Join us for our 2013 Bus Tour for Women’s Economic Security on May 8 – 10. This three day, two night chartered bus tour will travel to the Mississippi Delta, Central Mississippi and Gulf Coast regions to promote awareness, education and philanthropy for the Women’s Fund.

Itinerary
Cost for entire trip: $450. Price includes hotel for 2 nights, 6 meals, and transportation.
Cost for half of the trip (just Delta or Coast): $225
TO RSVP, email kathy@womensfundms.org or call 601-326-3001.

Audience: Women’s Fund Board Members, donors, and friends; program officers from other foundations; WFMS colleagues from other states. Tour Guide:  Carla Wall

Wednesday, May 8 (Jackson to Delta)

9:30am                        Depart Jackson. Meet at WF office (120 N. Congress St., Jackson).
12:30pm-1:15pm        Grantee visits: Mississippi Delta Community College (Moorhead)
1:30pm-2:15pm          Grantee visit: Sunflower County Freedom Project (Sunflower)

2:30pm – 3:30pm       BB King Museum
Historical stops           Indianola; Ruleville; Money

6:00 – 7:15pm             Dinner at Doe’s in Greenville
8:00 pm                       Hotel: The Alluvian, Greenwood, MS

Thursday, May 9 (Jackson to Coast)

7am-8am                    Breakfast at The Alluvian.
8am                            Depart The Alluvian.
11am-11:45am           Grantee visit: Midtown Teen Wellness Center, Jackson, MS.
12pm                          Pick up/drop off additional people. Meet at WF office.
2pm-3pm                    Grantee visit: Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative
4:30pm-6pm               Check-in to Four Points, Biloxi.
6:30pm-8pm               Dinner at Café Climb, Gulfport (Grantee of WFMS).

Friday, May 10 (Coast to Jackson)

Breakfast at Four Points Hotel.
8:30am                      Check out of Four Points, Biloxi.
9am-10am                 Grantee visit: Women in Construction, Moore Community House
12pm                         Arrive in Jackson.

--------------------- View this post online at: Join Us for a Bus Tour Across Mississippi Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

The Women’s Fund of Mississippi was created ten years ago by the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson.  Four years ago, we became an independent statewide nonprofit organization. We are eager to celebrate both of these milestones and want you to join us!  Be there to hear our three big announcements.

When & Where
Thursday, April 4, 2013
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Women’s Fund of MS Office
120 N. Congress Street, Suite 903
Jackson, MS 39201

Please RSVP to kathy@womensfundms.org

Presents?  Why yes, thank you!

Please bring office supplies as your gift to the Women’s Fund.  We are always in need of plain copy paper, colored copy paper, post-it notes, plastic cups, paper towels, cleaning supplies, paper clips, notepads, pens, markers, file folders, postage stamps, gift certificates, etc.

--------------------- View this post online at: Women’s Fund Celebrates Birthday and You’re Invited Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

Two-generation programs have positive effects on the participation of children in early childhood programs and on the participation of their mothers in obtaining secondary and post-secondary education. Three features of the two-generation approach include: 1) high quality early childhood education, 2) parenting education, and 3) adult education, job skills and training.

The Women’s Fund has established a collaborative relationship with the Mississippi Community College Board to provide tuition support and wrap-around services such as early childhood education, transportation and health services to eligible young student-parents and their children.This two-generation approach will increase the economic security of low-income women by creating opportunities that meet the needs of both vulnerable young mothers and their children. “It is an investment in educational opportunities for parents, their children and their communities across the state,” said Executive Director Carol Penick.

--------------------- View this post online at: Phil Hardin Foundation Awards $150,000 to Women’s Fund for “Two-Generation” Approach Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

Consider these facts:

• Most Mississippi women are clustered in female-dominated, low wage work such as sales, office support, food service, and personal care. The average wage for a child care worker on the Coast in 2012 was $18,570.
• The average wage for a welder on on the Coast in 2012 was $37,600. Only 5% of these jobs, nationally, are filled by women.
• Moving women into nontraditional occupations is an effective, smart strategy to increase the wages of women on the Coast.
• For more data on this topic, download this presentation by Mississippi Economic Policy Center.

Highlights of Convening: A panel of women welders discussed the challenges and opportunities of being the only woman in a male-dominated industry. They were honest about the prevalence of sexual harassment on the job, the long hours, the lack of support from other employees, and often being relegated to menial tasks. However, they are all motivated by their children’s future and their shared desire to become economically secure.

Ingalls Shipyard, a major employer on the Coast, discussed their efforts to recruit, support, and train women. To Ingalls, it’s an economic decision to recruit women: “We are women friendly because it’s a business decision–we need them; we must include 100% of the population.” According to Ingalls, businesses that take on this cultural challenge will thrive.

It’s important that high schools and post secondary institutions recognize the importance of promoting nontraditional career pathways to women at an early age. Too many women did not realize a child care worker’s wage was so low until it was too late. Many women who enter nontraditional careers enter the field in their 30s and 40s when they realize their current job will not lead to a living wage with good benefits.

Presentation by Lauren Sugerman of Wider Opportunities for Women.

For more information:

• Julie Kuklinski, Women in Construction Program Director, Moore Community House; julie.womeninconstruction@gmail.com
• Matt Unrath, National Program Director, Wider Opportunities for Women; munrath@wowonline.org
• Lauren Sugerman, Women and Work Project Director, Wider Opportunities for Women, lsugerman@wowonline.org

Links:

• Mississippi Economic Policy Center
• GreenWays, Jobs for the Future
• Chicago Women in Trades

--------------------- View this post online at: The $19,030 Difference: Women in Nontraditional Jobs Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

One of CLIMB’s primary objectives is to create a trained workforce through its seven month Workforce Training Institute (WTI). WTI creates a pipeline of skilled workers for local businesses by preparing disadvantaged youth and adults to enter a career path in the restaurant industry. Over 60% of the WTI participants are women and nearly 100% were unemployed when enrolling in WTI. Students receive hands-on training by working at Cafe Climb. Café Climb is a non-profit restaurant and catering social enterprise staffed by local, at-risk youth ages 18 to 26 years enrolled in the WTI. The social enterprise generates revenue from food services to support and sustain the educational and training program.

Please click here for more information.

--------------------- View this post online at: Grantee Profile: CLIMB Community Development Corporation Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

And excerpt: “They could almost be mother and daughter, not because of similar features as much as their matching look—their tailored suits, their genteel auras, even the pearls.

So when Carol Penick, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of Mississippi, starts saying phrases like “sexual positions” and starts talking about the large boxes of condoms they carry to events or the keychain-sized flashlights that read “Don’t do it in the dark!” it’s jarring, to say the least.

“It’s our veneer of respectability that often gets us in the door,” Penick quips about herself and her colleague, Jamie Bardwell, the younger of the team and the Director of Programs.”

To continue reading, click here.

--------------------- View this post online at: Dispatches from Jackson: Teens Having Sex is a Fact, Not Fiction, In Mississippi Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

Internship description: The focus of this paid internship position will be fund development for the long-term sustainability of the Women’s Fund of Mississippi.  The internship was established by Jane Crater Hiatt in honor of her late husband Wood Hiatt.  Both Jane and Wood have believed in and supported the work of the Women’s Fund since its inception in which they played an instrumental part.  They believe that foundations must have ongoing support from individuals in the community in order to thrive long-term.

The Wood Hiatt intern will work with the Executive Director to increase giving by individuals throughout the state of Mississippi.  The internship will be project-oriented and will require independence and initiative.  Some of the responsibilities will include:
•    Participation in online fundraising training
•    Identification of prospective donors
•    Use of research to match donors’ interests and the needs of the WF
•    Creation and manage a Moves Management system to track prospective and current    donors
•    Working with the Development Committee of the Board in their focus on the capital campaign
•    Visiting with potential donors statewide
•    Working with the advocacy intern to produce a communication tool for the WF
•    Oversight of fundraising event

The Women’s Fund of Mississippi is an equal opportunity employer.  There is no discrimination with regard to hiring, assignment, promotion, or other conditions of staff employment because of race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, national origin, political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, marital status, gender, or disability, nor will anyone receive special treatment for those reasons.

Contact Carol Penick, Executive Director, 601-326-0700 or carol@womensfundms.org or LaFawn Gilliam, Director of Communications and Development, 601-326-3002 or lafawn@womensfundms.org

--------------------- View this post online at: 2013 Wood Hiatt Internship Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

Kroger has recently rolled out a new fundraising program. Now, you can support the Women’s Fund every time you use your regular Kroger Plus card.  No need to load money on the gift card at the customer service desk again.

Please ask your friends and family (local and out of town) to participate and we can grow our Kroger donations exponentially!!  Please give this a try:

* Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com

* Click on “Create an account”– (if you already have one, go ahead and log in to your account.)  Once registration is complete, check your email for a confirmation link from Kroger.  Click on this link to log in to your account.

* Once in your account, click on “Community Rewards”- at the bottom of the list of options.

* Click on “Edit Community Rewards Program Information”

* Find your organization by either entering our number (80842) or case sensitive organization name (Women’s Fund of Mississippi)

* Select our organization when you see the name appear.  Then click on “Save Changes”

If you run into any trouble, please let us know by emailing annadpeterson@hotmail.com.

--------------------- View this post online at: Kroger Community Rewards Program Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

Sponsored by the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Women’s Fund of Mississippi

Download the Dec 6 Ab Plus Conference Agenda

Thursday, December 6, 2012
9am-4pm
Jackson Convention Complex, Theater Level. Directions here. Free parking across the street from Convention Complex.
FREE. Pre-Registration Required. Due to high demand, registration is now closed. Please check back after December 6 to review presentations from the conference.

Audience: Principals, Superintendents, School Nurses, Sex Ed Teachers, Health Educators, School Board Members, Community Based Organizations implementing Sex Education, Department of Health Title X-funded clinics.

Topics:

• Mississippi’s New Sex Ed Law: What Works, What Doesn’t
• What’s Working in Mississippi: Success Stories from Districts Implementing Sex Education
• Lunch Keynote by Bill Albert of National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
• Impact of Education Laws (Title IX, in particular) on Pregnant and Parenting Teens
• How Schools and Community Health Clinics Can Work Together to Improve Health Outcomes for  Young People

CEUs for School Nurses and Teachers will be provided through the Mississippi State Department of Health.

For questions about the Conference, email jamie@womensfundms.org.

--------------------- View this post online at: December 6 Abstinence-Plus Sex Education Conference Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi

The blog post also makes the connection between building momentum for an issue and celebrating progress–both large and small “wins.” The post states: “But reproductive health advocates can’t forget to celebrate our wins. Including Mississippi voices in the narrative about our state is one of the most important ways we can break this cycle. Advocates within Mississippi (and outside) must be willing to describe the needs but also document the progress. Momentum builds when people believe progress is possible. It is difficult to persuade smart, pragmatic, progressive people to work on social justice issues if they think social change is impossible. This work is not impossible, it’s just not easy. And repeating the same old tired narrative about Mississippi isn’t helping anyone.”

To read the full post click here or download a pdf version here.

--------------------- View this post online at: Sex Education in Mississippi: Why It Is Time to Celebrate Progress Originally published at: Women's Fund of Mississippi