Group grants $10,000 to regional study

A study of the status of women in Wisconsin is in the works thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Power of 10 Women of the New North group.
The collaborative project including support from Women’s Funds in Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Appleton and Green Bay will look at basic demographics as well as statistics on child and maternal health, domestic violence, incarceration and even business and political participation.
“I am thrilled with the direction the Power of 10 Women of the New North and the decision the group made to fund a regional study on the status of women,” said Karlene Grabner, director of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation.
“When we have facts, we can make better decisions on how to serve the women of Winnebago County and the region in a more targeted way.”
The Power of 10 is the 10th anniversary initiative of the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. Ten focus groups have been charged with identifying the issues and obstacles facing women of all ages in our community. The participants then discuss, debate and decide where their $10,000 would be best put to use.
The Women of the New North group is the ninth of 10 groups to donate $10,000 toward an initiative that will create social change for girls and women in Winnebago County.
The group began meeting in August. The decision to fund the study came quickly, as did the decision to work with the Women’s Council of Wisconsin to do the research.
“The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region is really excited to participate in this study with the Power of 10 group,” said Executive Director Becky Boulanger.
“Most people don’t know that Wisconsin is unique in the women’s funding movement in that we have a lot of women’s funds in Wisconsin. Most states have one statewide group. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to work together to learn more about issues impacting women and girls throughout Northeast Wisconsin.”
A late spring release date is being targeted. The study will be available online and in print through Women’s Funds in Appleton, Green Bay, Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

Single Moms Power of 10 groups discusses issues facing them today

The Power of 10 group: Single Moms met to discuss issues facing single women parents on a daily basis. Some of the issues most pressing are isolation within the community, transportation needs for the family, financial needs, babysitting, time to themselves and finding balance in their lives. Several face these situations, but complicating that is the fact that many women are the only parent to their chidren. And yet with all of their worries and concerns, a room full of women wanted to help others. They went down the list, identified the top issues they were facing as single mothers and participated in brainstorming how to help single moms. Next meeting: Mid-January 2011.

Submitted by Kelly Laux

Health care group focuses on dental health

The health care-focused Power of 10 group met for their second meeting on June 22. After much conversation about the health care needs of women and girls in Winnebago County, the health care representatives – from Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System, Aurora Medical Center, Women’s Care of Wisconsin, Healthy Living Clinic and an area dentist – selected dental care as their topic of focus.

The health care representatives agreed that proper dental care is important to overall health, as well as mental health. Furthermore, dental care options are needed for those who live in Oshkosh who do not have the means to travel outside of our community for free or reduced care, the group discussed. The group also discussed the possibility of providing care beyond acute care to help those with more complex dental issues.

The group will take time in the coming weeks to research dental options and possibilities that promote social change for girls and women in the Oshkosh community and will then generate a more solidified idea as it relates to dental health care at the final meeting. The next meeting will be held July 13.

Submitted by: Mandy Wimmer, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Power of 10 kicks off health care group

Late last week, the first health care-focused Power of 10 group meeting was held. Health care officials from throughout the city gathered to discuss the health care needs within the Oshkosh community. The organizations represented by the participants on the forum were: Oshkosh Area School District, Affinity Health System,Aurora, Women’s Care of Wisconsin, Healthy Living Clinic and an area dentist.

The group discussed the needs of women and girls at all age groups andthroughout many stages of life. After much discussion of the healthcare needs in our community, the group narrowed down the needs to afew key areas, which they will further discuss during the next two meetings. Key areas they will focus their next conversation are on transportation, diabetes management, dental care and the isolated elderly. From there, the group will decide how to spend $10,000 tomake the lives of girls and women better in our community.

The group of health care professionals will meet again Tuesday, June 22 to narrow down their ideas and begin discussion on how to spend themoney to make resources to help the health and well-being of girls andwomen in our community more available or accessible. The final healthcare discussion will take place June 29.

Submitted by: Mandy Wimmer, Women’s Fund Communications Committee

Girl Talk

Our third Power of 10 Group is young women, 16-18 years of age. This group consists of 14 girls that range in diversity, experience, education (high school and college), and family life.

Initially, trying to get these girls to talk was somewhat like pulling teeth. However, as I’m sure you can guess, once a couple of people decided to participate, as girls tend to do, the flood gates opened, and they were quite open about the issues and problems they face. Interestingly, they were also quite vocal about what problems they do NOT face – which sure fooled us!

The myriad of what teenage girls face today is vastly different from the experiences most of the committee experienced years before – everything from anxiety/depression, grades/expectations, difficult family situations to the forever common – money, peer pressure, boys and self-esteem. And this is just to name a few!

We began the discussion by trying to draw out what some goals of these girls were and then moved the discussion to what barriers may hinder the reaching of those goals. Eventually we moved to what the Power of 10 project could do to address those barriers. The central focus appeared to be the need to have someone to talk to about 'stuff.'

What became obvious to the committee was that this group was voicing the need to be listened to, without judgment or prejudice. The teenage world does not provide a comfortable venue to 'just talk' – be it about everyday life or about really difficult situations that girls are experiencing.

But the ultimate question remains – "what to do with this $10,000?" What will reach the most girls and best address the most issues? Not an easy task when you have 14 girls, who by now have formed bonds and have no problem sharing their opinions! The Power of 10 can not be a 'Best Friend Forever' (or BFF as the girls would say) – but it may provide an outlet for open discussion, where girls feel trustful, accepted, respected, understood, and above all – heard.

Submitted by: Victoria Beltran, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Strong Moms, Strong Communities

Our second Power of 10 group, Working Moms, brought everything to the table—from the challenges of achieving professional growth and finding personal time, to dealing with parental guilt. Dozens of innovative ideas were tossed around to help alleviate the day-to-day pressures on today's working mothers.

Could we create a mom-to-mom bartering site?

Could we offer sick-child care?

Could we add an extra hour to the day?

At first it seemed like a daunting task, but soon a single "theme" began to surface.

Our group discovered that many working mothers today lack a sense of community. They may be seperated from their extended families, or unable to find a support network of their peers. They often feel isolated or alone, and don't always have the time or energy to seek out the resources they need. They need a place to connect with other moms, discuss parenting issues, and find support. They need a community of people who understand what they're going through.

In November, the group awarded $10,000 to the Oshkosh Community YMCA to create an entirely new program for mothers in our community. The 'Strong Moms' program will debut in January 2009, and cover issues ranging from healthy meal planning, stress management, kids and technology, age-appropriate discipline and more.

Mothers interested in the 'Strong Moms' program can contact YMCA staffer Shauna Coleman at (920) 230-8449 x106 or shaunacoleman@oshkoshymca.org.

Submitted by: Samantha Zinth, Women's Fund staff

You Area Not Alone: Senior Women Support Senior Friends Program

She is easy to picture: a frail, isolated woman, living alone or taking care of a spouse, homebound and lonely.

Senior Women taking part in the Women’s Fund Power of 10 initiative want to help women like this, by connecting her with a friend, an advocate and the resources of the outside world.

In September, the group awarded a $10,000 grant to the Senior Friends Program of the American Red Cross of East Central Wisconsin. The program works something like Big Brothers Big Sisters for seniors. Participating women are matched with a volunteer, who makes home visits, offering friendship and a connection to the outside world.

The selection was not immediate. Over the course of three late summer meetings, a group of 8 senior women discussed and debated a variety of issues. But, they kept coming back to the need to help those who are isolated and alone, providing friendship and resources.

The $10,000 gift will help the Winnebago County Senior Friends Program ramp up its volunteer recruitment efforts. Currently, elderly women are waiting to be matched with a volunteer visitor who can provide needed companionship. The program target: help twice as many seniors by the end of 2009.

And, that, is exactly what the senior women had in mind.

Submitted by: Brenda Haines, Women's Fund Board of Directors

Senior Women Target Outreach Effort

This group works fast!

After just two meetings, the group of senior women participating in the Women’s Fund ‘Power of 10’ initiative has identified the top need it wants to use $10,000 to address.

The target: Identify women in need and establish a personal contact to get them to the resources they need.

This on-going outreach will be targeted to help senior women, who are:

• 65 or older
• home-bound/shouldn't drive
• lives alone or is a care-giver
• proud
• private/introverted/scared
• beginning to find life a bit confusing
• has lost communication systems

The group believes these women need someone they can trust and turn to for help.

Listening to their discussion, it sounded somewhat like what Big Brothers Big Sisters does for students – but this time for senior women. It is part friendship, part problem-solving, part resource identification.

How did the women get to this?

Looking back, the idea came out early in the first session. One of the women shared that she is an advocate for breast cancer patients. She helps them navigate the health care system, finding the specialists, support groups and treatments that they need. Her job is to make the diagnosis and treatment experience less overwhelming. Because she herself is a breast cancer survivor and she knows the resources available, she is able to just that.

As the group talked more about legal services, hunger and health insurance—the Big 3 issues identified in the first meeting—it became clear that services for all are available. The trick is in knowing where to find them – and trusting someone enough to ask for help.

That’s where the gap is.

Now, the group is asking the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation to bring together agencies that serve seniors and find a way to help seniors and their families navigate the complex web of services available. We’ll report back to them on what we’ve found later this month.

What an exciting idea! We’ll keep you posted…

Submitted by: Brenda Haines, Women's Fund Board of Directors

Senior Women Hold First Power of 10 Meeting

It’s amazing how much you can learn in 90 minutes.

Wednesday afternoon, the first Women’s Fund Power of 10 group got underway. Nine senior women (10 were expected, one forgot) met to talk about issues senior women face. In the next month, the group will decide how to give away $10,000 to help senior women in Winnebago County.

The group is part of the ‘count ME in’ project, in honor of the Women’s Fund 10th anniversary. Groups like this will give away $100,000 to change the community.

Meet these Senior Women
While the women are all seniors, their life experiences are different. They range in age from 61 to 73. Some are widowed, others divorced. Others are married. Many have children and grandchildren. A few have great-grandchildren. Most are retired, but a few still work full-time.

In the course of the conversation, they shared stories of survival over breast cancer, domestic violence and poverty.

“The problem is that women in our generation were raised to look out for everyone else before you take care of yourself,” one woman said.

Issues
When facilitator Terry Matousek opened the discussion to issues senior women face, the women could hardly contain themselves. Among the issues that they discussed:

• Transportation
• Home maintenance help
• Hunger/food
• Heating/utilities
• Prescription drug/hearing aid/eyeglasses costs
• Navigating the health care system
• Access to exercise equipment (costs)
• Adult abuse
• Loneliness/mental health issues/depression for those living alone or without family in the area
• Education
• Self-concept (What happens when you can’t afford a perm? Make-up? Hair color? A dress for your grand-daughters’ wedding?)
• Counseling on when to move out of your home
• Hoarding/pets

After discussing these and many other issues, the women agreed to discuss three issues in-depth at their next meeting on July 1st:

1. Food/hunger issues facing senior women
2. Health issues/health insurance gap (between retirement + Medicare)
3. Legal issues facing senior women

Women’s Fund Board and Committee members and donors will bring in information about resources available in the community on these issues.

Share Your Ideas
Have you seen one of these issues affect senior women? What was the issue? How did you address it? Or, were you unable to find help? If so, please share your story by submitting a comment below.

Submitted by: Brenda Haines, Women's Fund Board of Directors

200 and counting

The Power of 10 is certainly generating a lot of buzz! We received over 200 nominations so far, and we're really excited to kick off our first group (Senior Women) next month. Stay tuned for updates on how these 10 women will use their $10,000 to help other senior women in our community.

Though the "official" application deadline has passed, we've decided to leave the nomination form on the Web site. We'd like to see more applicants for specific groups, including:

Young Women (16-18)
Young Women (18-21)
Fathers of Daughers
Law Enforcement/Health Care Providers
Women Surviving Poverty

If you know anyone who would be a good participant for these groups, please encourage them to fill out an application, or take 5 minutes to nominate them yourself!

Can we count you in?

Submitted by: Samantha Zinth, Women's Fund Staff

Be a part of it

Wow! We've received an incredible response so far for the 'Power of 10.' We're thrilled that so many of you want to participate in one of our 10 groups giving away $10,000. We're really excited about this project, and we want you to be a part of it!

If you haven't already, please take 5 minutes to fill our our quick questionnaire before May 15, 2008. Nominate yourself or someone you know. Our first group meets in just 5 weeks, so we need to hear from you!

Can we count you in?

Submitted by: Samantha Zinth, Women's Fund Staff

Introducing the Power of 10

In the last 10 years, the Women's Fund has worked with donors, partnered with agencies and guaranteed improvement in the lives of women of all ages, but we have never directly asked women to sound off on the issues and everyday challenges they face.

Throughout the next year, the Women's Fund will work with 100 men and women from Oshkosh and the NEW North to address the needs of women in our community. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, the Women's Fund is giving 10 groups $10,000 each to make an impact in the lives of our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends.

• 10 Senior Women
• 10 Working Mothers
• 10 Single Mothers
• 10 Young Women (16-18)
• 10 Young Women (18-21)
• 10 Fathers of Daughters
• 10 Educators
• 10 Law Enforcement/Health Care Providers
• 10 Women Surviving Poverty
• 10 Women of the NEW North

To be part of the Power of 10, complete our quick questionnaire before May 15, 2008. Nominate a neighbor, friend, co-worker or family member.

Or, join the dialog online. Throughout the year, we'll give you the opportunity to offer your opinions on the problems facing each month's group of 10 (more details and discussion questions to follow).

10 groups. $10,000. 10th anniverary.

Can we count you in?

Submitted by: Samantha Zinth, Women's Fund Staff