A D V O CATE
WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
How can I get involved? You can change your community for the better by working with women on projects you care about and by investing dollars into proven strategies. You can GIVE, ADVOCATE or VOLUNTEER. Call Melanie Cecarelli at (860) 493-6878 for more information. 10
Impact Winter|Spring 2011
THE POWER OF WOMEN IS UNDENIABLE. A group of passionate, local women launched the United Way Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) in October, joining more than 130 United Way women’s efforts across the nation. The Women’s Leadership Initiative will partner with Hartford Community Schools, The Village for Families and Children and Co-opportunity to bring financial education programs to the Alfred E. Burr School, one of Hartford’s Community Schools. Karmela Malone, Founding Member, WLI “Women contribute a great deal of time and resources, and when you bring women to the table, they bring their friends. The Women’s Leadership Initiative harnesses our individual and collective power to make a measurable difference. We saw an opportunity to build an initiative that pulls services together, so families can look at the issues they face with a holistic approach.” Sandra Ward, Director, Hartford Community Schools “Kids exist in the context of families. If you don’t look at the whole family, you can’t help kids succeed. It’s the mission of the Hartford Community Schools to create community hubs and offer services and supports. Families already make use of a wide variety of educational, cultural, health and social services at Burr School. This initiative will add financial education programs.” Charlene Perez, Community School Director, The Village at Alfred E. Burr School "Our student population can be transitional, because there is very little home ownership in the area where our school is located. Being able to provide families with the resources they need to become more financially stable will, in turn, help stabilize our student population." Donna Taglianetti, Executive Director, Co-opportunity “Financial education isn’t really taught in schools. So where do you learn about money? Most people learn about money from their parents, and if you grew up in household where money was an issue, you’re starting off with a deficit. This program will bring an array of financial education programs to Burr School: classes on money management, one-on-one and group financial coaching, and privately funded matched savings accounts. Our hope is to send families on the road to more positive financial behaviors.”