Hickory – Women’s Resource Center (WRC) announced today that they received a grant for $10,000 from the Corning Incorporated Foundation in New York. Women’s Resource Center, a local nonprofit that advocates for the personal empowerment and economic self-sufficiency of women and families, has served the greater Hickory area for more than thirty years. WRC is a welcome center & a safety net for women in Catawba, Burke, Caldwell, & Alexander counties. The Center provides resources & referrals, goal planning, free counseling, emergency pantry products, support groups, and programs that contribute to the personal empowerment and enrichment of women. Women’s Resource Center will use the grant to design a new website that is mobile device friendly, and to establish “Womenade”, a program that provides one-time emergency grants to women in need.
“A website is often the first impression you give potential clients”, says WRC Executive Director, Michelle Morgan. “Our current website is over ten years old and doesn’t format well with mobile devices, which is crucial in this era of the smartphone.” Ms. Morgan adds, “As we plan for the future of Women’s Resource Center, we believe a new website is a crucial component in achieving our goals for growing the Center. We are so grateful that The Corning Incorporated Foundation recognizes the impact an updated website will have on our ability to build capacity for the future of Women’s Resource Center.” In addition to the much- needed website update, this grant will also enable Women’s Resource Center to implement a new program, “Womenade” (like lemonade).
Womenade will provide financial assistance through one-time grants of up to $500.00. The purpose of this program is to help women who are otherwise self-sufficient and are experiencing temporary or unexpected financial hardships overcome this obstacle and move forward in their lives. “When households live paycheck to paycheck, one unexpected expense can cause a tailspin. Programs such as Womeade provide a supportive step toward long-term financial stability, and work to improve our neighbors’ quality of life,” says WRC’s Director of Programs, Kelley Hayward. Women seeking assistance through the Womenade Program will be required to fill out an application, and provide proof of their situation, as well as references. Aid is not intended to be a long-term solution, only to fulfil a short-term need that will provide increased opportunity for future stability and/or make a real difference in someone’s life. Women’s Resource Center is seeing the need for this type of assistance growing rapidly in our community, especially in the wake of the current economic crisis. Ms. Morgan states, “At WRC we believe no woman should have to choose between paying for her child’s insulin, for example, or fixing the car so she can get to work. By providing a woman with assistance during this ‘bump in the road’, we can possibly halt the chain reaction that can occur when just one bad thing happens in life. Perhaps, we can even prevent her from relying on government assistance. We are just so thankful to the good people at The Corning Incorporated Foundation for their ongoing support for Women’s Resource Center over the years. Because their generosity, we are able to continue our work in the community to empower women to live their best lives”.
For more information regarding the Womenade Program (beginning September 2020) or any of the other programs and services provided by Women’s Resource Center, call 828.322.6333 or check out their new website (which should be up and running in a couple of weeks!) www.wrchickory.org
