Christine Walker came to Washington, D.C. in 2002 from Milwaukee for better professional growth opportunities. Eager to advance her career, she enrolled in public policy courses at George Washington University.

As she accumulated credits toward her degree, unfortunately, she also began accumulating credit card debt.

A lot of it.

Concerned about her financial future, Christine embarked on a journey towards financial literacy. She taught herself everything she could through books. Then she teamed up with Lydia’s House, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation, and took classes on how to improve her credit and prepare for responsible home ownership.

Lydia’s House set her on a path towards better financial practices, but as a single mom responsible for her four-year old son, Christine still wasn’t earning enough through her job as an executive assistant to save—the true pathway to economic security.

And that’s where The Women’s Foundation’s Stepping Stones initiative came in.

Stepping Stones brought together Lydia’s House and Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), providing a grant to CAAB to provide Individual Development Accounts —or IDAs, a special type of savings account—to single mothers in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 8 earning less than $35,000 who completed financial literacy courses at Lydia’s House.

Fueled by the motivation of knowing that she could quadruple her savings, Christine saved $1,000 in six short months. Having completed the required financial education training and met her savings goal, Christine earned a 3-to-1 match on her account from the IDA program–receiving an additional $3,000 from funds provided by The Women’s Foundation and the D.C. government.

The match, she says, made all the difference.

"The match made it seem like it was worthwhile," Christine says. "When you can only save $25 a month, you feel defeated, that you can’t put a dent in your goals. Your only hope is for a better job, or some other fluke. It’s frustrating. With the IDA account, it seemed almost too good to be true. For me, $4,000 is huge. It means not having to use a credit card for school."

Emily Appel, matched savings program director at CAAB, explains that motivation is a significant part of the journey towards saving. “Christine is awesomely motivated, which is what it takes to balance the cost of raising a family in the District and saving for school," Emily says. "We’ve seen time and again that with that motivation to fix one’s finances and start a business, go back to school, or buy a house, even very low-income people can find a way to save and purchase their asset.”

Christine now has $4,000 saved to apply towards her public policy degree. Eventually, she hopes to go to law school. Once she has her undergraduate—and eventually her law school—degrees, her earning potential will significantly increase.

This is the idea behind the IDA accounts, which require that the individual’s savings be put towards an asset that will increase in value over time, such as education, homeownership or small business start-up or expansion.

Programs like these are what make The Women’s Foundation—and its Grantee Partners—so effective. Because we invest in strategies and people, like Christine, that generate an amazing return on investment.

Christine is the first of what will be up to 20 success stories to emerge from the partnership between Lydia’s House and CAAB over the next three years—for a combined savings of up to $80,000, leveraging thousands more in mortgages, scholarships, and student and small business loans.

Stay tuned for even more great results and impact from Stepping Stones—The Women’s Foundation’s long-term initiative focused on helping low-income, single mothers achieve economic security. Evaluation results for the first two and a half years of Stepping Stones will be available in April.

If you are a Grantee Partner and would like to recommend clients for enrollment in the CAAB IDA program, please contact Emily Appel by email or at 202.419.1440 for more information.

The last dreary days of winter got you down?  Finding yourself sad as a result of too little sun?

Well, according to psychologists, now you don’t have to wait for your mood to improve, or depend upon a drastic change in weather or other circumstances. 

Evidently, now you can buy happiness and a better mood, according to a recent study. 

All you have to do is give. 

The study found that individuals who were given money and were asked to give it away, rather than spend it on themselves, experienced a marked increase in their mood and sense of happiness.

For six to eight weeks on average–regardless of the size of the gift or whether it was given to strangers (charity) or to relatives or friends.

The bottom line is that for those in the study, spending it on others felt better, while spending it on themselves generated no emotional benefit.

I guess as a true barometer for whether this is true, we could all tune into Oprah’s Big Give and observe how the mood of the contestants fares over time.

Or, we could just try it for ourselves by making someone else happy with a gift.

Try just thinking for two seconds about the gift you might give and why.  Now, try not to smile. 

I bet you can’t.

The following is the speech Andrea Powell, FAIR Fund’s executive director and co-founder, gave at the 2007 Leadership Awards celebration last night.  FAIR Fund was a 2007 Leadership Awardee, and winner of The Women’s Foundation’s first online vote.

First, let me begin by thanking Washington Area Women’s Foundation for their tremendous efforts to not only support the work that we here at FAIR Fund do, but also in building such a strong and stable bridge between women philanthropists and women’s and girl’s programs here in the District of Columbia. 

And, I would like to thank a few close FAIR Fund supporters: Caroline Ramsay Merriam, Katy Love and Sarah Stewart.  And, as I stand here this evening representing FAIR Fund’s seven staff and 16 board members, and the 1,500 D.C. teen girls and boys we serve, I would like to thank Amelia Korangy, our Development and Outreach Officer, who has worked hard to help us get here this evening.

What does the Washington Area Women’s Foundation Leadership Award mean to FAIR Fund?

Of course, the $15,000 certainly assists us in the immediate future and we sincerely needed and benefit from it.

But, there is so much more to this award.  For FAIR Fund, this award is in part validation for our mission in creating chances for D.C. girls to lead safer, healthier, and happier lives.

Furthermore, this award opens the door for FAIR Fund to become a stronger and more recognized member of the vibrant women and girl’s movement here in Washington, D.C.

Teachers have reported to FAIR Fund staff that they know teen girls in their classes who are being prostituted and exploited right now, and they are not sure what to do.

That they know girls who trade sex in exchange for food or shoes.

Approximately 30 girls aged 12 to 18 are identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation, often via prostitution, in D.C. each month.  But, from what we have seen as members of the D.C. Anti Trafficking Task Force and from what we have heard from so many teen girls who participate in our program, this number is only small fraction of the number of girls out there who need our help. Their teachers and families also need our help in understanding these girls and getting them the help they need.

I want to share with you the story of one young girl assisted through FAIR Fund’s primer program for girls in D.C called Tell Your Friends.

Ellie is 15 years old and I first met her while teaching a small group of D.C. youth about protecting themselves from human trafficking.  Ellie herself was recently turned out of her house by her father, who abused her and her mother. She was in and out of school and one night joined me in learning about human trafficking at a teen workshop.

At first, I am pretty sure Ellie didn’t want to be there and certainly didn’t like me.  But, what I think captured her attention was an activity where we ask the girls and boys to draw what they think prostitution looks like here in D.C. All she drew were a pair of eyes looking down and a pair of green glittery shoes.  This 15-year-old girl told me that the eyes were looking down because a “prostitute” was not allowed to look her pimp in the eyes.  So, it is safer for “girls like here” to just look down all the time.

We were able to help Ellie get connected to a counselor and into a safe space and we continued to educate her about not only how she can protect herself but even tell her girlfriends about the truth about teen prostitution and human trafficking.

Moving forward, FAIR Fund has three main goals this year with our work to promote the safety of women and girls here in D.C.

• First, we have met with over 600 youth, mainly girls, in the D.C. schools and we recognize that the problem of teen victimization via commercial sex is truly pervasive and there is a need for FAIR Fund to take on professional counselors to assist these teens as soon as they reach out to us.
• Second, we aim to create safe spaces for support and education that will be accessible for D.C. teens to share their experiences and protect themselves from human trafficking.
• And, third, we are working right now with the Superintendent’s office to incorporate our youth anti-trafficking curriculum into the D.C. schools’ continuing education series for teachers. Together with these teachers, the D.C. Public School officials, the youth we have educated in the schools, and the young women university students who volunteer with FAIR Fund here in D.C., we can assist these girls and prevent future exploitation.  We will keep the network informed about the April launch of our video to educate teens about human trafficking and teen prostitution here in D.C.

Thank you, Washington Area Women’s Foundation, for truly opening the door and giving FAIR Fund a new chance to connect to your amazing and dedicated network of women’s rights leaders across Washington, D.C.

Andrea Powell is the executive director and co-founder of FAIR Fund, a 2007 Leadership Awardee of The Women’s Foundation.

Interested in learning more about how you can get involved in supporting groups like FAIR Fund, and others, who make sure that girls and women are looking up to a bright future in the Washington metropolitan region?  There’s a place for everyone at The Women’s Foundation.  Find yours today.

When you think about female-ex-offenders, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? When you think about prison, how do you feel?

I ask you to take an open-minded look at these women in a new blog, Friends of Guest House – Different Perspectives from Different Women.

Friends of Guest House is a residential program that helps women who are being released from jail or prison.  If women are not provided this chance, then what’s the alternative?  

Working with them every day, I see the challenges that they face and am constantly in awe of their strength.  I developed this blog to give each woman who comes through Friends of Guest House an opportunity to educate the public on who they are and share their stories.  I want them to have a voice.  Every woman who comes through the Guest House is extraordinary and unique. 

These women are survivors with real stories who are working every day to make changes and become productive members of society.  This blog allows them to be expressive and take part in something productive and thought-provoking as they undertake that journey. 

For most of these women, this is the first time in their life someone has given them the opportunity for expression and the possibility of helping someone else. 

So this blog will explore many questions that revolve around the stigmas associated with female ex-offenders, the fallacies of incarceration and the struggles that women face through re-entry within any community.

I want to challenge readers to be open-minded and not judgmental of where these women have been.  I want them to be curious to know how these women end up where they are, and socially aware and supportive of where they want to be.

Women have unique life experiences. They occupy different familial and social roles.  As a result, they enter prison in more dire emotional, physical and economic circumstances than men do.

Most often, women are reactive to their situations and are convicted of "poverty crimes," such as drug possession, intent to distribute and check fraud.  It is rare for a non-violent female offender to be a threat to any community.

The Guest House is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation, and assists women when they are released from jail or prison.  The Guest House provides temporary housing for women who are in the need of basic human services to facilitate their new start in life and adjustments to the community at large.

The program at Guest House is designed to empower the women by providing the tools necessary to achieve self-sufficiency, including housing, food, individual and group counseling, as well as assistance with employment, medical, legal and social services. Guest House offers its services to women who sincerely desire assistance when released from confinement and to women who seek an alternative to incarceration.

You can hear the voices of these women here.  And I’ll be back here periodically to provide summaries and updates on the progress of the women and the work of Friends of Guest House. 

Over the past few months, the Guest House has implemented a new Community Outreach Program. The focus is to reach more women and children in the community who need assistance. The Guest House wants to be a different type of organization, one that creates social awareness and change.  Due to limited funds, social service organizations have a selective criterion regarding the population they serve.  We do not want to have to turn a woman away who is in need of basic assistance, even if it is just for a day.

Friends of Guest House was featured in the 2007-08 Catalogue for Philanthropy as "One of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region."  Charities were selected for "excellence, innovation, and cost-effectiveness–and for what they can teach us about the extraordinary ways that philanthropy works."

Erika Freund works at Friends of Guest House, splitting her time between Community Outreach and Case Management.

The Women’s Foundation supports Friends of Guest House and other nonprofits that are changing the lives of women and girls.  Want to be a part of paving new pathways for women throughout our region?  There’s a place for everyone at The Women’s Foundation.  Find yours today.

This past Saturday marked International Women’s Day, which for me marked a day of reflection, celebration and pride respective of the strides that women all over the world have made, and an indicator of the work we have to come.

In some ways, it’s easy for me to relate the global status of women’s issues to the local status of women’s issues. Women’s current position in society reminds me of an overriding theme from The Women’s Foundation’s work, the fact that (in relation to The Portrait Project’s data on the Washington metropolitan region) there are two sides to our story.

Despite our huge successes and landmark achievements economically, socially, and politically, there’s another, darker side that shows a disheartening outlook on women-headed families in the Washington metropolitan region. Though single, women-headed households make up a majority of households in our region, many women’s wages barely keep them and their families afloat.  In addition, we are more vulnerable than men in terms of obtaining affordable, quality child and health care, and jobs that pay a living wage with room for professional advancement.

Similarly, all over the world, we see the stark contrast of women making huge strides, and women barely getting by.

Right now in the U.S., New York Senator Hillary Clinton is in what some would call a neck and neck race with the other Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

The proportion of women enrolled in college has long exceeded the rate of men. (I’m not saying it’s good that more women than men are pursuing higher education, but it’s refreshing to see an increasing number of females who want to advance past a high school degree and further themselves intellectually).

Last year, Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Internationally, last summer, France’s Presidential elections were shaken up by Sègolène Royal.  She didn’t win, but it sure was refreshing to see women work their way towards positions of increased power.

Last October, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner became Argentina’s first female democratically elected president.

All in all, one can say that we are doing pretty well. There are so many confident, proud feminists who are empowering our families and therefore our communities.  We’re doctors, lawyers, human rights activists, professors, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, TV producers, leaders in religious institutions, CEOs, leading political figures.

Of course, women have historically made contributions and strides in these areas, but didn’t receive due credit and/or support to continue.  We’ve always had women who were successful in academia and medicine.

On the other hand, one can also say that we are in pretty bad shape.

In terms of health, and the same arenas that we are making strides in–socially, economically, and politically.  We’re fighting to retain our reproductive rights and affirmative action programs, and we’re waging battles against eating disorders, chronic homelessness, mental health disorders, workplace discrimination, sexism, sexual violence, sex trafficking, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, etc.

The list of struggles and obstacles, unfortunately, goes on and on.

Here’s where my happiness about Saturday came into play. On Saturday, International Women’s Day, I knew that globally, women were taking a calculated look at all of our accomplishments to date, and especially our ills, and looking at remedies.

So, what did women in different parts of the world do? Here’s a tiny snapshot of what went on abroad:

In Istanbul, Turkey, women took to the streets in multiple rallies and participated in events celebrating their work.

In Bern, Switzerland, female protesters used images to capture our minds and highlight the increasing problem of sex trafficking.

Thankfully, as the list of ills goes on and on, so does the list of places celebrating International Women’s Day. Click here to see what cities all over the world did to reflect upon our progress and implement strategies to overcome our obstacles.

As I said earlier, The Women’s Foundation’s running theme of the two sides of the story ring true to me in terms of women’s status locally and internationally. The title of Mario Cuomo’s 1984 Democratic National Convention speech, “A Tale of Two Cities,” seems fitting to think about right about now.  It’s a different time, but the same problems prevail.

When we look over the hill of progress, we still have so much work to do.

I’m glad we have so many dedicated nonprofits working locally to implement solutions that help women and help women help their families, such as those supported by The Women’s Foundation.

Most recently, The Women’s Foundation’s Leadership Awards recognized local nonprofits working innovatively to proactively improve the health and safety of women and girls in the Washington metropolitan region.

As I reflect on Saturday, I see hope and promise for our future if we continue to invest, as women, into our own wellbeing.

That said, happy Women’s History Month!

Sherell Fuller is a former staff member of The Women’s Foundation.

For those of you who have been tracking the legislation around the paid sick and safe days bill at the DC Council, I wanted to provide an update of what happened Tuesday during the Council’s vote.

The Council voted unanimously to pass the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, and the Mayor has announced that he plans to sign the bill. This puts D.C. as the second place in the country (San Francisco was first) to have a law requiring employers to provide paid sick days to their workers.

It also makes D.C. the first place in the nation to require paid safe days, which victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking can use to address their situations.

It is also important to note that before passing the bill, some Council members voted in support of a number of amendments that dramatically affect the bill’s impact and reach.

First, the Council voted to replace the bill’s definition of employee with the Family and Medical Leave Act definition of employee. In practical terms, this means that all workers will have to be on the job for at least 12 months, and have to have worked at least 1,000 hours (an average of 19 hours/week) before they are eligible for leave.

This is a major change from the previous version, where workers had to be on the job 90 days before being able to use leave. We were disappointed that some of our core supporters, who said they would not support amendments that go to the core of the legislation, voted in favor of this amendment.

Two other amendments exempted health care workers who participate in premium pay programs and wait staff. One of the main purposes of the bill was to address public health issues, so exempting these groups of workers is particularly troubling.

In addition, the Council adopted a hardship provision, which allows businesses to apply for exemption if they can prove hardship. The language in this amendment was quite vague, potentially leading to a large loophole. The Council also inserted a provision requiring an economic impact study and another that caps at $1000 the penalty for employers who willfully violate the posting requirement.

Two very problematic amendments were defeated.

The first would have changed the categories so that workers in businesses with up to 100 employees would earn only three days per year, and workers in larger businesses just five days.

The second would have exempted employees in businesses with 15 or fewer employees. Both of those were withdrawn when it became clear they lacked enough support to pass, so the final version has the following categories: three days for businesses with 1-24 employees; five days for businesses with 25-99 employees, and seven days for all others.

This is an important first step for the District and for workers, but the DC Employment Justice Center looks forward to a time when the city provides essential paid sick and safe time for all its workers.

Karen Minatelli is the deputy director of DC Employment Justice Center, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

Read more about how this bill impacts women here.