The organization continues to offer essential
services such as mental health counseling, employment coaching, resource
advising and Ask an Attorney.

Two recent grants helped facilitate these
efforts.

(Sarasota-Manatee) In response to the COVD-19 crisis, the Women’s
Resource Center (WRC) has adapted its client delivery model so that it can
continue to offer critical services via remote and virtual platforms to
individuals in Sarasota and Manatee counties. While WRC’s three centers in
Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice are closed, such services as mental health
counseling, employment coaching, resource advising, and Ask an Attorney are still
available. WRC has also created a resource page on its website
(https://www.mywrc.org/covid19resources/) with up-to-date information about 211
access options, food service sites, financial resources, employment services,
and other pertinent information. People are also encouraged to sign up for
WRC’s weekly Resource Report. For more information about any of these
resources, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.mywrc.org or call visit
call 941-256-9721.

“The Women’s Resource Center has been the place for women and
families to turn to when faced with the unexpected for decades,” says WRC CEO
Ashley Brown. “Our goal is to help connect people to the resources they need
during this crisis, and to assist our partners with getting the word out about
opportunities. Access to funding during this crisis is a top concern.”

Brown says that two recent grants have helped to facilitate these efforts.

A $21,500 COVID-19 Response Initiative grant issued from the Gulf
Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation will
help to provide women with critical counseling sessions and social support
through enhanced telecommunications. In addition, the Manatee Community
Foundation provided a $7,500 grant to support single women through access to
essential basic needs and WRC case management.

 “This support comes at
exactly the right time and we are all very grateful to both foundations,” says
Brown.

Brown adds that community members can contribute in a variety of
ways. “Thanks to a grant from the Louis & Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic
Trust, all personal donations between $5 and $500 will be matched on a 1:1
basis,” she says. Donations need to be made on the Trust’s website at https://flanzertrust.org/.

WRC is also participating in the Giving Challenge on April 28. The
24-hour giving event hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County
connects nonprofit organizations with passionate donors. The Patterson
Foundation will match donations 1:1 up to $100. 

“We are proud to live in a community that cares deeply about the
emotional and financial stability, and long-term success of individuals in need
of support,” says Brown.

About the Women’s Resource Center:

For more than
37 years, the Women’s Resource Center has been dedicated to engaging,
educating, enriching and empowering women of all generations and socioeconomic
levels. Today, WRC serves thousands of women and families in Manatee and
Sarasota counties. Its vision is to provide unique strategies and programs that
strengthen women through life’s transitions and provide balance, confidence and
determination, which not only meet their immediate needs, but also provide hope
for the future. To learn more, visit www.MyWRC.org.

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