​The Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County has received the following request to help with an immediate need in the community through our Emergency Response Network (ERN) – can you lend a hand?

Our partners at Bridges to Housing Stability are requesting $1,000 to help a woman and her child in need.

"Karen" (not her real name) and her teenage daughter were living in a local motel prior to coming to Bridges to Housing Stability’s Housing Connections program in September of 2018. The vast majority of the income received from her full-time retail job was allocated to paying the motel bill. A second job was tabled as Karen was concerned with leaving her daughter unaccompanied at the motel for the duration of an additional work shift. 

Bridges’ Housing Connections program helped find a landlord that would work with the family, and assisted Karen with a security deposit to move into her apartment. Several weeks after securing housing through Bridges’ Housing Connections program, Karen was hired part-time at a local restaurant. Rent was paid on time and Karen was feeling stable for the first time in a long time. The household suffered another setback within months when she began experiencing excruciating pain which impacted her work schedule. A decrease in hours led to a delinquent rent payment. The Housing Connections program assisted Karen with rent for a month as she continued to struggle managing household expenses while dealing with the inexplicable pain. 

A diagnosis has since been received - degenerative spine disease. One thousand dollars is needed for Karen to address the delinquent household bills including utilities and July rent while she’s still experiencing a reduction in work hours as she navigates a series of medical appointments. She expects a full time return to the workforce as soon as measures are taken with her doctor to assist in managing her pain.  

On behalf of our partners at Bridges to Housing Stability we are asking for $1,000 from the Emergency Response Network to help support this woman in need.

Can you help? If so, please DONATE HERE.

WGC will pool your contributions and send the funds directly to the nonprofit. We will only accept enough funds to cover this request.

The WGC Emergency Response Network was created to provide an opportunity for WGC donors to directly help women in need. When our nonprofit partners are working with a woman or girl with an immediate need, they submit a request to the WGC. Thank you for your support of women and girls in our community through the WGC’s Emergency Response Network (ERN). We are making a bigger difference together than we might otherwise be able to alone – the reason for our giving circle!

If you have any questions about the WGC or our Emergency Response Network, please email [email protected].

Journey Camp for Girls, or “Journey” is a week-long camp for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade girls in Howard County, MD that is run by Maryland Leadership Workshops and conceived of and funded by the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County.

The idea behind Journey is to bring girls, in their formative years together to learn about leadership, empowerment, and community. At Journey each student identifies her own leadership skills, strengths, and challenges in a supportive and fun environment that fosters self-esteem and confidence.

Journey 2019 will be held July 14-July 20:
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• Tuition for Journey is $895, including a $100 deposit with the application.
• Financial assistance is made available by the WGC.
• Journey applications and scholarship information can be found at mlw.org. Download the application here.
• Applications must be received asap, as of 6/10 we have 3 spots left – don’t delay, Journey sold out last year!

A week at Journey includes:
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• Workshops on topics such as empowerment and motivation, decision making, communication, self-awareness, goal setting, group dynamics, and conflict resolution.
• Group projects that challenge girls to apply new skills and exceed their own expectations.
• Team-building activities that strengthen interpersonal skills and build lasting memories.
• One-on-one mentoring with members of a dedicated and highly trained staff.

SCHOLARSHIPS IN MEMORY OF CINDY HANKIN

The WGC is honored to have begun a program this year to provide scholarships in memory of former WGC Advisory Board Member Cindy Hankin.
In 2018 the WGC provided $5,005 in scholarships.

Funded by Cindy’s family, friends, and WGC donors, these scholarships are provided in her memory in perpetuity to qualifying Journey Camp participants. Cindy was a staunch supporter of the Journey Camp for Girls. A former teacher, and school principal, Cindy was beloved by her family, friends, students, and community and served as mentor, and long-time advocate for women and girls. Cindy brought a bright and wonderful spirit to the world, enriching it for all who knew her.

“I am thrilled that we were able to increase our scholarships this year, which means we are achieving our goal of reaching girls from different demographic and socioeconomic groups across the county” says Barb Van Winkle, WGC Chair. “We are honored to be able to give so much in the first year that we began offering scholarships in memory of our friend Cindy Hankin.”

Support for Journey provided by the Women’s Giving Circle, a fund of the Community Foundation of Howard County.

Contact information for Maryland Leadership Workshops: 301-444-8623; [email protected]; mlw.org

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