The Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation

Winnebago County women needed for Women’s Fund grant project

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:17:00 +0000

OSHKOSH, WI – Women who are facing or who have overcome financial hurdles will get the chance to do something extraordinary this spring. They will give away $10,000 to a local nonprofit to benefit other women just like themselves.

The Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation is calling on women from the Oshkosh area to participate in its Women Seeking Financial Freedom Power of 10 focus group. The Power of 10 is the Women’s Fund’s 10th anniversary initiative designed to identify the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community.

The group will meet to discuss, debate and decide how to allocate $10,000 to help other women in the community. Participants will not only meet women just like themselves, but also have the opportunity to express their needs, discuss the challenges they face and finally, feel empowered as aphilanthropist in their selection of the grant recipient.

Women of all ages and from all facets of the community are encouraged to join this Power of 10 focus group.

The group will begin meeting in March. Each meeting will last about 90 minutes.

To participate, please contact Karlene Grabner at 920-426-3993 or
Karlene@OshkoshAreaCF.org. Please respond by Feb. 28.

Since 1998, the Women’s Fund has provided more than $400,000 in grants to make resources available for causes of interest to women; foster among women a sense of empowerment and philanthropy; and increase awareness of women’s issues. For more information, please call 920-426-3993 or go to http://Women.OshkoshAreaCF.org.

Group grants $10,000 to regional study

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:10:00 +0000

A study of the status of women in Wisconsin is in the works thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Power of 10 Women of the New North group.
The collaborative project including support from Women’s Funds in Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Appleton and Green Bay will look at basic demographics as well as statistics on child and maternal health, domestic violence, incarceration and even business and political participation.
“I am thrilled with the direction the Power of 10 Women of the New North and the decision the group made to fund a regional study on the status of women,” said Karlene Grabner, director of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation.
“When we have facts, we can make better decisions on how to serve the women of Winnebago County and the region in a more targeted way.”
The Power of 10 is the 10th anniversary initiative of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Ten focus groups have been charged with identifying the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community. The participants then discuss, debate and decide where their $10,000 would be best put to use.
The Women of the New North group is the ninth of 10 groups to donate $10,000 toward an initiative that will create social change for girls and women in Winnebago County.
The group began meeting in August. The decision to fund the study came quickly, as did the decision to work with the Women’s Council of Wisconsin to do the research.
“The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region is really excited to participate in this study with the Power of 10 group,” said Executive Director Becky Boulanger.
“Most people don’t know that Wisconsin is unique in the women’s funding movement in that we have a lot of women’s funds in Wisconsin. Most states have one statewide group. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to work together to learn more about issues impacting women and girls throughout Northeast Wisconsin.”
A late spring release date is being targeted. The study will be available online and in print through Women’s Funds in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

Women’s Fund Power of 10 Single Moms group to award $10,000 grant

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:12:00 +0000

The Women’s Fund Single Moms focus group has selected Strong Moms of the Oshkosh Community YMCA to receive a $10,000 grant to support programming and outreach.

After identifying issues that single moms face on a daily basis, the group reviewed nonprofit organizations that could best support the needs of single moms.

Those main issues included:

Financial literacy
Child care support
Connecting with other single moms
Information on nonprofit organizations within the community

The group discovered the YMCA’s Strong Moms program addresses many of the needs they identified, in addition to other important educational opportunities like self-defense and computer safety.

The group also is requesting some of the funds be dedicated to the Love and Logic program through Strong Moms. The program teaches parents techniques to raise responsible kids and have fun doing it.

The Power of 10 has been an enlightening experience for everyone who has participated. A special thank you to our Single Moms group participants for their help in this process, what they brought to each other through their own personal experiences and ideas that will help improve the lives of women and girls in the community.

Submitted by Kelly Laux, Women’s Fund communications committee volunteer

Single Moms Power of 10 groups discusses issues facing them today

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:50:00 +0000

The Power of 10 group: Single Moms met to discuss issues facing single women parents on a daily basis. Some of the issues most pressing are isolation within the community, transportation needs for the family, financial needs, babysitting, time to themselves and finding balance in their lives. Several face these situations, but complicating that is the fact that many women are the only parent to their chidren. And yet with all of their worries and concerns, a room full of women wanted to help others. They went down the list, identified the top issues they were facing as single mothers and participated in brainstorming how to help single moms. Next meeting: Mid-January 2011.

Submitted by Kelly Laux

Women’s Fund group donates $10,000 to Christine Ann dental program

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:05:00 +0000

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Strong emotions filled the hearts of those presenting and receiving funds to aid the health needs of women who’ve been abused.

Several members of the Health Care Power of 10 focus group on Wednesday presented a $10,000 check to staff at Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services Inc. in Oshkosh to support its community dentistry program.

“If you can imagine being abused and losing teeth as a result, and then applying for jobs and having to go out on interviews and smile — it means a lot to have the money for this,” said a misty-eyed Julie Denton, who is a Christine Ann staff member. “I can’t tell you how mind blowing it is that you’re doing this. It’s so awesome!”

Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services provides a variety of programs and services to meet the needs of victims, their children and communities in Winnebago and Green Lake counties.

“We are very gratified. One of the things we are working on is how to leverage this money by working with dentists in the community who are willing to help us out with reduced costs,” said Annette Beattie, client services manager for Christine Ann.

“(Being able to get their teeth fixed) are life-changing procedures for some of the people. It really is a start of a whole new life for them.”

The Power of 10 is the 10th anniversary initiative of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Ten focus groups are charged with identifying the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community. The participants then discuss, debate and decide where their $10,000 would be best put to use.

The health care focus group met three times during summer and narrowed the focus of their grant toward dental care for women and children.

“I found it to be very impressive to be able to learn from the people in the group, people who are from all different aspects of the community,” said Tiffany Krings, a health care focus group participant. “I didn’t know about Christine Ann’s dental program and now I can take that back to the nurses (at her job) and share that with them. … It was a great way to raise awareness.”

The organizations represented by the participants on the forum included Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System, Aurora Health Care, Women’s Care of Wisconsin and Healthy Living Community Clinic.

The health care focus group is the sixth of 10 groups made to donate $10,000 toward an initiative that will create social change for Oshkosh girls and women.

To learn more about the ‘Power of 10’, visit http://countmein.oshkoshareacf.org.

Since 1998, the Women’s Fund has provided more than $400,000 in grants to make resources available for causes of interest to women; foster among women a sense of empowerment and philanthropy; and increase awareness of women’s issues. For more information, please call 920-426-3993 or visit http://Women.OshkoshAreaCF.org.

Single moms needed for Women’s Fund grant project

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:58:00 +0000

OSHKOSH, WI – Single moms will get the chance to do something extraordinary in December. They will give away $10,000 to a local nonprofit to benefit other women just like themselves.

The Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation is calling on single moms from the Oshkosh area to participate in its Power of 10 focus group. The Power of 10 is the Women’s Fund’s 10^th anniversary initiative designed to identify the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community.

The group will meet to discuss, debate and decide how to allocate $10,000 to help single moms in the community. Participants will not only meet other women just like them, but also have the opportunity to express their needs, discuss the challenges they face and finally, feel empowered as a philanthropist in their selection of the grant recipient.

Women from all facets of the community are encouraged to join this Power of 10 focus group.

The group will meet at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, at the 20^th Ave YMCA, 3303 W. 20^th Ave., Oshkosh. Each meeting lasts about 90 minutes. Drop-in child care and dinner will be provided at no cost.

To participate, please contact Karlene Grabner at 920-426-3993 or Karlene@OshkoshAreaCF.org. Please respond by Nov. 19.

To learn more about the ‘Power of 10’, visit http://countmein.oshkoshareacf.org.

Health care group focuses on dental health

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:46:00 +0000

The health care-focused Power of 10 group met for their second meeting on June 22. After much conversation about the health care needs of women and girls in Winnebago County, the health care representatives – from Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System, Aurora Medical Center, Women’s Care of Wisconsin, Healthy Living Clinic and an area dentist – selected dental care as their topic of focus.

The health care representatives agreed that proper dental care is important to overall health, as well as mental health. Furthermore, dental care options are needed for those who live in Oshkosh who do not have the means to travel outside of our community for free or reduced care, the group discussed. The group also discussed the possibility of providing care beyond acute care to help those with more complex dental issues.

The group will take time in the coming weeks to research dental options and possibilities that promote social change for girls and women in the Oshkosh community and will then generate a more solidified idea as it relates to dental health care at the final meeting. The next meeting will be held July 13.

Submitted by: Mandy Wimmer, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Power of 10 kicks off health care group

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:21:00 +0000

Late last week, the first health care-focused Power of 10 group meeting was held. Health care officials from throughout the city gathered to discuss the health care needs within the Oshkosh community. The organizations represented by the participants on the forum were: Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System,Aurora, Women’s Care of Wisconsin, Healthy Living Clinic and an area dentist.

The group discussed the needs of women and girls at all age groups andthroughout many stages of life. After much discussion of the healthcare needs in our community, the group narrowed down the needs to afew key areas, which they will further discuss during the next two meetings. Key areas they will focus their next conversation are on transportation, diabetes management, dental care and the isolated elderly. From there, the group will decide how to spend $10,000 tomake the lives of girls and women better in our community.

The group of health care professionals will meet again Tuesday, June 22 to narrow down their ideas and begin discussion on how to spend themoney to make resources to help the health and well-being of girls andwomen in our community more available or accessible. The final healthcare discussion will take place June 29.

Submitted by: Mandy Wimmer, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Dads Unlimited Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Padley) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:34:00 +0000

On Wednesday, January 20th the Power of 10 group Fathers of Daughters met with Wendy Schwalbe from Parent – Connection Family Services to discuss the needs in the community, current programs and future opportunities.

Parent Connection – Family Services currently offers free programs for dads in the Oshkosh area called “Dads Unlimited.” The program offers baby basics classes, a dads & kids play group, home visitations, family wellness workshops, and a teen parent program.

Wendy shared future ideas of hosting “daddy & daughter dates” and launching an awareness campaign before Father’s Day that included an essay contest focused on how children see their fathers as heroes.

The fathers were very pleased to learn more about the programs offered and see a lot of potential to grow this into something BIG. Keith, a Fathers of Daughters group participant, stated “I am so proud to be part of this initiative.”

The next step is to fine tune their ideas for the programs in order to create social change in the lives of fathers of daughters.

To see the program's already available through "Dads Unlimited" visit the Family Services website at www.familyservicesnew.org.

*Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee*

Dads with a Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:26:00 +0000

At the 2nd Father's of Daughters Power of 10 group meeting the group re-united with a lot of enthusiasm to discuss their action plan. They narrowed down their concerns to focus on the top four ideas that address the issues among fathers of daughters.

The first discussion was the website which would serve as a toolbox for dads offering easy access, support and anonimity. One father shared that his daughter experienced a break-up a few days before the meeting and it would have been nice to have a website to refer to for suggestions on consoling her at the time. It was determined that the challenges of creating a website would be reaching the fathers who need it most, manpower and expense. The other ideas discussed were a mentor program, an awareness campaign and father/daughter events.

One of the fathers identified an existing program in the community offered through the Parent Connection's Family Services called "Dads Unlimited." This program offers groups, events, and workshops tailoring to the needs that they could develop and build on. It was decided that the next step would be to meet with the program director to receive more information at the next meeting.

Happy Holidays!

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Determined Dads

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:05:00 +0000

The fifth Power of 10 Group is Father’s of Daughters who held their first meeting on Tuesday, December 1^st. The group consists of eight dedicated fathers who find their role challenging; it is difficult to balance being the bread winner and a quality father. They would like to be more involved with the lives of their daughters but are limited by time and options.

The goals determined by the group are to motivate un-involved fathers, plan father/daughter events and construct a toolbox for dads. Ideas for the toolbox included developing a website, social media outlets and networking functions.

These fathers are passionate about raising awareness in the community to recognize the importance that fathers matter. These dads are striving to be everyday heroes.

The next meeting of the Power of 10 group "Fathers of Daughters" will be held this Thursday, December 10. Stay tuned to hear more about the next steps for these Determined Dads.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Making the Call

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:21:00 +0000

The young women 19-21 years old have made the call to grant their $10,000 to the Winnebago County 2-1-1 service. The 2-1-1 service is a 3-digit dialing code that connects people in need to human services. 2-1-1 refers callers to information about local resources provided by the government and non-profit organizations.

The grant will be used to market the program to increase awareness and usage. The target audience is young women 19-21 in Winnebago County struggling with issues such as financial literacy or health & wellness. The image and information will be presented using testimonials and real life scenarios through a variety of mediums. Social media, on-campus communication channels, retail stores, and direct mail were only a few of the creative recommendations provided to the 2-1-1 marketing staff. The marketing efforts will be tracked through reporting systems to determine the success of the program.

The 2-1-1 is a great outlet for the community and young women to connect to local services and programs in the area. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more. To learn more visit: http://www.211wisconsin.org/

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Celebratory Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:00:00 +0000

The date has been confirmed the celebratory meeting will take place on Friday, July 17th.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Making the Call

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Today was the third meeting for the young ladies 19-21 years old Power of 10 Group. There was a tentative decision made on the $10,000 allocation. This week the group is going to be researching, testing and making contact with an agency.

Stay tuned for the announcement and celebratory meeting date.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

The Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:12:00 +0000

The second meeting was held on Monday, June 22nd with 7 young ladies 19-21 years old present. This meeting started off with a review from the previous meeting. There was no communication within the group between the meetings. The topics reviewed included health & wellness, financial literacy and college life.

Then there was a brain storming session to decide on programs and ideas of how to best spend the $10,000. There was a lot of discussion on creating an information website and educational programs.

The group is taking a couple weeks to think more about the $10,000 give away and return with marketing ideas. The young ladies asked the Women's Fund to provide them thought provoking questions to help them define issues and struggles that women 19-21 years old face.

What questions would you ask young women 19-21?

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Progression

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:49:00 +0000

The second meeting for the young ladies 19-21 years old will be held tomorrow, 6/22. I am excited to get the group back together and see the plan take form.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Limbo-Land

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:26:00 +0000

The fourth Power of 10 group is young women, 19-21 years old. This group consists of recent high school graduates, college students and a single mother, all in a transitional place in life. They work various jobs in retail sales, childcare and hospitality.

The current economic conditions have greatly affected this group. They are apprehensive about the unknown, so they feel the need to outline a life plan. Their goals include finishing college, going to graduate school, finding a job, getting married and starting a family. Their fears include veering off track from their set “plan”, not making enough money to support themselves, and lack of financial literacy (401k, investments, etc).

As one young woman put it, “our generation is not going to have the benefits our parents did so we have to be more self-sufficient. “

The second issue identified by the group was mental health and wellness. These women were most concerned about navigating the transition process from student to adult, which is often wrought with anxiety, depression and self-doubt. Addressing how to deal with pressure, build confidence and maintain a healthy body image were of utmost importance.

By the end of meeting, it was clear that the economy is defining this group. Despite the recession, they feel some sense of security by establishing a “plan.” There are a lot of challenges ahead (in the Power of 10 and life), but these young women have the potential to make a big impact.

For more information on the Power of 10, visit www.YouCanCountMeIn.org.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women's Fund Communications Committee

19-21 Year Olds Kick-Off

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:55:00 +0000

The Power of 10 focus group, Young Women 19-21 years old will have its first meeting today, June 15th.

Submitted by: Mindie Boynton, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Calling young women, ages 19-21!

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:58:00 +0000

We need your help with our next Power of 10 focus group, Young Women 19-21 years old.

Remember: The Power of 10 is the Women’s Fund’s 10th anniversary initiative, designed to identify the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community.

This group will be meeting three times in the month of June to discuss, debate and decide how to allocate $10,000 to help other young women in the community. Each meeting lasts about 90 minutes. Final meeting times will be scheduled at a later date to best accommodate the schedules of the entire group.

Please contact Karlene Grabner at Karlene@OshkoshAreaCF.org to participate. For more information on the Power of 10, visit http://www.youcancountmein.org/.

They Did It!

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:35:00 +0000

The third Power of 10 Group, Young Women 16-18, have come up with a use for the $10,000 they were given to improve the lives of their peers. This group of dynamic young women determined that the best use of their funds is a program for teenage girls to gather and openly discuss ‘life’. Issues that teens face today can be overwhelming – money, family, friends, school, relationships, future – the list is endless. This group saw a need to create a safe, non-judgmental, open forum (led by an adult) that provided an opportunity to talk.

After several meetings with these young women, it was determined that the Women's Fund needed a partner to make this idea a reality. The Aurora Medical Group got behind the girls' vision and stepped forward as a partner for this project. With some very enthusiastic Aurora staff, as well as UW Oshkosh counseling interns, Aurora will work with the original Power of 10 group (now known as the steering committee for the project) to figure out how to market the program and engage other 16-18 year old girls in the Oshkosh high schools.

It was inspiring to see how the group worked together to come to consensus and maintain enthusiasm about this Power of 10 opportunity. These young women have set a great example by bringing a diverse group of people together. With a little coaching from facilitator Terri Matousek, they learned to trust each other, open up, discover a common purpose and establish a plan of action. And they were able to accomplish this in addition to all their other activities!

This project was important to these young women; it was evident at every meeting and obvious in how they established the groundwork to get their pilot program started. These young women are our future – what a great experience for them as they go out and make their way in the world.

Submitted by: Victoria Beltran, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Girl Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Our third Power of 10 Group is young women, 16-18 years of age. This group consists of 14 girls that range in diversity, experience, education (high school and college), and family life.

Initially, trying to get these girls to talk was somewhat like pulling teeth. However, as I’m sure you can guess, once a couple of people decided to participate, as girls tend to do, the flood gates opened, and they were quite open about the issues and problems they face. Interestingly, they were also quite vocal about what problems they do NOT face – which sure fooled us!

The myriad of what teenage girls face today is vastly different from the experiences most of the committee experienced years before – everything from anxiety/depression, grades/expectations, difficult family situations to the forever common – money, peer pressure, boys and self-esteem. And this is just to name a few!

We began the discussion by trying to draw out what some goals of these girls were and then moved the discussion to what barriers may hinder the reaching of those goals. Eventually we moved to what the Power of 10 project could do to address those barriers. The central focus appeared to be the need to have someone to talk to about 'stuff.'

What became obvious to the committee was that this group was voicing the need to be listened to, without judgment or prejudice. The teenage world does not provide a comfortable venue to 'just talk' – be it about everyday life or about really difficult situations that girls are experiencing.

But the ultimate question remains – "what to do with this $10,000?" What will reach the most girls and best address the most issues? Not an easy task when you have 14 girls, who by now have formed bonds and have no problem sharing their opinions! The Power of 10 can not be a 'Best Friend Forever' (or BFF as the girls would say) – but it may provide an outlet for open discussion, where girls feel trustful, accepted, respected, understood, and above all – heard.

Submitted by: Victoria Beltran, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Strong Moms, Strong Communities

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:52:00 +0000

Our second Power of 10 group, Working Moms, brought everything to the table—from the challenges of achieving professional growth and finding personal time, to dealing with parental guilt. Dozens of innovative ideas were tossed around to help alleviate the day-to-day pressures on today's working mothers.

Could we create a mom-to-mom bartering site?

Could we offer sick-child care?

Could we add an extra hour to the day?

At first it seemed like a daunting task, but soon a single "theme" began to surface.

Our group discovered that many working mothers today lack a sense of community. They may be seperated from their extended families, or unable to find a support network of their peers. They often feel isolated or alone, and don't always have the time or energy to seek out the resources they need. They need a place to connect with other moms, discuss parenting issues, and find support. They need a community of people who understand what they're going through.

In November, the group awarded $10,000 to the Oshkosh Community YMCA to create an entirely new program for mothers in our community. The 'Strong Moms' program will debut in January 2009, and cover issues ranging from healthy meal planning, stress management, kids and technology, age-appropriate discipline and more.

Mothers interested in the 'Strong Moms' program can contact YMCA staffer Shauna Coleman at (920) 230-8449 x106 or shaunacoleman@oshkoshymca.org.

Submitted by: Samantha Zinth, Women's Fund staff

You Area Not Alone: Senior Women Support Senior Friends Program

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:33:00 +0000

She is easy to picture: a frail, isolated woman, living alone or taking care of a spouse, homebound and lonely.

Senior Women taking part in the Women’s Fund Power of 10 initiative want to help women like this, by connecting her with a friend, an advocate and the resources of the outside world.

In September, the group awarded a $10,000 grant to the Senior Friends Program of the American Red Cross of East Central Wisconsin. The program works something like Big Brothers Big Sisters for seniors. Participating women are matched with a volunteer, who makes home visits, offering friendship and a connection to the outside world.

The selection was not immediate. Over the course of three late summer meetings, a group of 8 senior women discussed and debated a variety of issues. But, they kept coming back to the need to help those who are isolated and alone, providing friendship and resources.

The $10,000 gift will help the Winnebago County Senior Friends Program ramp up its volunteer recruitment efforts. Currently, elderly women are waiting to be matched with a volunteer visitor who can provide needed companionship. The program target: help twice as many seniors by the end of 2009.

And, that, is exactly what the senior women had in mind.

Submitted by: Brenda Haines, Women's Fund Board of Directors

Working Moms Get To It

noreply@blogger.com (Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:10:00 +0000

The second Power of 10 focus group, Working Moms, had their first meeting on August 25 to begin the process of identifying the needs of this group and what type of programs could help and support these woman.

The group consisted of 6 working mothers, ages ranging from early 30’s to late 50’s, with children at home and children attending college.

There was a dynamic exchange of thoughts, experiences, concerns, and ideas. At times being a viewer was difficult. I had found myself wanting to participate in the discussion, as the comments were situations I have dealt with and will still deal with as a working mom.

To get the group started they were asked “What are the challenges working women face”.

The list was comprehensive. Women take a huge responsibility for the family, from financial responsibility, to transportation of children to events, to health needs. And with that responsibility is an underlying emotion that they (we) live with called guilt. They feel guilty if they haven’t spent enough time with their jobs, with their kids, with their spouses/partners, with their family, with their friends.

A comment made during the meeting summed it all up: “You know even if we were each given a $1000 to spend on ourselves for pampering, we probably wouldn’t spend it, we’d feel too guilty!” The room was filled with head nodding.

And the comments continued... we feel guilty if we missed an event that the family would enjoy or the kids should be involved in. Every time we are doing one thing, we feel guilty about something we are not doing.

So what could this group support to help relieve those challenges we face:

connecting working mom’s in the community to groups and organizations that keep them informed on upcoming events, needs, and activities to benefit the family;
finding a program to support working mom’s when their children are sick and they can’t go to daycare and plan B isn’t available;
finding “a mom” to support them, giving them a break;
developing a program that creates real neighborhoods versus virtual neighborhoods, a neighborhood that supports the family, which in-turn supports the working mom.

By the second meeting on September 8th all of this was discussed with passion, energy and hope. I’m confident that whatever program this group decides to support it will help create the social changes needed for working mom’s.

Submitted by: Kelly Laux, Women's Fund Board of Directors

Senior Women Target Outreach Effort

noreply@blogger.com (Brenda Haines, Blue Door Consulting) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:28:00 +0000

This group works fast!

After just two meetings, the group of senior women participating in the Women’s Fund ‘Power of 10’ initiative has identified the top need it wants to use $10,000 to address.

The target: Identify women in need and establish a personal contact to get them to the resources they need.

This on-going outreach will be targeted to help senior women, who are:

65 or older
home-bound/shouldn't drive
lives alone or is a care-giver
proud
private/introverted/scared
beginning to find life a bit confusing
has lost communication systems

The group believes these women need someone they can trust and turn to for help.

Listening to their discussion, it sounded somewhat like what Big Brothers Big Sisters does for students – but this time for senior women. It is part friendship, part problem-solving, part resource identification.

How did the women get to this?

Looking back, the idea came out early in the first session. One of the women shared that she is an advocate for breast cancer patients. She helps them navigate the health care system, finding the specialists, support groups and treatments that they need. Her job is to make the diagnosis and treatment experience less overwhelming. Because she herself is a breast cancer survivor and she knows the resources available, she is able to just that.

As the group talked more about legal services, hunger and health insurance—the Big 3 issues identified in the first meeting—it became clear that services for all are available. The trick is in knowing where to find them – and trusting someone enough to ask for help.

That’s where the gap is.

Now, the group is asking the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation to bring together agencies that serve seniors and find a way to help seniors and their families navigate the complex web of services available. We’ll report back to them on what we’ve found later this month.

What an exciting idea! We’ll keep you posted…

Submitted by: Brenda Haines, Women's Fund Board of Directors