Health

Grantee Partner's affordable, healthy catering options in demand during recession.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Times are tough for most catering companies these days, but not for one of The Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partners, Through the Kitchen Door, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

Founded by Liesel Flashenberg, Through the Kitchen Door trains low-income women, at-risk teens and, more recently, domestic violence survivors, in catering skills, as well as the trick of affordable cooking that is still healthy, delicious and attractive to the eye.

Something in high demand as the recession takes hold and companies and individuals look for responsible, affordable ways to cater parties and other events.  With Through the Kitchen Door, not only do clients get excellent quality catering, but they’re also helping support local community development and job training.

A pretty tasty win-win.

Also quoted in the article, which explains how Liesel does it and even gives away some of her recipes and tricks of the trade, is Jeffrey Slavin, a member of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 and a Guy Who Gets It.

The Women’s Foundation is proud to support Liesel and the amazing work she’s doing to help women in our region build stable careers that lead to financial independence. 

Not to mention that we love the food and service and use Through the Kitchen Door for a ton of our own catering!

For more information on Through the Kitchen Door:
Through the Kitchen Door’s Web site
Doreen Gentzler highlights Through the Kitchen Door when she becomes Washingtonian of the Year!
Los Angeles Times article 

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.  Through the Kitchen Door is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Teen writes book with goal of transforming the lives of 200,000 young women.

Posted on by Anna Leung

Picture this:  A 14-year-old girl with a camera and a burning desire to touch the lives of others.  She conducts five years of interviews and a journey of discovery into the hearts and minds of teenage girls from all over the globe. 

The result: Young Sisters, a collection of handwritten testimonies, photographs, and transcripts of recorded interviews of young women.

That young woman was me.  And today I’ve published these stories in book form and had them performed on stage at Talent Unlimited High School in New York City.

Young Sisters strips away the mass media facade that promotes looks, materialism and sexual promiscuity as all that young women are, and instead presents real life.

This one-of-a-kind documentary book takes a genuine look at teenage girls’ thoughts, trials, and accomplishments.  It is both a celebration of budding womanhood and a lament of the loss of innocence. 

Readers connect with these girls as they share their testimonies and relive the greatest struggles of their lives—in their own words and their own handwriting.

The media overwhelms our senses with images of sex and beauty that devours our culture.  Ultimately, the victims are females.

The social pressure to match impossible standards of physical beauty often destroys their ability to look at themselves realistically and appreciate their attractive features and inner beauty. 

I wanted to help young women recognize this influence and to celebrate being themselves. The dynamic of Young Sisters therefore entertains, inspires, and empowers young adult audiences with this timely and explosive subject.

Anna Leung is the author of Young Sisters.  Her goal for the book is to uplift at least 200,000 teenage girls by 2010 and donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to programs that elevate young women’s lives.

For more information on how to preview or purchase Young Sisters, visit www.AnnaLeung.org/store.  Or, to be part of Young Sister’s vision of uplifting 200,000 teenage girls, host a Young Sisters’ performance or gallery show.  For more information or to invite Anna Leung to speak at your school, event, workshop or conference, email AnnaLeung1@gmail.com.

First Lady Michelle Obama visits Mary's Center!

Posted on by Maria Gomez

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Mary’s Center to learn about the work done by our organization for families and children in the nation’s capital. 

Her first official visit to a D.C.-based nonprofit was a great honor for all of us who have been involved in Mary’s Center. She recognized our accomplishments over the last 20 years, providing a safety net and improving the health and well being of thousands of families in our community.

During her time with us, I talked with Mrs. Obama about the multiple needs of our clients and the uniqueness of the Mary’s Center model of comprehensive services. She was deeply touched by the powerful personal accounts of several of our participants, who spoke about the impact that Mary’s Center has had on their lives and how we have helped to strengthen their communities in countless positive ways.

The First Lady read Brown Bear Brown Bear to a group of toddlers from our Family Literacy Program and inspired our Teen Program participants with her words of hope.

We at Mary’s Center are on the front lines of the most critical issues facing our country today.  Every day, through our work, we are proving that transformational change is possible.

I hope that through this visit, Mrs. Obama deepened her understanding of the issues affecting our nation’s most vulnerable families and children.  I also hope that she views our comprehensive social change model as a solution that could be replicated throughout the country to improve the health and well being of our underserved citizens.

As all of you know, the stimulus package before Congress includes aspects of many health services provided by organizations like Mary’s Center.  Moving forward, we look forward to advising Mrs. Obama’s staff on how to implement the policies that will result from the package, particularly those that directly affect women and children.

As we cherish the opportunity of being the first community organization officially visited by the First Lady, we also look forward to the Obama Administration’s initiatives to improve health access through a comprehensive health reform that will benefit the communities we serve.

For photos and more information about the First Lady’s visit to Mary’s Center:
DCist coverage
Washington Grantmakers coverage
Mary’s Center Web site

Maria S. Gomez, RN, MPH, is president and CEO of Mary’s Center, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Call for presenters: 2009 Stepping Stones Research Briefing!

Posted on by Gwen Rubinstein

The fourth annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation Stepping Stones Research Briefing will be held the morning of Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at The Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.

The Women’s Foundation and The Urban Institute co-sponsor the annual research briefing.  This year’s will highlight research on issues relevant to low-income, women-headed families.

Stepping Stones is The Women’s Foundation’s multi-year initiative focused on increasing economic security and financial independence for low-income, women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan area. The Stepping Stones Research Briefing provides an opportunity for The Women’s Foundation and its partners to learn about the latest research that can inform their work supporting this population.

The first three research briefings each drew audiences of over 100, including representatives from community-based organizations, funders, government agencies, and research institutions.

Persons interested in participating in this year’s research briefing should submit an abstract of their research and findings (no more than 1,000 words) to Peter Tatian at The Urban Institute by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 13, 2009.  Abstracts should make clear how the research is relevant to issues facing low-income, women-headed families and those who are working to assist these women.

We are particularly interested in abstracts related to how best to protect women’s economic security in a recession, including submissions on:
• Changing Demographic and Economic Conditions for Women
• Increasing Income, Building and Preserving Assets
• Workforce Development and Emerging Employment Sectors
• Job Retention and Work Supports (including public benefits)
• Early Care and Education
• Health and Safety

Final selection of presenters will be made by March 31, 2009.

Copies of all presentations, as well as audio recordings of the entire event, will be posted on The Urban Institute’s Web site after the event.  Presentations from last year’s research briefing can be found here.  More information on the 2007 and 2008 research briefings is available at The Women’s Foundation.org.

Questions about the research briefing should be addressed to Peter Tatian or Gwen Rubinstein at The Women’s Foundation.

Please share this announcement with anyone who may be interested.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending January 30, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• A New York Times editorial calling for more rights for caregivers mentions that most are impoverished women.

• The Washington Post profiles a group of young women who have moved to a troubled D.C. neighborhood to do missionary work for the poor.

• The Miami Herald covers a school that brings engineering and robotics to low-income girls.

• The Knoxville News Sentinel runs an editorial arguing for pro-life policies from the new Administration, saying that they will benefit the poor.

• Following a personal appeal from President Obama, who was seeking bipartisan support for his new stimulus bill, House Democrats cut family planning benefits for the poor, as reported by the Associated Press.

• A Montana plan developed in response to teen pregnancy would allow CHIP to cover the cost of birth control, as reported by the Associated Press.

• An Associated Press article cites experts claiming that poverty in Mississippi is attributable to single parents.

• As noted by the Associated Press, a new mobile cancer screening lab for low-income Louisiana residents will offer mammograms.

• The Lincoln Journal Star focuses on single moms pursuing degrees.

• An Idaho food bank unknowingly gave out fish tainted with mercury, which the Associated Press indicates is dangerous for pregnant women.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Dear Mr. President…

Posted on by Lisa Kays

On the day after President Obama was sworn in just a few blocks from our office, the staff of The Women’s Foundation thought we’d offer our congratulations, along with (of course) a few items for our wish list of action on the part of the new President. 

So, in the spirit of, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America," we respectfully ask:

Dear Mr. President, Please be holistic in your policies to improve the economic security of low-income women with children. We know what works – although we don’t always act as if we really do. Good policies and programs include income support (or paid time off for participating in training or re-training), child care and transportation (critical work supports), access to health (including dental and biopsychosocial) assessments and services, financial education (debt reduction, credit repair, savings) and access to other needed social services. They also cannot stop when the woman walks out of the training program and into a new job."  Sincerely, Gwen Rubinstein

Dear Mr. President, I urge you to take immediate action to reverse the damage done by new rule adopted in the 11th hour of the Bush Administration, which allows individual health care providers to deny critical information to patients based on the providers’ personal biases. The patient may not even know what’s missing. This rule is particularly damaging for low-income women whose access to health care is already limited.  Please, tell congress to withdraw this damaging rule.  I also ask that you invest in a new green economy. Not only will you work to stop global warming, but you can revitalize our economy through new job growth. We know the best way to improve the lives of communities is to stabilize family income. New jobs in high-growth industries such as this one will go a long way to improving our homes and country, inside and out.  Thanks!  Allison Mitchell 

Dear President Obama, My wish for your administration is that every time you consider a policy or program, you think about the amazing and strong women in your life – your wife, daughters, sister, mother-in-law, mother and grandmother – and think about what that policy would mean for them. Would it keep them safe or put them at risk?  Would it open the door to new opportunities for them or shut them out?  Given the incredible impact on your life that all of these women have had already, their continued guidance can only ensure that your message of hope, inclusiveness and understanding becomes a reality during your administration.  Sincerely, Sharon Levin

Dear President Obama, I would ask you to keep in mind in your staffing and appointments the importance of women’s leadership, which does make an impact in ensuring that decision-making reflects the needs, concerns and realities of women and families.  In addition, just as you are a model of leadership for a new generation who will no longer see race as a barrier to achievement, so too is it important to have similar models for young women showing that gender need not pose a challenge or deterrant to any of their dreams and choices.  Sincerely, Lisa Kays

Dear Mr. President, I hope that all little children to have access to quality early education programs so that they may succeed in school and life.  Sincerely, HyeSook Chung 

But most of all, we congratulate you, and wish you the best as you and your Administration work to lead our nation at a time of such challenge and opportunity.

Do you have any ideas or requests of the new President and his Administration for how they can work to improve the lives of women and girls?  Leave them in comments!

Online tools help service providers help local low-income families.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

This morning, Phyllis introduced a Webinar hosted by one of our Grantee Partners, Wider Opportunities for Women, on a tool they’ve developed to help calculate the true income needed to raise a family in our region.

As Phyllis explained, "With the current economic downturn…families are increasingly focusing on cutting back. And for some families—particularly those headed by single mothers—this means slipping from barely making it to not making it.  But where is the line?  According to the federal poverty standard—which hasn’t changed since 1960—a family of three headed by a single mom isn’t poor if she earns a dollar more than $16,500.  Yet, the real costs of raising that family are far greater…The federal standard is based just on the cost of food and doesn’t include crucial costs to families like child care, health care and transportation."

That’s why WOW’s standard is important, as it shows the the real cost for a single mother to raise an infant and a pre-schooler is $55,000 a year in Prince George’s County, $58,000 in Washington, D.C. and about $70,000 to live in Arlington or Montgomery Counties. 

A bit more realistic.

The Self-Sufficiency Calculator will not only allow a family to calculate what income they’d need to be self-sufficient based on family size, geography, etc., but it also provides information on how to find jobs that would meet that level of income and are attainable even without a college or two-year degree.

The Calculator can be accessed at www.dcmassc.org. 

WOW recently hosted a session featuring two other resources that help direct service providers in our area help heads of low-income families, who are usually women. 

One is the DC Food Finder, produced by So Others Might Eat (SOME), another Grantee Partner.  The Food Finder is an excellent resource that uses Google mapping to show where a variety of food resources exist in relation to a particular neighborhood or address, from food pantries to low-cost groceries to farmer’s markets.

Finally, the District Alliance for Safe Housing developed the Housing Resource Center, which helps identify housing appropriate in various situations, ranging from women fleeing domestic violence with children to affordable homes to purchase.  The resource enables service providers or individuals to input information relevant to them and then to access information particular to their situation.

 Many thanks to WOW, SOME and the District Alliance for Safe Housing for developing, updating and maintaining these tools that provide crucial information to our region’s low-income families as they strive for self-sufficiency.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.

Congrats Doreen, and thanks for being an inspiration to so many!

Posted on by Barbara Strom Thompson

I’m so thrilled to hear of Doreen being recognized as a 2008 Washingtonian of the Year!  This is so well-deserved.

I recall first meeting Doreen in an early round of the Rainmakers Giving Circle, and was so impressed by how thoughtful and engaged she was in the circle’s work, which was fairly demanding, time-wise.  Knowing how complicated her schedule was, her example motivated me to strengthen my commitment to The Women’s Foundation.

If she could make that meeting downtown, I had better get there!

Through the years, it has been delightful to witness her effect on others as well.

I remember how moved I was to see Grantee Partners beaming as they had picture after picture taken with her at a house event.

At a Washington 100 breakfast at her home, a Grantee Partner told our group how, after meeting Doreen at a previous event, she stopped watching her regular Spanish newscast and started watching Doreen’s. Not only did her English improve, but now her sons also watch Doreen.

And just last month at the board meeting, Covenant House’s Executive Director, Judith Dobbins, broke out with a huge smile as she recognized Doreen during our otherwise routine, round-the-table introductions.  We all had to laugh.

Because of Doreen’s personal graciousness and the respect she garners throughout our region, The Women’s Foundation’s good work is amplified every time she represents us.

But Doreen also has a tremendous fun side that I’ve had the pleasure to get to know as we’ve worked together as co-chairs of Washington 100.  Given how organized and poised she is, you probably would be surprised that half the time I feel like we’re Lucy and Ethel.  We spend a lot of time laughing, just scrambling to keep up and improvise with our latest version of a "plan", which is often a work in progress.

Thank goodness Doreen is a rare combination of extremely dependable and organized, mixed with go-with-the-flow and a really wry sense of humor.

I’m so proud of her earning this prestigious award.

Doreen, you make us all proud!  Congrats on this dazzling accomplishment.

Barb Strom Thompson is co-chair of The Women’s Foundation’s Washington 100 network and a board member. In her professional life, she is a child development specialist.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending January 9, 2009)

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

  • The Washington Post writes that a day care center’s relocation will create a burden for low-income mothers.
  • The Washington Times summarizes what an Obama administration might mean for feminism, abortion rights, and domestic violence legislation.
  • Struggling moms and an elderly woman are the focus of a Chicago Tribune piece on homeless families.
  • The Los Angeles Times considers popular television programs’ portrayals of teen pregnancy.
  • A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial calls for stronger marriage to cut down on the number of families run by single mothers.
  • The Miami Herald writes that teen pregnancy has increased for the first time in over a decade.
  • The recession might force a breast cancer hotline for low-income women to shut down, according to New York Newsday.
  • As noted by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the new Missouri Secretary of Health and Human Services has inspired controversy over her pro-choice views.
  • The Associated Press announced that a new health program for low-income women has been started in Missouri.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Through the Kitchen Door teaches culinary skills that nourish the body and mind.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

The day before Thanksgiving, as thoughts are turning to time with family and friends and, of course, holiday meals, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the work of Through the Kitchen Door, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation that teaches culinary skills to low-income youth and adults as a pathway to better careers and nutrition in their lives.

Last week, the Washington Times ran a piece on Leisel Flashenberg, co-founder of Through the Kitchen Door, and how she and her husband came to create the organization while living in Costa Rica.

The article states:

In one 24-hour period, she [Leisel] says, she catered for a French ambassador who complimented her work and also heard from a woman who had participated in a training program Ms. Flashenberg had established for local women to learn kitchen skills — enough so that some could earn a living. 

The trainee told her: ‘Today I could pack up my children and leave the man who has been beating me for 25 years because I know now I can support myself.’

‘You can tell which one resonated with me the most,’ Ms. Flashenberg says. ‘The subtext became the curriculum of what we are doing today.’

A great story around the holiday that draws our appreciation not only to the value of a good meal in our lives, but in its ability to bring people together and nourish the soul. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.