100 Women Who Care of Pinellas County presented the Answered Prayers Project with a donation of $12,000 on Tuesday, September 25th. The charity also received a $5,000 matching gift from the Richard M. Schulze Foundation. The mission of the Answered Prayers Project is to equip low-income women with skills to gain workforce opportunities while building a community of support, restoring their dignity, and fostering hope through faith, cloth and clay. The funding will go towards the Answered Prayers Project’s newest program called Sewn Together, a 16-week workforce readiness program and social enterprise. It is designed to help low-income women find community and emotional support while learning how to sew. Almost all of the women in the program are in a major life transition of some kind. They may be immigrants or refugees; they might be living in a shelter; they may be starting a new life after escaping an abusive relationship or even coming out of jail. The seamstresses who graduate from the sewing classes can go to work for the Sewn Together social enterprise, where they make pillows and wine bags, which are then sold to provide income for graduates and support the cost of classes. In turn, the graduates will also have the training necessary to secure jobs in local industries that employ seamstresses, such as cushion and awning production. Classes are offered at no cost to participants every 16 weeks in Wimauma and St. Petersburg.
100 Women Who Care of Pinellas County is a philanthropic group that provides an avenue for women to join together to bring financial support to local, charitable organizations that have a 501(c)(3) status. Members commit to attending four meetings per year (one per quarter) and pledge to donate $100 to an elected charity at each meeting. The members have the opportunity to nominate any organization, three of the nominated organizations are then randomly selected to give a 5-minute presentation, a vote is taken, and then checks are written directly to the winning charity. Since February of 2013, the group has given $194,800 to local charities. The next meeting is 7:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13that Cove Cay Golf Club at 2612 Cove Cay Drive in Clearwater. There is a social time from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Cove Cay restaurant, where drinks and snacks can be purchased.
Pictured left to right back row: Alfredo Chahin, APP Board; Maureen Barnash, APP Volunteer; Julie Webster, 100 WWC co-leader; Cynthia Sloan, 100 WWC; Jodee Craig, 100 WWC; Kimberly Early, APP Board; Brenda George, 100 WWC co-leader; Courtney Erickson, APP Volunteer; Elizabeth Chizanye, APP seamstress; Middle Row: Audrey Myers, APP Volunteer; Melanie Winston, APP seamstress; Bernie Hall, 100 WWC; Phyllis Schaefer, 100 WWC; Joanne Gilch, 100 WWC; Dorika Manku, APP seamstress; Kneeling front: Jodi Avery, APP Board; Elizabeth Bunbury, APP Director; Carol Schatzle, APP Volunteer. For more information, contact Brenda George at 727-515-1868 or on Facebook at 100+ Women Who Care- Pinellas County.