- By Mary Grainger
- Around Town
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Shafer expressed: "I am so pleased with the wide range of needs we are able to meet, and the range of ages we are able to serve with these grants. Through our grant process we identify challenges facing women and girls in our community. I only wish we had more resources to meet more of the needs described by the grant applicants."
Grants were awarded on the merit of the program, quality of the application, and available funds for the cycle, explained Marge Kline, chair of the Grants Committee. "The grant proposals submitted to CFWO this year were a credit to our community's aspirations and commitment to service. We are proud to be able to help by awarding these grants to well deserving participants."
The following projects organized by these organizations are WBC Grant recipients: A Place to Stay: Guest House for Homeless Women (Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga), Compost Toilet Build (Youth Farm Project), Educating Mother and Child (Tompkins Cortland Community College Faculty Student Association), Exploring the Arc of Women's Suffrage and its Relevance to Current Issues (History Center in Tompkins County), Girls Night In (Groton Junior-Senior High School), Pieces of Clay (Southside Community Center), Strength in Girls (Beverly J. Martin Elementary School Enrichment Program A+), Survivors Circle (Advocacy Center), and TechSavvy 2017 (American Association of University Women, AAUW Ithaca Branch).
Recipient organizations and project descriptions are also listed below.
The mission of the CFWO is to support women and girls and to act as a catalyst for the improvement of the lives of women and girls in Tompkins County, thus making a contribution to the entire community. The CFWO owned the Women's Community Building on West Seneca Street where Ithaca Neighborhood Housing now operates an affordable housing complex called Breckenridge Place. The proceeds of this sale and existing CFWO resources have created a fund which makes WBC grants possible.
Nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies serving Tompkins County women and/or girls were eligible to apply. Applications from other organizations that carry out charitable projects or activities that address issues facing women and/or girls in Tompkins County could also be considered. Organizations and individuals without nonprofit 501 (c) (3) designation needed a sponsoring nonprofit organization.
Project areas considered for funding addressed needs and opportunities that improve the quality of life for Tompkins County women and girls. One of the following criteria had to be addressed: Community Development, Education, Health, Human Services, and Activities that address Gender Equity. More information on the priorities of the WBC Grants, and about what will not be funded, is available at www.womenbuildingcommunity.org.
The City Federation of Women's Organizations was founded in 1910 by a group of women "concerned with education, recreation, philanthropy, health, safety and civic betterment." As the number of member organizations grew they purchased a home on the corner of Cayuga and Seneca Streets in 1920 and opened the first Women's Community Building as a recreational center for women and girls. This center had meeting rooms, a public rest room, and living quarters for young working women. In 1927 they purchased the house next door and it became a home for older women. In the 1940s they opened a community nursery school.
By 1960 both houses were gone and the new Women's Community Building was opened with a much needed community auditorium and commercial kitchen. Times changed, membership in the CFWO declined and community needs were different. The building was sold in 2012 to make way for much needed affordable housing. The profits from the sale of the building and existing CFWO resources have been used to establish an endowment that will continue the legacy of the many organizations of the CFWO and community members who have supported the changing needs of women over the years.
The new CFWO is managed by a Board of Directors which includes individuals representing the community and individuals recommended by the CFWO Legacy Organizations: American Association of University Women, Cornell Campus Club, Eckankar, Ithaca Downtown Business Women, Ithaca Garden Club, Ithaca Music Club, Ithaca Woman's Club, La Leche League of Ithaca, The League of Women Voters of Tompkins County, Service League, Tompkins County National Organization for Women, Tompkins County Quilters Guild and Writers Association of the Ithaca Area.
Women Building Community Grants 2016-17
1. A Place to Stay: Guest House for Homeless Women (Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga)
Catholic Charities continues to serve the urgent community need for safe, clean and affordable housing for women. A WBC Grant in 2015-16 helped fund its successful pilot program renting and supporting a downtown women’s guest house.
2. Compost Toilet Build (Youth Farm Project)
Middle and high school girls will participate in a Hammerstone: Carpentry for Women workshop that will help them build various skills including for construction of a needed enhancement for the Youth Farm.
3. Educating Mother and Child (Tompkins Cortland Community College Faculty Student Association)
Tompkins Cortland Community College Child Care Center provides scholarship support for female students with children in the center’s safe and nurturing environment.
4. Exploring the Arc of Women’s Suffrage and its Relevance to Current Issues (History Center in Tompkins County)
The centennial commemoration of women’s suffrage in New York State is an opportunity for education, conversation and discussion locally as well as statewide and nationally.
5. Girls Night In (Groton Junior-Senior High School)
Groton Central School will build on its first-ever program to empower its female students to make smarter and healthier decisions.
6. Pieces of Clay (Southside Community Center)
Designed to help develop poise and good character in girls through classroom instruction, workshops and opportunities to meet others and develop new relationships in a fun atmosphere.
7. Strength in Girls (Beverly J. Martin Elementary School Enrichment Program A+)
The afterschool program’s newer emphasis on the expansion of programming to enhance children’s health and well-being includes mindfulness and yoga for elementary school girls.
8. Survivors Circle (Advocacy Center)
A new support group for survivors of domestic violence will provide peer support and information on coping strategies and accessing of community resources for women not currently being served.
9.TechSavvy 2017 (American Association of University Women, AAUW Ithaca Branch)
Girls and female parents/caregivers from Tompkins County will have increased access to the day-long hands on STEM (science technology engineering mathematics) activities as well as ones focused on college and career preparation.
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