used for philanthropic purposes. School-age children participating in the fall GO: Give Back educational session will undergo a group grantmaking exercise to decide where to donate the funds.

The buzz in the air was unmistakable, and the day was truly a success. Women's Fund thanks The Glick Fund of CICF for making Family Philanthropy Day possible, as well as the volunteers and Indianapolis Art Center staff who led dynamic programs.

If you are interested in learning more about philanthropy education for children through GO: Give Back, please contact us.

Inspired by a Victim of Child Abuse

Last week I attended a kick-off event for Child Abuse Prevention Month, hosted in partnership by Prevent Child Abuse America, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana and The Villages. Throughout the event, child advocates spoke about the importance of child abuse prevention and the devastating cycle of domestic violence. Statistics shared were stark. Each year, more than 20,000 Hoosier children are abused and neglected – that equates to 56 children being harmed every day and one child each week losing his or her young life to child abuse.

After hearing from Ebony, a young victim of child abuse and neglect, I realized we are all responsible for keeping Indiana’s children safe and secure. We are all responsible for treasuring, protecting, nurturing and teaching our children.

Walking away from the event I felt empowered to do something – to do something that could positively impact the life of a child. As I drove back to the office I thought about some of the programs Women’s Fund recently shared in a meeting with the Indianapolis Star – programs they fund that significantly impact the success of our city’s children. Programs such as Project Home Indy, which provides shelter for homeless pregnant teens; Juvenile Justice Program through Peace Learning Center, which teaches girls at Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility conflict resolution skills; and a program through Ruth Lilly Health Education Center that teaches all IPS 5th and 7th graders healthy relationships.

Indirectly, as an OPTIONS alumnae and donor to Women’s Fund, I am doing something to make a difference. My contribution is impacting programs that Women’s Fund supports. Their grants focused on insufficient income, inadequate caregiving choices and domestic abuse in the home are truly helping create a better life for women and children in our community. As I look for opportunities to do more, I will look to Women’s Fund to help me make a strategic, smart decision so I can continue to help girls like Ebony succeed. As an expert resource regarding issues impacting women and girls in central Indiana I have no doubt Women’s Fund will steer me in the right direction so I can continue making a difference for young girls in our community.

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month, a time to celebrate women's contributions to history, culture, and society. It's only fitting to pay tribute, as we have through our blog recently, to women such as the WWII WASPs and female black civil rights workers, in honor of their tireless efforts to provide a foundation for women's success today.

This week, I had the opportunity to attend a Women's History Month luncheon at Franklin College featuring Dr. Fred Hord, Professor and Chair of Black Studies at Knox College. Dr. Hord shed light on an area of history that receives little attention: black women and their impact on the civil rights movement. In 30 minutes, he highlighted several amazing women:

• Montgomery Improvement Association: Mary Fair Burks, Jo Ann Robinson, Claudette Colvin
• Little Rock 9: Daisy Bates
• Southern Christian Leadership Conference: Ella Baker
• Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): Bernice Johnson Reagon, Diane Nash, Gloria Richardson, and Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson
• Mississippi Freedom Democrat Party: Fannie Lou Hamer
• Writers and poets: Mari Evans, Christian Hunter, Eugenia Coller, Lucille Clifton, and others.

These women are responsible for actions that impacted not only the black civil rights movement, but women's rights as well. In one example, Ella Baker served as Acting Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, but never was honored as the Director, even though she did most of the work. Some, such as Claudette Colvin, Daisy Bates, and Ruby Doris Robinson, were in their teens and early twenties when they courageously stood up for what they believed in.

Dr. Hord characterized these women as Bridge Leaders, women who lead for the collective good of the group, not themselves. He also asserted that these women should be known by everyone; they are leaders, yet many of them don't make it into history books. The barriers these women faced are rarely-told stories of bravery and heroism.

In celebration of Women's History Month, here are a few facts about women today:

• For the first time in our history, half of U.S. workers are female. Source: The Shriver Report
• Women-owned companies employ more people than the largest 500 companies combined. Source: “Female Power,” The Economist, December 30th, 2009
• Women are paid 23 cents less than men for every dollar earned in our economy. Source: The Shriver Report
• Mothers have become the primary breadwinners in 4 out of 10 American families. Source: The Shriver Report
• Half of all families rely on the earnings of two parents and in more than 20% of all families a single mother is the primary breadwinner. Source: The Shriver Report

As you can see, women have come a long way in recent years, but inequity still exists. At Women's Fund we focus our funding on marginalized women, women who lack access to sufficient resources, quality caregiving options, and safety from violence. I challenge all of us to find new and creative ways to support central Indiana women so women can continue to succeed and flourish.

Day Nursery: A Childcare Leader

Did you know: In central Indiana there are only 24 licensed childcare spots for every 100 children under the age of six whose caregivers work outside the home?

Women's Fund has awarded $830,000 to address caregiving challenges in central Indiana, funding organizations like Day Nursery Association of Greater Indianapolis.

Recently I had the opportunity to join Women's Fund OPTIONS participants and Advisory Board members at a site visit to Day Nursery's Northwest Center. I was fairly familiar with Day Nursery, but I had several "a-ha" moments during the visit. It was amazing to see first-hand the high-quality affordable care they provide to children, the assurance this care provides families, and the leadership they offer to other daycare providers in the community.

Prior to the visit, I knew that Day Nursery has fantastic facilities with great staff. I learned the teachers not only are encouraged to seek higher education, they receive paid time off to pursue studies and up to 90% assistance to complete a CDA, Associate or Bachelor Degree in Early Childhood Education. This education-focused culture not only helps Day Nursery retain employees and offer high-quality child care to families, it gives the employees a life-long foundation to better provide for their families.

In addition to meeting stringent requirements to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Day Nursery Centers are also in the Paths to QUALITY program through the Family and Social Services Administration, a statewide childcare quality ranking system. The requirements for both Paths to Quality and NAEYC are such that it can be difficult for childcares based in-home or in faith-based institutions to meet the requirements, due to limitations with their facilities and budgets. Day Nursery offers support to these providers, in addition to providing resources to parents through Child Care Answers.

Day Nursery offers many other wonderful benefits; at the Northwest Center, they serve 6 week-old children through kindergartners. Older children with special needs can access learning opportunities through Pike Township Schools. Children receive breakfast, lunch, and two snacks every day, and recreation time at the center's gym or playground. The Northwest Center also serves children of Pike Township High School students, allowing them the opportunity stay in school in order to graduate. Children at all Day Nursery centers have access to immunizations and health care services through on-site services provided by a Nurse Practitioner each month.

I am grateful for the quality childcare and leadership Day Nursery provides to our community, and I am proud of Women's Fund's long-standing support of their work.

Mom/Daughter Time with the Wannabes

By Betsy Biederstedt

How often do you and your mom or you and your daughter get together with the explicit purpose of laughing, poking fun at each other, and seriously discussing issues of which your dad, husband, or brother have absolutely no clue? Rarely. In the Biederstedt home, we just don't make time to do such. We have "more important things to do" like gymnastics practice, soccer games, piano lessons and homework! Never mind grocery shopping, working, laundry, and filling out our tax forms!

Last week, my daughter Susan and I were able to attend Rosalind Wiseman's "Girl World Tour 2010" sponsored by Big Hat Books and presented at St. Richard's School. This interactive time with the author of Queen Bees and Wannabes provided all of the above - and then some!

Best parts of the evening:

• Susan looking at me with huge eyes and asking, "Really?" upon hearing from Rosalind that as a mom I have ugly, hurtful, nasty feelings toward anyone who attempts to hurt, be mean to, or treat her poorly. (answer: YES!)
• Me laughing with my daughter as she rendered a dead-on imitation of me "Freaking Out!" (which many of us do when we hear "troubling" news about our child)

Some key take-aways for me as a mom:

• My daughter DOES want to talk about how girls treat each other.
• My daughter is READY to talk about these things. I thought she was too young (she's in 4th grade). Daughters are never too young to talk to their moms.
• My daughter has a great sense of HUMOR. I forget to allow her to be her. I like the HER!

Key take-aways for my daughter:

• Her mom can laugh at herself!
• Her mom WANTS to talk about more than her grades, sports, and schedules.
• Friends and relationships can be complicated.

We were happy to have the moms and daughters of Susan's closest friends in attendance at the event with us. The night has spawned MANY further conversations at our home, and at the homes of her friends. We have talked about texting, overnight sleep-overs, and the very beginnings of feelings for boys. I had no idea my daughter had thoughts on any of these! But she is talking about these now with me... which is the beginning to good conversations about deeper values and ideas that I can now see are on the horizon. My mom-friends and I are so glad to have these conversations NOW - as we believe they are keeping the doors open to more in-depth and supportive conversations as our daughters enter the tangled webs of Junior High and High School.

If you were at the event, please share your favorite moment, a later conversation you had with your daughter, or a key take-away you had. Feel free to share some special ways in which you have "door opening" conversations with your child.

Finally - we all "Wannabe" the best mom, daughter, sister, and friend possible. Make the time to have the conversations and experiences to do so with the girls and women in your life that you value. Go for lunch (yes, Chuck E. Cheese can count as a special lunch experience!), go to the library and sit in an aisle just the two of you, or simply sit on the couch together when everyone else is out of the house. Talk. Listen. Share.

Honoring Black Women in History

February marks Black History Month, a time dedicated to reflect on the contributions made by women, men, and children in black history. One woman I learned about more recently is Anna Julia Cooper, who is currently featured on a U.S. postal stamp. According to the USPS, Cooper "helped establish local organizations for women, young people, and the poor that addressed a range of issues including education, housing, and unemployment" (http://www.usps.com/). In addition to obtaining advanced degrees, Cooper went on to become principal of a high school and teach at the collegiate level in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anna Julia Cooper was not only a pioneer for black women in her time, she fought for issues Women's Fund cares about today; namely, insufficient income and economic empowerment for women.

As an undergraduate student, through The Other Side of Middletown book project, I had the opportunity to work closely with members of the black community in Muncie and meet many local women. The leadership of these women made an impression on me and led in part to my interest in issues impacting women and girls. One woman I will never forget is Daidra, a single mother raising a preteen son. Daidra lived in a house she built through Habitat for Humanity and, along with other women in her neighborhood, she helped look after the well-being of children in her neighborhood. While the importance of women like Daidra and her peers may never be written in history books, their significance is not minimized.

This month, the Indianapolis Star is highlighting important contributions by black Hoosiers, such as IPD officer Emma Christy Baker - the first black female police officer for the department. Women's Fund is thankful for the leadership of women like Anna Julia Cooper, Daidra, Emma Christy Baker, and other women who are inspiring leaders in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities. What black women have inspired you?

Welcome New Advisory Board Members

Women's Fund is grateful for the service of a team of community leaders who guide our work to improve the lives of women and girls in central Indiana—our Advisory Board. Members of this phenomenal group of leaders care deeply about women's issues and are active in all decision-making and policy development for Women’s Fund, including all funding decisions. They are strategic, creative and have truly helped us become the expert resource for issues impacting women and girls in central Indiana.

Thanks to 2008 - 2009 chair, Julie Davis, for her outstanding service to Women's Fund in this role. We would also like to welcome new leadership to our Advisory Board.

New officers for the Advisory Board will serve two years in their roles, including:
Ann Murtlow, chair (pictured, left). Ann is President & CEO of Indianapolis Power & Light Co. and has been involved in GO: Give Back including the Power of Girls program.





Julie Manning Magid, vice-chair (pictured, right). Julie is Associate Professor of Business Law at the IU Kelley School of Business and is an OPTIONS Alumnae, participating in OPTIONS Class 3.





Elaine Bedel, vice-chair elect (pictured, left). Elaine is President of Bedel Financial Consulting and has served as Women's Fund Finance Committee Chair.





We are also welcoming two new members, who will serve three-year terms:

• Melissa Proffitt Reese, Partner, Ice Miller, LLC. (pictured, right).
• Renee Washington, Contracts Manager, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Inc.

The following Ex-Officio Members have been selected to serve one-year terms:

• Julie Bowen, community volunteer. Julie is an OPTIONS Alumnae member, participating in OPTIONS Class 9.
• Lindsey Rabinowitch, community volunteer. Lindsey is an OPTIONS Alumnae member, participating in OPTIONS Class 7.

Thank you and welcome to these women who are leading the way for women and girls in our community through their service to Women's Fund!

Exploring a Community Center I Never Had

I’ve become interested in Community Centers through my work with Women’s Fund. Last year alone, Women’s Fund invested $65,000 for operating expenses to three different centers (Concord Neighborhood Center, Hawthorne Community Center and John H. Boner Community Center). Growing up on Army bases, I don’t recall having a community center to go to, so I became curious about them. What are they? Who visits them? What do people do there? Why are they so important?

Well, the more I explored, the more I learned and the more I love about them. First, I love that the word “unity” is in the word community. That’s exactly the purpose of a community center – to bring unity to the communities they serve. No matter a person’s age or their needs, there are programs, activities and services for everyone.

For today's blog I decided to take a closer look at Concord (the picture is from one of their childcare graduations). Women’s Fund has provided significant funds to this organization for a number of years – from computer training for girls to childcare for women; assistance with basic needs to youth development. The Concord Neighborhood Center has been serving south side families since 1875, providing everything from social services, children’s programs, educational opportunities and recreational activities. They pride themselves on their ability to positively impact the lives of its neighbors.

So to answer my own questions:

1. Who visits the center? Concord serves over 1,000 women and girls annually (not to mention the number of boys and men that visit throughout the year).


2. What do they do there? Concord offers childcare, before and after school care, sports, camps, homework help, employment assistance, educational programs, emergency assistance, family literacy programs, wellness classes, health clinics, activities for seniors – and the list goes on and on.


3. Why is it so important? I’m pretty sure the first two answer this question. If it weren’t for Concord, people on the south side wouldn’t have these quality programs and services.

Once again, I thank Women’s Fund for introducing me to an organization I wasn’t very familiar with and for the dollars you invest to help improve the quality of life for our women and girls in our community (in this case, those living on Indy’s south side).

Volunteering as a Family

Teaching my children the importance of volunteering is something that’s extremely important to me. It’s something my parents me taught me growing up and something I hope to pass along to my children. They’re young now (and would probably hate this picutre being posted), but some small things we do make a big difference. Each birthday, they go through their toys and find some to donate to children who are less fortunate. We drop them off together at places such as Coburn Place, The Villages and The Julian Center. Each Thanksgiving, my family volunteers at a homeless shelter serving meals. While my kids aren’t old enough to go with us, they know and understand what we’re doing. These are just two things we’re doing to help them understand the importance of volunteering. I want volunteering to become a part of their life, no matter their age.

National Family Volunteer Day is Saturday, Nov. 21, which kicks off National Family Week. I had no idea. But I like it. I like the idea that families are encouraged to volunteer together. There are studies that show volunteering starts at an early age, so if kids see mom or dad doing it, chances are they'll do the same as adults.

Women’s Fund may not be the first organization that comes to mind when thinking about family volunteering, but in fact, they offer two philanthropy education programs that instill that same belief of giving back. The cool thing is their philanthropy education programs extend beyond a day or week of volunteering together, but focus on lifelong giving.

• GO: Give Back is a program that combines philanthropic education with charitable giving – teaching young people to make meaningful financial contributions to their community.


• Power of Girls is a one day mother-daughter event that teaches philanthropy, the challenges facing women and girls in our community and the value of granting dollars to an organization.

I appreciate Women’s Fund for the work they are doing to improve the lives of women and girls in central Indiana. I appreciate that they focus on lifelong impact through its permanent endowment. I appreciate that they provide opportunities for family volunteering.

I heard someone with Women’s Fund once say: When you help a woman, you help the entire family. When you help a family, you help the community. That’s something I will keep in mind as I find ways to volunteer as a family – and as I continue to think of ways to encourage my children to give back.

I truly believe that volunteering as a family is a great way to spend quality time together while doing meaningful work in the community. Does your family volunteer together?

National Family Caregivers Month - Think about the caregivers in your life

This month is National Family Caregivers Month, which got me thinking about the roles of traditional caregivers. I am a working mom of 1 year old twin boys. I am constantly trying to balance the desire to work as a small business attorney against the needs of my kids to have me there for all their daily events, big and small. Even as I sit here and write this post at 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, I am making a value judgment that this activity is worth not being at home with my kids.

My nanny, my husband, and my family make it possible for me to be away from my kids in order to earn a living and to have a professional identity, which I have realized is critical to my happiness. They serve as caregivers for my kids and provide them with safety and security, but more importantly, they provide a diversity of care. My mother in law, whom I adore, has a different approach to playtime than I do, and that is a good thing. It means my kids get to experience a wide variety of approaches to child care. However, as all parents know, consistency is also key, and so my husband knows very well that he has to give them a bath before bed every night, even if a new Xbox game came out today that he is dying to play.

Having caregivers for our kids is a reality for women. I am ridiculously lucky to have the support system in place to allow me to work. Especially when I consider that most women don’t have the choices that I have with regard to caregivers. Access to good child care is critical to a woman’s success, both personally and professionally. As we celebrate the caregivers for our children this month, I urge you to consider the importance of loving, thoughtful, experienced child care and remember that Women’s Fund is intimately involved in assisting organizations that provide access to responsible and cost effective caregivers that allow women to support themselves.

Lessons for a Lifetime

Power of Girls participants had a great time last Saturday at this ninth event hosted through a partnership between Women's Fund, The Julian Center, and Indianapolis Power & Light (for more information, click here to go to Ann Murtlow's recent blog post, or here to go to our website).

What did participants learn at Power of Girls? How were they impacted? So many of the "take aways" from this program go well beyond the day of the event... and even the responses we received that day are pretty powerful! Here are reflections from both girl and adult attendees:

"What one thing sticks in your mind from the Healthy Relationships session?

• "How, when I was in two abusive relationships that the cycle would go again and again, and how I can recognize the signs." - Local 13-year-old girl

"Do you feel that your participation today has made a difference in the life of your daughter?"

• "I think the participation in today's event has made my daughter more aware of women's needs in the community and the lessons learned in the healthy relationships seminar will make a strong difference in her life; it will open doors for healthy relationships now and in the future." - Mother attending with her 14-year-old

"What was the most valuable part of the day for you?"

• "Seeing my daughter be a part of the process to learn of needs and experience the process of allocating donations." - Mother attending with her 15-year-old

"Do you feel you made a difference in the lives of others today? How?"

• "Just seeing the happiness and joy of the mothers and children (at the Julian Center) made you feel like you accomplished something great." - Ninth grade girl

Do you know someone who could benefit from this meaningful program focused on learning about healthy relationships, needs of the central Indiana community, and philanthropy? Our next event will be in 2010; contact me at abigailc@cicf.org if you would like us to send you information!

Power of Girls: A Life-Changing Experience

Power of Girls is a one-of-a-kind program providing a unique opportunity to learn lessons that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Since March 2004, Women’s Fund of Central Indiana has partnered with Indianapolis Power & Light Company and the Julian Center to host eight Power of Girls events. Power of Girls IX will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009. Over the course of a six hour period, participants:

• Learn what constitutes healthy relationships, recognize the signs of abusive ones, and learn how to get out of a destructive relationship before it’s too late.
• Learn about all forms of philanthropy and how to help.
• Hear a summary of current research about problems faced by women in our community and how Women’s Fund is helping in a very special way.
• Understand what the Julian Center does, how it is funded and the cost of providing its services.
• Hear how the Julian Center is changing the lives of many women in our community that simply have no where else to go.
• Meet and do a project with shelter residents and tour the facility.
• (Girl participants) Grant approximately $3000 to the Julian Center for purposes that they decide based on what they've learned about the Center during the day.
• (Adult participants) Watch girls present the grant and explain their rationale for choosing particular services or programs to support.

There are several things that make this event so special:

1. It targets teenage girls, ages 13 to 16, at a critical time in their journey toward relationship building and teaches them some very valuable and practical lessons about healthy and not‐so‐healthy relationships.
2. 17 adult/girl couples participate, making this an intimate and interactive session.
3. Although a girl can attend with her mom, she may also attend with an aunt, grandmother or other special woman in her life.

The cost per couple is $250. While this may sound pricey, I assure you this program provides tremendous value and an unforgettable experience ; the fee is also tax deductible. For full details and to register, please download the brochure by clicking here or calling 317.634.2423. Spaces are limited and are first-come, first-served, so register soon.

I can’t recommend this program highly enough. I attended with my daughter in 2004 and I encourage you to participate with your daughter or special teenage girl. You won’t regret it – in fact, it just may change your life… and hers.

Business Ownership Initiative - Another WF Success Story

Three years ago, I attended my first Women's Fund dinner. I was in awe of thousands of attendees, all of whom were involved with and passionate about Women's Fund. Fresh off my OPTIONS class, I was feeling happy and motivated about staying involved, but I wasn't sure what avenue would best suit my enthusiasm. During the dinner, Jennifer announced a bold and transformative grant to an organization called the Neighborhood Self Employment Initiative. I was impressed. I loved the idea of helping women help themselves by giving them the tools to start and run small business, like daycares and cleaning services.

For a while, that was the extent of my involvement with the NSEI. In the meantime, they changed their name to Business Ownership Initiative. With the help of the bold and transformative Women's Fund grant, BOI grew into a much bigger, broader organization, offering one on one business counseling services, planning, and workshops to help people with any of their small business educational and support needs. In June of this year, I started a law practice with a focus on small business and entrepreneurial services. I contacted BOI and was thrilled to hear about all the programming being offered to small business owners. What was most impressive was the full slate of workshops BOI offered, everything from basic instruction on how to incorporate a business in Indiana to complex topics about sales and marketing. And now, I have worked with BOI to assist in teaching some of their legal related topics, even developing a new class for their clients on the legal risks of marketing using social media tools.

It was just a happy coincidence that I was introduced to BOI from Women's Fund, but it is not a coincidence that both organizations are meaningful to me. Women's Fund yet again exposed me to an organization using innovative tools to help women and girls in Central Indiana, and I am sure BOI's success is in no small part because of the Women's Fund grant that I saw awarded in 2006. There are so many other organizations out there that need our dollars and or time. My experience with BOI is just a great example of how I have been able to give both, directly and indirectly because of my involvement with Women's Fund.

Funding Cut; Women’s Fund Refuses to See Women at Risk

This week I learned from Women's Fund that they are involved in trying to save a critical program in our community. Women's Fund stepped in after the Julian Center learned the Department of Justice is cutting funding for "The Grants to Encourage Arrests" program – a program credited with having a significant impact on saving lives and keeping women safe. Without this funding, six family violence advocates and officers who respond daily to domestic violence calls will lose their jobs. Without this funding, a partnership between IMPD and the Julian Center will cease to exist. Without this funding, women and children in our community are in danger. It's sad to know we are putting women and children at risk.

Last year alone, more than 2,000 women received help through this program. I hate to think what would happen if this program didn’t exist.

I think it's great to know that Women's Fund is committed to keeping women and children safe - and that their Advisory Board approved an emergency grant of $30,000 for the first month of support in order to prevent layoffs and help keep the program afloat.

The loss from this cut is nearly $360,000 ($30,000/month). Women’s Fund is now seeking others to join them in providing one month of support toward the Julian Center. If, as a community, we can secure a full-year of funding, the Julian Center can be strategic and thoughtful in their approach for finding replacement funds. I truly hope it happens, and I look forward to seeing who else will support this effort. Will it be you?

Domestic violence is too important for us to ignore. In fact, it's one of Women's Fund's focus areas. This is a timely topic too: October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. That's why we will dedicate much of October's blog to this issue.

Visit this blog throughout October to find out what happens to this program (let's hope for full funding) and other important topics related to Domestic Violence.

Bank on Indy

How did you first learn about managing money? As a child, you might have had an allowance and a piggy bank, and as you got older, perhaps you had a part time job and a checking account. At some point, you probably learned something about the value of money and keeping it safe. Through economic literacy programs at local Girls Inc. chapters, for example, many central Indiana girls are developing money management skills at an early age.

79,000 Marion County residents do not use bank accounts, according to today’s Indianapolis Star article “Indy to help 79,000 ‘unbanked’ open accounts.” Instead, these residents utilize cash or payday loan companies that charge a fee to cash a paycheck. “Bank on Indy” is a campaign to encourage these residents to obtain bank accounts. Twelve area banks participating in the program will forgive those who have made financial missteps in the past and allow them to establish free or low-cost bank accounts, as well as access support services provided by ten local community centers and five Centers for Working Families (click on the article and program titles to learn more).

"Bank on Indy" allows community members to gain access to a resource many of us take for granted. For a woman living paycheck to paycheck, utilizing a payday loan company that charges a fee of $8-$12 per paycheck she cashes, the ability to establish a bank account charging no more than $15 a year may help her stabilize herself and teach her children about money management. Coupled with support from other community resources, such as Making Connections and Business Ownership Initiative, “Bank on Indy” is an important part of a woman’s path to economic self-sufficiency. Women’s Fund applauds this new initiative!