2009 Program Awards

Beads Behind Bars

In conjunction with the Allied Arts Association, volunteers with the Beads Behind Bars program work with teens incarcerated at the Benton-Franklin Counties Juvenile Justice Center. The program offers weekly classes in jewelry making with the goal of tapping into participants' natural creative talents in a constructive way. Each Sunday afternoon individual classes are held for boys and girls. Instruction and materials are provided. Jewelry making is used as an avenue to positively impact the lives of these young people. Participants are encouraged to make good choices and to discover positive things about themselves that they can internalize and take with them, along with their creations, at the conclusion of each session.

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. The goal of the program is to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. Ten to twelve weeks in length, the program culminates with a community 5K run. Founded by Molly Barker in the 1990’s, GOTR programs exist in over 150 locations around the country. GOTR Tri-Cities is provided in partnership with YMCA of the Greater Tri-Cities.

Guardianship Monitoring Program

The Family Court Services Division of the Benton-Franklin Counties Superior Court has developed the Guardianship Monitoring Program (GMP). The program will serve over 1,000 individuals in the community who are currently under guardianship because they are mentally or physically incapable of caring for themselves. This vulnerable population, 75% of whom are women, is at increased risk of being exploited or abused. The program will use a Volunteer Coordinator and trained volunteers to review all open cases, conduct home visits with the guardian and incapacitated person, and audit the financial spending for their care. The goal of the program is to ensure that the needs of this population are being met.

Hospice Guide to Caregiving

Hospice at the Tri-Cities Chaplaincy provides hospice services to patients and families who are facing a terminal illness. Over 700 patients and their families receive hospice services through The Chaplaincy each year. To address many of the questions and concerns that arise as family members take on the role of caregiver, the Chaplaincy will develop a Hospice Guide to Caregiving. The guide will include general information on hospice care, personal care, symptom control, the dying process, funeral planning, and bereavement services. A majority of family caregivers are women, and the guide will empower them to function as confident and effective caregivers of their loved ones.

Kids Cafe

Many children in our community suffer food shortages at home, placing them at risk of poor health and sub-optimal academic performance. Even more children consume inadequate quantities of fresh produce and dairy products. Second Harvest Tri-Cities' Kids Cafe program will provide fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, and other wholesome food, as well as nutrition education, to children and teens at risk of hunger. Program services will be provided free of charge to approximately 380 children a year who attend local Boys & Girls Clubs. Through Kids Cafe, children will learn to develop a taste for healthy food and to make decisions that contribute to lifelong wellness.

Loving Homes for Abused Children Program

Olive Crest's Loving Homes for Abused Children Program provides loving and safe homes for foster children in the greater Tri-Cities region. The program recruits, trains, and provides licensing for families who have the potential and desire to foster children who have been removed from their biological homes due to abuse, abandonment, or neglect. By offering monthly parent education workshops, resources, respite services, ongoing case management, and other therapeutic services to families, Olive Crest is working to put an end to the cycle of abuse in the greater Tri-Cities area.

(Mentoring Girls in Construction) MAGIC Camp

A program of the National Association of Women in Construction, MAGIC Camp is a free, week-long summer day-camp designed to introduce high school girls to the countless avenues of employment available to women in the construction industry. The camp will engage these young women, via hands-on training, in the basic skills of carpentry, electrical, and welding. Camp attendees will develop self-confidence and improved self-esteem as they tackle, and successfully complete, challenging projects. At the conclusion of the camp, attendees will receive a tool box filled with tools and safety equipment, a program handbook, and the confidence to utilize their new skills!

Phase III: Completion of an Onsite Performance Theatre

The mission of the Academy of Children's Theatre (ACT) is to provide educational opportunities in the theater arts for young people of all abilities and levels of interest, to produce quality theater for and by the young with appeal to all ages, and to expose people to diverse ideas and cultures through the theater experience. During the 2007-2008 season, over 650 children participated in ACT classes or on-going performance groups, and 5,492 attended school-day performances. After successfully fulfilling their mission for 14 years in the Tri-Cities, ACT will be taking the next step in creating a Cultural Center for Children by building a 350 seat Onsite Performance Theatre. This building will serve as a base for the arts community, and will allow ACT to expand its arts programming to reach an even greater number of local youth, ensuring that a new generation will grow up to appreciate and support the arts.

Taming the Dragons

The Taming the Dragons program consists of two parent education classes provided by Safe Harbor Crisis Nursery. The first is a trauma education class, consisting of three, two-hour sessions, and designed to strengthen the skills of parents of traumatized children. The second is a 20-week, two-hour per week, parenting class based on the well-established ‘The Incredible Years’ curriculum. This class is designed to help parents foster social, emotional, and academic competence in their children, as well as prevent serious behavior problems. Available in Spanish and English, both classes are offered on a continuing basis. Taming the Dragons supports Safe Harbor’s mission of providing outreach, support, and training to assist families in establishing a safe and stable environment.

Women in History and Science

The aim of the Women in History and Science program is to promote awareness of the many significant contributions of women in history, science, and technology. Educational staff at the Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science & Technology (CREHST) will research and create profiles of important local, national and international women in history and science. They will develop engaging and inspiring programs depicting these important historical figures in an interactive, "living history" format which will be presented in schools and at CREHST. These programs will be added to a list of existing programs available for presentation for years to come.

Women's Success Program

Approximately 61% of Washington State University - Tri-Cities students are women. Many are working moms, re-entry women, or first-generation college students. Each year several female students are at-risk of dropping out due to unforeseen family, work, or childcare situations. The Women's Success Program will provide counseling, mentoring, and tutoring support as well as emergency scholarships/loans, specifically to meet the needs of female students. The program will ensure that female students receive necessary support services enabling them to successfully remain in college and earn their degrees.

Thanks to generous local businesses and individuals who underwrite the costs associated with holding the annual luncheon, 100% of donations collected at the luncheon are used to fund programs that benefit women and children in our community. Each year WHWF-TC receives grant applications from eligible non-profit organizations in the Tri-City area. Board members conduct site visits to evaluate programs that have applied for grant funds. Programs are evaluated based upon whether they meet eligibility requirements and support the mission of WHWF-TC. An allocations retreat is held each year to determine which programs will be selected to receive funding.

Program Awards - prior grant recipients:

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

WHWF-TC makes a difference in the lives of women and children in our community!