STEMsational Women
Tucked away in an unassuming building on Veasley Street, the Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center packs a big punch when it comes to education.
Twenty years ago, Randi Francis, Executive director at the center, moved to North Carolina from New York, New York, with a degree in Computer Science. A woman in STEM herself, she saw that the women around her were having trouble connecting to job opportunities in her field.
“I just went into a community that I knew needed help,” Randi explains.
With this mission, she opened the Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center to provide women with proper training to get jobs in STEM.
One of the center’s most popular courses is the A Plus Certification, an entry-level computer certification for PC computer service technicians. It trains students to install, maintain, customize, and operate PC’s. The other is CORE, a certification which is more hardware oriented.
Now the center offers services such as Apprenticeship Training and Workforce Development, Phenomenal Women in STEM, STEM Academy, and Virtual STEM after school.
“We’re educating the whole family unit,” Randi says.
The center also holds a summer camp for children, which went virtual when COVID-19 hit. However, it did not affect the number or enthusiasm of their campers.
“It was the ability for young girls to really get hands-on experience in building robots and coding and things of that nature,” Randi says on the camper’s curriculum.
The grants from Women to Women allowed the center to expand their outreach with children in the community. Operating on word of mouth advertising, the organization has been trying to increase awareness of their services.
To learn more about The Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center’s mission visit their website: be-a-nehemiah.org.
Author: Ellie Little almylittle.myportfolio.com
Helping others starts with A Simple Gesture
Green grocery bags stuffed with food donations have been a symbol of hope for many hungry families in the Triad.
These bags provide food for the non-profit A Simple Gesture. The organization collects the bags from the porches of more fortunate families to donate to food banks.
Leslie Isakoff, Executive Director A Simple Gesture
A Simple Gesture started in 2015, when the Greensboro High Point area was named the fourteenth hungriest city in the United States.
Leslie Isakoff, Executive Director of the organization, said they started with one goal: ensuring every child below the age of five had access to food.
“For me, hunger isn’t just an empty belly,” Leslie says about the impact of childhood hunger on a community.
Children who experience hunger for more than six months carry this impact into their adult life. They experience higher rates of incarceration, an increased likelihood to suffer from diabetes and cancer, and earn 50% less over their lifetime.
When A Simple Gesture received a grant from Women to Women, it opened up new horizons for the organization. With the money, A Simple Gesture was able to meet with local pediatricians to determine how best to help children meet their nutritional needs.
Women to Women has also aided in relief from COVID-19. Existing food shortages have only worsened with the pandemic. On February 29, hunger in the United States was at 17%. By April 30 it jumped to 42%.
A Simple Gesture was able to keep children fed with Women to Women’s contribution to the COVID Relief Fund. Despite the pandemic, Women to Women continues to help mothers in the community by providing funding to A Simple Gesture.
“Women are actually the most vulnerable and the most likely to be hungry,” Leslie explains. “What you often see is women not eating so their children can eat.”
With A Simple Gesture providing proper nutrition to children, mothers can reallocate their family’s resources towards nourishing themselves.
“We’re just so grateful for Women to Women for taking a chance on us,” Leslie says about A Simple Gesture’s ambitious goal. “Women to Women was able to see the potential in that and make it happen.”
To learn more about A Simple Gesture’s mission and ways to help visit their website asimplegesturegso.org.
Author: Ellie Little almylittle.myportfolio.com
Intentional About Giving Back
Despite changes in leadership at Triad Financial Advisors, Inc., it is holding fast to its strong commitment to philanthropy.
“We need to support the community,” Cameron Aydlett, Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor says. “We especially need to support women, especially since Triad Financial Advisors was founded by a female at a time when women were not prevalent in the financial field.”
Originally founded by Carter Leinster, an alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, Triad Financial Advisors has been dedicated to empowering women in the community.
The company’s partnership with Women to Women goes back to the very beginning. Along with founding her own company, Carter was also essential in the creation of Women to Women to propel the culture of promoting women-run businesses and organizations.
In 2013 the new owner, Patrick Rush, wanted to carry on the tradition of giving back to the community.
“He's been very instrumental in making sure that those of us who are interested in participating in Women to Women have that opportunity," Cameron, who is a member of Women To Women herself explains, Patrick has said,” just because I’m male doesn’t mean that I can’t be supportive of women and be respectful of the founder.”
Philanthropy, Cameron explains, is an integral part of Triad Financial Advisors because it is a local business and wants to positively affect its community and express who it is as a company.
Triad Financial Advisors’ role in the community extends to participating in March of Dimes and Toys for Tots. Cameron herself is a member of the Agribusiness Committee in Alamance County.
“I also want to be associated with a group that takes action,” Cameron says. “Yes, we have fun, but in addition to that, it’s making an impact. I have so much respect for that.”
Author: Ellie Little
Re.sil.ience
Mary Herbenick has been inspired to build community ever since she moved to Greensboro. After helping to spearhead Ready for School, Ready for Life, she has recently taken a position at The Kellin Foundation as Director of Development and Resiliency.
Mary grew up in Dayton, OH which she describes as being very similar in size to Greensboro, but says Greensboro has special qualities she hasn’t experienced in other places she has lived. She came here for her ex-husband’s work and landed in Lindley Park. She immediately felt connected through her neighborhood, school and eventually the wider Guilford County community. She warmed to the way residents look out for each other and pulled together to help their neighbors. Mary thinks that this culture stems from Greensboro’s Quaker roots or fighting for justice during the Civil Rights Movement.
She is thrilled to be working with The Kellin Foundation. The foundation is a direct service mental health provider to 10,000 residents of Guilford County. They provide quality mental health services to the uninsured and underinsured. They work together with many other community agencies such as the Greensboro Police Department and Guilford County Schools. One of their foci is trauma informed care. Many people have experienced trauma that is affecting their lives and their children’s lives. Kellin Foundation and Duke University operate the only 2 trauma focused care organizations in our state.
Mary’s focus in helping Kellin build a resilient community is to facilitate us to understand and support those dealing with and/or experiencing trauma. This involves working to change challenging systems, especially those that perpetuate social and racial injustice. The issues our community and others consistently are working to prevent (homelessness, food insecurity, joblessness, mental health issues, violence) are often the symptoms of these injustices. This trauma informed piece essentially is how we can better care for each other.
She says funders can make a difference by taking a systemic approach to funding assuring their contributions are helping to solve our most pressing needs as a community.
Mary has love and faith in her Guilford county home and is working to help us as a community dig into our deep and far reaching prejudices and live up to Greensboro’s history in the fight for social justice.
Author: Carrie Little
Friday Feature: The Beirut Explosion Felt Here in Greensboro
One of Women to Women’s own, Ashley Nassar Weeks runs a digital marketing agency Nassar Creative + Soul in Greensboro. However instead of marketing, this week she shared her perspective on American politics.
Ashley is looking forward to voting in the 2020 Presidential election. With a passion for local politics and bettering her community, she holds degrees in Political Science and Computer Science.
Ashley is a first-generation United States citizen from Jacksonville, NC. Her father came to Oklahoma from Lebanon. He fought there during the civil war and joined the United States Marine Corps after immigrating.
She enjoys hearing stories of life in Lebanon as her father’s entire family still lives there. These stories shape Ashley’s passion for politics and appreciation for the United States’ democracy.
Compared to her family’s experiences in Lebanon, the current turbulence of American politics seems small. Ashley describes the government in Lebanon as Separtarian. Corruption runs high there along with protests, but unlike the US, authorities often use live ammunition, arrests and poison to deter protestors.
Recently Ashley’s ties to Lebanon have become even stronger. Beirut suffered from a catastrophic chemical explosion in early August, killing 172 people and injuring 6,000. The explosion also left 350,000 homeless due to the destruction. Naturally, Ashley’s family is deeply concerned about their family and other suffering in their country.
Due to inflation and COVID bank holding measures, necessary provisions are scarce, and difficult to attain. To help, Ashley has started a collection effort to secure and send needed provisions to the people of Beirut. Some of the most needed items are: baby formula, diapers, masks, feminine products and food. She is working to collect, organize, ship and distribute these supplies to affected individuals and families.
Ashley’s Lebanese roots and appreciation for American democracy has provided a different perspective than some going into the election. She hopes to spread the resources and optimism that she has gained as a United States citizen to Lebanon.
Please see the google form here to contribute.
Author: Carrie Little
Between Two Worlds: Black Women and the Fight for Voting Rights
Was there ever a time when your voice wasn’t being heard?
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Black women played an active role in the struggle for universal suffrage. They participated in political meetings and organized political societies. African American women attended political conventions at their local churches where they planned strategies to gain the right to vote. In the late 1800s, more Black women worked for churches, newspapers, secondary schools, and colleges, which gave them a larger platform to promote their ideas.
But in spite of their hard work, many people didn’t listen to them. Black men and white women usually led civil rights organizations and set the agenda. They often excluded Black women from their organizations and activities. For example, the National American Woman Suffrage Association prevented Black women from attending their conventions. Black women often had to march separately from white women in suffrage parades. In addition, when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony wrote the History of Woman Suffrage in the 1880s, they featured white suffragists while largely ignoring the contributions of African American suffragists. Though Black women are less well remembered, they played an important role in getting the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments passed. Black women found themselves pulled in two directions. Black men wanted their support in fighting racial discrimination and prejudice, while white women wanted them to help change the inferior status of women in American society. Both groups ignored the unique challenges that African American women faced. Black reformers like Mary Church Terrell, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and Harriet Tubman understood that both their race and their sex affected their rights and opportunities.
Because of their unique position, Black women tended to focus on human rights and universal suffrage, rather than suffrage solely for African Americans or for women.
Nine Afro-American women posed, standing, full length, with Nannie Burroughs holding banner reading, "Banner State Woman's National Baptist Convention" (1905-1915).
African American women believed that the issue of suffrage was too large and complex for any one group or organization to tackle alone. They hoped that different groups would work together to accomplish their shared goal. Black suffragists like Nannie Helen Burroughs wrote and spoke about the need for Black and white women to cooperate to achieve the right to vote. Black women worked with mainstream suffragists and organizations, like the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
However, the mainstream organizations did not address the challenges faced by Black women because of their race, such as negative stereotypes, harassment, and unequal access to jobs, housing, and education. So in the late 1800s, Black women formed clubs and organizations where they could focus on the issues that affected them.
After the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920, Black women voted in elections and held political offices. However, many states passed laws that discriminated against African Americans and limited their freedoms. Black women continued to fight for their rights. Educator and political advisor Mary McLeod Bethune formed the National Council of Negro Women in 1935 to pursue civil rights. Tens of thousands of African Americans worked over several decades to secure suffrage, which occurred when the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965. This Act represents more than a century of work by Black women to make voting easier and more equitable.
Originally posted by National Parks Service
Friday Feature : Lisa Duck and the "Orange Card" guarantee
Since living with COVID-19, we are becoming increasingly more aware of the inequities that surround healthcare. Women to Women member Lisa Duck is the Executive Director of the Guilford Community Care Network (GCCN) whose mission is to ensure all persons have access to quality and affordable health care regardless of their ability to pay.The GCCN, works to provide comprehensive, quality healthcare through a network of volunteer physicians, pharmacies and other healthcare agencies offering services to low-income, uninsured residents of Guilford County.
Eligible applicants receive an “Orange Card”. The “Orange Card” guarantees healthcare access for services within Guilford County. The card gives patients access to everything that the Guilford Community Care Network has to offer no matter their ability to pay.
Lisa explains, “all too often there are barriers for the uninsured and those living in poverty. During this pandemic, the inequities in care are accentuated. By offering up our skills and resources to form a landscape of care for our community we are allowing people to get the care they need”.
How can you help improve overall health and well-being in Guilford County? Lisa suggests the following 3 ideas as a place to start:
1. Be an advocate for policy change that would allow for access equity.
2. Donate and volunteer in non-medical drivers of health such as nutrition and food distribution.
3. Establish open lines of communication to help human connections that will permeate through our entire community.
Author: Carrie Little
Friday Feature: Dr. Schooler and Health on Wheels
With COVID 19 and the movement for racial equality, Dr. Karen Schooler explains that access to quality healthcare for vulnerable communities has become one of our most pressing issues. She is utilizing her unique position to assist in providing access to care for the underserved.
Patients without health insurance, who are low-income, who experience homelessness or housing insecurity, who struggle with substance abuse, or who have insecure immigration status face a litany of care access barriers that can be hazardous to patient health. Because these populations are traditionally marginalized, they may struggle to navigate the medical industry, lack the social support to get to a doctor’s office, be untrusting of the medical establishment, or simply not be able to afford healthcare at a brick and mortar clinic.
As President of the Greensboro Medial Society, Dr Schooler has collaborated with Winston Salem State, A&T, The Grand Magnolias Philanthropy Group, Old North State Medical Society and other organizations to bring Mobile Health Clinics to underserved communities in our area. Mobile Health Clinics are part of a new initiative of academia and the community working together to provide a quality care option for those who face extraordinary challenges accessing care. The mobile clinics are one way to help prevent chronic disease and serious problems by identifying health concerns early.
Dr. Schooler is a new member of Women to Women, whose passion and clarity come at a time when we need it most. Her efforts to help fill in care gaps in order to make Greensboro better for everyone is a blueprint we all should follow. In terms of the future, she hopes that Women to Women will send a new and bold message to amplify the voices of minorities as we work to be better stewards of their time and talents.
Author: Carrie Little
Today we celebrate Juneteenth
Today we are celebrating Juneteenth, the day that enslaved people in Texas learned about the Emancipation Proclamation that President Lincoln had issued more than two years earlier. We do so at a dismal moment in our history, as our nation confronts the horror of police violence against Black people, amidst racial inequities and injustices brought to light by the pandemic.
In celebration of Juneteenth's message of liberation and out of respect for our Black friends and neighbors' anger, sorrow, fatigue, and courage, June 19th provides the opportunity for our whole community to share a day of reflection. We encourage you to pause from your regular work and reflect on both the ongoing history of systemic racial injustice and how it manifests in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our houses of worship and our families.
To those of us who are not subject to the daily oppression of racism, we need to engage with humanity and honesty, deeply and with humility. We must dedicate ourselves to this in a systematic manner and not only in reaction to a moment of national crisis. We live with ample proof that life chances are fundamentally different. They are to be seen. And yet too often those of us who are not burdened with racism choose not to see, or we choose to explain these disparities away instead of moving to correct them. Change starts with a personal transition and will end in systemic reform. This is the hard work before us, an endeavor to which we as a community should devote our full energy. Let’s start today, on this Juneteenth, working together to resolutely turn our attention toward the mission of anti-racism.
**For those interested in participating in some local activities:
**Additional resources we hope you will find informative and insightful:
Learn about Juneteenth
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/
**Read about How to Take a Stand Against Racism
Why White People Freak Out When They’re Called Out About Race
https://www.alternet.org/2015/03/why-white-people-freak-out-when-theyre-called-out-about-race/
Op-Ed: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Don’t understand the protests? What you’re seeing is people pushed to the edge
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
7 things Black people want their well-meaning white friends to know (and view the 4 min video Your Black Friend)
https://www.upworthy.com/7-things-black-people-want-white-people-to-know
10 common phrases that are actually racist AF.
https://www.upworthy.com/10-common-phrases-that-are-actually-racist-af
George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper | The Daily Social Distancing Show (18 min video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
NCCJ: Check out Talking About Race, the new web portal of digital tools and resources from the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.
Friday Feature - Where Do We Go From Here?
“When the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro was founded 37 years ago, the founders’ vision was to create an organization for the community to rely on in times of need. An organization for individuals to be able to give back to their community, and an organization for leaders to be collaborative around critical community issues. Never has that vision been more relevant than in today’s times.” - Walker Sanders, President of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro
In today’s times many are found asking themselves, “What now? Where do we go from here?”. While that question may be hard to answer and look different to everyone, we looked to our own board and leaders in Women to Women for answers.
Speaking with Yulonda Latham, Vice President Latham Entertainment and W2W board member, is always insightful. Not only is she kind and gentle, she provides a thoughtful and grounded perspective. These qualities help to make her an effective leader and collaborator. It is no wonder that she served as the co-chair of Women to Women last year and we thrived under her leadership; expanding our advisory council and gaining needed perspective.
Yulonda hopes to see a more diverse council of women representing W2W. Not just for the sake of being diverse but for the sake of gaining a more encompassing perspective on how to meet the needs of our community. When asked “how do we accomplish this?”, Yulonda had 2 clear ideas that she shared.
“Physically meet people where they are. Go learn more about organizations and communities outside of yours to gain perspective. Stand with people where they are. Not from where you are.
Secondly, be the best you. As others get to know you, you become a representative for all that you are involved in, including W2W. We have an amazing organization that cares deeply about our neighbors and that in itself is a testament to W2W.”
If Yulonda is any example of the women that our organization attracts, we are headed in the right direction. Though, still we have so much work to be done in building the diverse board perspective we need to best serve ourselves and our larger community.
As an organization who’s mission is to help women and families in our Greensboro community, that includes all families. Especially the Black community, who are still under the thumb of racism. We have, and will continue to dedicate the time to listen, learn, and support our community and we are committed to amplifying Black voices. We aim to not only speak out against racism, but to be actively anti-racist.
Author: Carrie Little
Friday Feature - Money and Masks
Women to Women (W2W) attracts women that are passionate about their community and neighbors. One of our newest members, Michelle Schneider is the VP and Chief Philanthropy Officer of Cone Health. When Michelle accepted the position of Chief Philanthropy Officer just over a year ago, little did she know she would be counting masks as often as money.
Many people are not aware that Cone Health is a nonprofit that relies on donations to operate. These donations have become more important and more varied during these uncommon times. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude by the contributions of goods and services from the community”, says Michelle. Cone has seen support in a variety of ways from food, medical supplies and masks to heartfelt letters of thanks and they are accepting each donation from the community with deep gratitude. “The love and encouragement we receive daily keeps us going and strengthens our resolve. We just can’t say it enough. Thank you!”
COVID-19, is re-defining philanthropy. Now more than ever, we need to be responsive to the rapidly changing health care needs. As the situation evolves, so do the needs, some that are easily identified and others that we cannot predict. Donated funds to Cone Health will help increase access to personal protective equipment for staff, provide technology so that patients can stay connected with loved ones and provide meals to patients sheltering in place. Money will also be used to meet future needs such as housing staff who may have been infected by coronavirus or who wish to self-isolate to protect their families.
Please watch this amazing video Michelle shared on how our community is supporting Cone Health during this pandemic.
If you would like to make a donation or learn more please visit the Cone Health COVID-19 Support Fund.
Author: Carrie Little
Friday Feature - Women To Women Supporting Their Neighbors
In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic we see much of our community “shut down.” This creates more work for some and less work for others. There is too much to be sad about. I don’t need to list those here, for we are painfully aware of what our neighbors may be experiencing.
Yet, it is comforting to see organizations may shut down, but people don’t. People keep at it, especially in a strong resilient community like Greensboro/Guilford County. We are holding food drives, providing meals to those in need, changing the way we educate our students, distributing laptops to students, sending more flowers, providing safety for our employees, sewing masks, assembling face shields, sharing toilet paper and wipes with our neighbors, providing childcare to essential workers, dancing on TikTok for laughs, putting up yard signs, organizing efforts for graduates, … the list goes on.
Women to Women is keeping at it. They are giving early and generously to their community. Women to Women voted unanimously to donate $75,000.00 to Greensboro’s Virus Relief Fund. This relief fund is providing grants to Greensboro nonprofits that are directly supporting our neighbors most impacted during this crisis. To date GVRF has received a total of $1,345,138 that has been distributed to 58 local nonprofits helping thousands of individuals and families.
We, as a county and city, will keep working to serve our neighbors. The people in Greensboro/Guilford County are generous and have built a strong nonprofit network to care for our residents. If you or your organization would like to donate to the Greensboro Virus Relief Fund go to: Greensboro’s Virus Relief Fund. Take care and stay safe.