WORDS: Gabrielle Versmessen
Living in Manatee County, most of us are aware that there is an abundance of resources available at our fingertips. However, we might not always know precisely what organizations to look toward or who exactly to reach out to for help. One organization that’s helping people navigate and connect with these supports is the Women’s Resource Center.
Women’s Resource Center of Manatee was started in 1991 by a coalition of women’s organizations, including Altrusa and the American Association of University Women. The premise was to help women in the economic middle ground, the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population, who were struggling without support. Today, the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) provides services to women of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. They have three locations in Bradenton, Sarasota, and Venice that offer various programs and services. These include affordable mental health counseling, employment services, financial planning services, resource advising, and support groups.
Ashley Brown, President and CEO of Women’s Resource Center says, “We provide direction to women of all generations by inspiring, educating, and supporting them through life’s transitions. The core of our mission is to provide counseling, education, support, and training which then leads to emotional health and financial stability.”
These life transitions that Ashley refers to can be anything from divorce or widowhood to leaving an abusive relationship to empty nesting. There are a lot of moms who have come to the Center after being stay-at-home moms for years that re-enter the workforce. WRC’s career coaching program shows these women their transferable skills by using examples of what they did in PTA or their roles and responsibilities at home and how those can translate into the workplace. While this might sound simplistic, this tactic helps these women lean into their strengths as people.
“It is perfectly ok to say, ‘I had kids, wanted more flexibility, and now they’re at a stage where I don’t need to be home as much, so I’m going to look for a different job.’ I think there’s something unique in what we do in working with women to help them really lean into their strengths and acknowledge that it’s ok to have babies. We don’t have to feel bad about owning it,” Ashley explains after recounting how one client was almost apologetic in explaining why she had a significant job transition on her resume before returning to work.
Last year, the WRC did direct programming with over 2,000 clients and gave out an additional 7,000 referrals to women seeking assistance or guidance for various needs. In the Gulf Coast region, served by WRC, there are more than 428,000 women. Approximately 13% of these women live in poverty. The population is ethnically diverse, with a higher concentration of Hispanic women than state or national averages. While the Center helps women of any means, 88% of its clients live at or below the ALICE population. WRC’s programs specifically target these populations and demographics to help women establish stability for themselves.
“We recognize that we have great potential to serve many more women and increase our effectiveness through new funding and collaboration. We don’t receive state or federal funding. Except for two grants through Manatee and Sarasota counties, we are mainly supported by the community, individuals, corporations, and foundations, and we are so appreciative of this,” Ashley says.
In 2020, WRC hired its first bilingual case manager and mental health therapist, which has helped expand its ability to serve the Latina and Hispanic populations. Now, many of their programs are offered bilingually to serve the Spanish-speaking population. This also complements their Latina Empowerment Program, which has provided support and services to the local Latina community since 2005.
Another service that WRC provides is a Career Closet. This feature is available at the Bradenton and Sarasota offices, where women can shop once every six months for clothing for work or job interviews at no cost. These items can range from career separates to accessories and shoes to handbags. Additionally, WRC owns an upscale resale boutique called “Unique Boutique.” Both stores are donation-based, and all proceeds from the Unique Boutique go directly back to the Center.
In 2020, like so many other businesses and organizations, the WRC had to reimagine what its services and special events would look like; naturally, they turned virtual. Prior to the pandemic, the Wonder Women Luncheon was an event where the Center would honor women in the community that were doing great things and have a client tell her story. Rather than having such a formal event with an audience, Ashley wanted to create more of an inclusive engagement event for women. So, the Center pivoted and created the Wonder Women Collective.
“When everything seemed really divisive in the world, we wanted to create something that was for all women. We wanted to acknowledge that we all have our strengths, weaknesses, and struggles and wanted to create a space where women could come together to learn from each other and connect. You didn’t know if someone had $20 or a million dollars.”
The first year of the Collective was done virtually and hosted seminars on topics ranging from how to build a network to how your mindset affects your relationships and work. Last December was the first in-person Wonder Women Collective event. The attendees included clients, donors, staff, and staff from other nonprofits. To make it affordable for all women and continue with the theme of inclusion, tickets were only $25. According to Ashley, over 600 individuals engaged with the programming of the Collective in the first year, and 32% of those participants are clients of the Center.
Along with the networking component, there was also an educational component. In the second year of the Collective, the WRC partnered with Game On Nation to expand its programming and educational content. Their goal is to continue to build that network for people. Hoping to host the event twice a year, the next Wonder Women Collective is scheduled for December 1st.
In addition to those who participated in real-time with virtual events, the videos from Wonder Women Collective have received over 1,000 views on WRC’s YouTube channel. The YouTube channel also contains any of the Center’s career connections or other virtual programs so people can access them at their convenience.
While the world has been returning to normal, WRC noticed that many of its clients benefitted from being able to access its services virtually. With over 60% of clients having children that still live at home, things like transportation and childcare can make it difficult for clients to find the time or ability to visit one of the locations for services. This is why WRC now offers most of its services remotely. In fact, the majority of clients that receive mental health counseling continue to do it remotely.
Even though they are called the Women’s Resource Center, 3% of its clients are actually men. Men can take advantage of any program besides support groups, as this would throw off the dynamic in such vulnerable settings. But career coaching, mental health counseling, couples counseling, and more are all available for them to participate in.
At a time in our society where so much change has happened in such a short time, it’s comforting to know that there are organizations out there to help in any situation by any means necessary. Not only are the employees and volunteers passionate about what they do, but when there’s a service they don’t offer, they know who to direct people to, ensuring they get the assistance they need. The Women’s Resource Center is such a fundamental asset to our community, and it’s wonderful that everyone can utilize its services regardless of age, income, or background.
- For more information on services or to make donations, visit www.mywrc.org.
