We Are Grateful for You!
As 2022 is winding down, we would like to express our gratitude for our job seekers and employers, and the relationship we have cultivated over the years. To demonstrate our commitment to our community, and in the spirit of giving, The Job Exchange is asking you to join us in contributing to the Center, a local non-profit near to our hearts. We will be matching donations up to $1000 through the end of the year. For more than 45 years, the Women’s Resource Center has helped women and girls in southeastern Pennsylvania successfully navigate life’s transitions and inspire others to do the same. The populations served are women who are mainly low income and the average age is 45, with an increasing number of women immigrants. 83% of WRC clients report an annual income of $25,000 or less. They serve all of southeastern Pennsylvania, with most of their population residing in Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties.
As you gather with friends and loved ones this week, and we move into the holidays and new year, please know that you and your families are in our thoughts. We wish you a happy and healthy holiday!
A note from Executive Director, Cheryl Brubaker of the Women’s Resource Center:
Our community’s needs are complex and layered, and exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) uses five highly effective programs to help women and girls in southeastern Pennsylvania successfully navigate life’s transitions and inspire others to do the same. By providing resources, tools, and support for today, we create hope for tomorrow.
A gift to the Women’s Resource Center will be used in multiple ways to help women and girls who are facing the continuing impact of the pandemic. We help women connect with community resources through our Information and Referral Helpline, which fielded 817 calls this past year. Women most often call about legal assistance, abuse, counseling, basic needs, housing, and mental health issues. Women set and complete goals in our new Financial Stability program to earn a sufficient income to meet the needs of their households. This past year, we provided 1,667 sessions through our low cost Counseling program, using a client-centered, trauma-informed approach. We held 209 low cost family law Legal Consultations. 179 girls in 13 middle and high schools across three counties participated in our Girls Lead program to develop evidence-based life skills that bolstered their confidence and helped them become strong leaders in their school, community and beyond.
WRC sees many stories of women and girls in need in our community. Here is an example of one client, Michelle, and her journey to hope. Michelle had the courage to reach out to our Helpline after receiving information about WRC from a colleague at work. Michelle was facing an opioid addition, past sexual assault trauma, a custody legal crisis with her soon to be ex-husband, and had been suffering from an eating disorder since she was 11 years old. WRC connected with her after her initial call to provide resources, counseling and legal assistance virtually, during the pandemic.
Michelle had a good connection with her counselor from the start. She admitted to having a lot of anxiety, depression and withdrawal symptoms from her addiction. The counselor provided the tools, the implementation techniques and the accountability Michelle needed. The counselor also guided Michelle in what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like, and helped Michelle recognize her own coping and defense mechanisms. WRC was also able to help Michelle address her legal challenge. Michelle remarked, after completing her counseling and learning how to face future challenges, “Finally I’m on the other side, and WRC had a huge part in that.”