The Women’s Center in Vienna was recently awarded a $45,000 grant by the Tysons-based Web Methods Foundation to continue its employment readiness workshops and financial education training for immigrant and lower-income women. Around 240 people are expected to benefit from the grant.
"This supports programs and services that we have provided to the community for 28 years," said Women’s Center president Judith Mueller.
The Web Methods Foundation gave the Women's Center the grant because the workshops are a good example of the kind of activity the foundation supports, said foundation executive director Diane Tollefson.
The Women's Center "aligns with our mission to provide support to nonprofits that are working in communities of lower-income women and children to achieve their full potential," Tollefson said.
The workshops, held all over the Washington metropolitan area, help women gain new employment skills and become financially literate. Offered free of charge, the workshops are conducted in both Spanish and English.
"Some of these folks that we’re helping are disadvantaged immigrants trapped in the cycle of poverty," Mueller said. "People would hear about it through their clergymen, through the Department of Social Services."
One of the instructors of the workshops, Marla Lutz, said the workshops help participants better understand budgeting and consumer rights. With another instructor, Lutz explains to them, in Spanish, what credit reports are and why they’re important.
"They’re not familiar with credit, its impact," Lutz said.
Additionally, at these workshops, women find out how not to be taken advantage of. Lutz related one story of how a woman paid a medical bill using next month’s rent, because the doctor’s office pressured her.
"People are scared. They don’t know what their rights are," Lutz said.
But through these workshops, Lutz said women become more confident in tackling issues like car insurance and credit reports.
"They’re very eager to learn," Lutz said.
This grant for career and financial education isn’t the only money the center has received this year. In April, it was also given $300,000 by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-11th) in joint appropriations to support its existing domestic violence program. It was also awarded $25,000 from the Philip L. Graham Fund for the program to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect among lower-income communities.