The Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation recently awarded $85,000 to 12 nonprofit organizations that improve life for Summit County’s women and girls. This latest round of grants was ratified by Akron Community Foundation’s board on Friday, Feb. 20, at its quarterly meeting.
Among this year’s funding priorities were health and wellness, safety from violence, and economic empowerment for local women and girls. Two of the grants supported programs that advance women’s careers, including a $7,500 grant to the American Red Cross of Summit & Portage Counties for its Nurse Assistant Training program.
The program trains young women to become home health aides and state tested nursing assistants (STNAs). A recent report on job outlooks identifies home health aides as one of the top two fields for projected growth in the next few years. Workforce development programs like those at the Red Cross not only fill the demand for qualified employees but also benefit the personal economies of women who could otherwise be living on the brink of poverty.
“By providing a pathway for young women to enter the workforce in a growing field, we’re empowering them to improve the quality of life of their own families and the community as a whole,” said Katie Smucker, Grants Committee co-chair of the Women’s Endowment Fund.
The following is a full list of organizations receiving Women’s Endowment Fund grants:
American Red Cross of Summit & Portage Counties, for nursing assistant career training to help low-income and minority women gain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency, $7,500
Asian Services in Action Inc., to provide culturally sensitive support groups and domestic violence education to Hmong women in Akron, $3,000
Battered Women’s Shelter, to renovate a residential suite for victims of domestic violence at the agency’s new campus, $10,000
Child Guidance & Family Solutions Inc., for maternal depression support groups for new moms in Summit County, $5,500
Girls on the Run of Greater Summit, Jewish Community Center of Akron, to purchase an updated curriculum for this nationally acclaimed program, which mentors girls in high-poverty neighborhoods through a combination of fitness training and discussions about personal values, respect and self-worth, $10,000
Greenleaf Family Center, for a school-based support group for teen moms that offers parenting education and peer support, $5,500
H.M. Life Opportunity Services, to support the Mobile Moms program, which provides used cars to women transitioning out of homelessness, $12,500
Kent State University Foundation, for the S.U.N. 2.0 program, which teaches African-American girls healthy strategies for coping with stress and anxiety, $10,000
Legacy III Inc., to provide transitional housing and case management for homeless women recovering from addiction, $5,000
Rape Crisis Center, for the Tina Project, which helps prevent teen dating violence by educating middle and high school students about healthy relationships, $6,000
Summa Health System, for a recovery support group for opiate-addicted pregnant women that empowers them to become healthy, productive mothers, $7,500
Women’s Network Inc., for leadership training and mentoring programs for female professionals, $2,500
About the Women’s Endowment Fund
The Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation was established in 1993 as a permanent endowment committed to encouraging the advancement of Summit County women and girls. To date, it has grown to nearly $3 million and awarded more than $735,000 in grants. Contributions of any amount are welcome and can be made online at www.akroncf.org/give/WEF or mailed to Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, Ohio, 44307. For more information, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org/WEF.
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 59 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. Today, it is a philanthropic endowment of more than $185 million with a growing family of more than 480 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded nearly $121 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.
