The Women's Fund presents grants to Rochester Area Neighborhood House

The Women’s Fund presented Rochester Area Neighborhood House (RANH) with two grants. Women’s Fund Board member, Penny Crissman, presented the checks to Kathy Losinski, Executive Director of Rochester Area Neighborhood House.

In 2014, the Women's Fund established "Empowering Women in Need with Job Seeking/Job Keeping Skills"", a special grant assisting a local non-profit organization in providing a program focused upon positive employability skills for underemployed women. As a two year recipient of this special grant funding, Neighborhood House has been able to use these funds to assist employable women stabilize their households.

As part of this special grant, RANH received $3,000 for their "Empowering Women with Marketable Computer Software Skills” program. This grant will help to provide women with computer software skills necessary for employment in an office setting. The second was a $2000 grant for their Emergency Funds. Rochester Area Neighborhood House has been a previous recipient of both of these grants. And, they have been used in conjunction with each other.

“One couple was faced with severe financial crisis when the male head of the household suddenly became ill, leaving him unable to work. His wife had been out of the work force for many years, caring for household needs. Neighborhood House was able to stabilize the financial situation by providing emergency funds from the Women’s Fund Grant to prevent eviction and utility shut offs. In the meantime, education was provided for the wife, enabling her to update her job skills as a stenographer. She was given a grant to purchase equipment so she could set up a business at home and continue to care for her husband. She was also introduced to a community mentor who continues to counsel her and provide her with business acumen needed to maintain a successful home business. This is just one family’s story, showing how The Women’s Fund Empowering Women Grant has a lasting effect in our community,” said Kathy Losinski, Executive Director of RANH.

“This year, the tradition continues. During the 2016 Neighborhood House Assessment process several women have been identified as candidates for computer classes which will assist them in attaining and keeping employment in a variety of workplace environments. These women first benefit from the emergency assistance provided by the grant. Their stories are a work in progress. As they begin to overcome their particular emergencies, they will also be offered computer education classes and job coaching, counseling and mentoring, supporting their success in today’s work force. All of this is made possible because of the enduring care they can count on through The Women’s Fund. On behalf of these women and their families, Neighborhood House is grateful for the support of The Women’s Fund, promoting self-sufficient lifestyles for women in our neighborhood,” continued Losinki.

The Women's Fund is a permanently endowed fund owned and administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester. Through grant-making, the Fund provides ongoing and future support for programs that aid women while preserving and managing its donations in perpetuity by spending only the fund's income and annual earnings.

For more information, please visit their website at www.womensfundrochester.org or for questions please call (248) 812-0763 or email womensfundrochester@gmail.com. You can also follow them on Facebook at “The Women’s Fund.”