Guest Blogger Christine Rogers: Why I Support Women

Christine is a mother of two, wife of one, 
volunteer for many, and co-founder of a marketing 
collaborative called SparkFarm <www.thesparkfarm.com>.

Why ISupportWomeninDallas
By Christine Rogers, Co-Owner/PR at SparkFarm

I moved to Dallas nearly 20 years ago, as a young woman just starting her career. Dallas wouldn’t have even been on my radar had it not been for the Dallas guy I met in college who I had a hunch I’d one day marry. Seriously, how do you know if “he’s the one” when you’re 23 and living in separate cities? Someone had to move. So I did. I’m brave like that.

Or dumb; I’m not sure which. When I moved from my hometown near D.C. to this unfamiliar one, I was greeted with no friends, no family and no network. The job I came for turned out to be a low-paying, high-pressure job with VERY long hours at an advertising agency that, only because I’m very mature, shall remain nameless. I earned just enough money to cover rent, gas and a few meager groceries (LOTS of russet potatoes.) Working 8:30 am sharp to 1o pm or later most nights left no time to pick up dry cleaning, get a hair cut, exercise, or go grocery shopping – let alone build a community of friends and supporters around me. I should have felt lucky to have a professional job in this prosperous, fun city right on the cusp of momentous civic changes, but all I felt was the weight of being alone without the means or people to move out of despair and into happiness.

I know what you’re thinking: Oh you poor thing, you with all the advantages you had that most don't even dream of. And what I’m saying to you is: You’re right.

Most of us think we have it hard – too much pressure at work, too many demands on the social calendar, too many errands to run, too many soccer games, recitals and school projects. But the reality for most women is so much more complicated. Replace our worry list with something more like this:  I can’t afford the medical tests I need AND still keep my two jobs (because I don’t have transportation and the doctor’s office is closed when I’m off work.) I can’t pay my utility bills AND feed my children three meals a day (what’s more important this month: daily breakfasts and lunches or running water and air conditioning or heat?) I lost my job and can’t find anywhere to live (without an address, I can’t get another job. The kids and I will need to split up among family members.)

I support women in Dallas because I know life is hard. I support women because they supported me when I was down in the dumps and I know the difference it made. I support YW because I trust them to help women who are actively trying to provide a better life for themselves and their families. No one can do this alone. No one.

PS - If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering what happened to that Dallas guy who lured me here? I’m happy to report that Tim and I have been married 17 years and are raising two healthy, happy, well-loved children. We couldn’t have done it without the support of each other and the many friends, family and understanding co-workers around us.

Show your support for women in Dallas by making a gift to YW as part of the Huffington Post's Raise for Women Challenge.  Top fundraiser between now and June 6th gets an extra $25,000 for their cause!

From Grumpy to Teary (Bashful out of the Question)

On a recent Saturday morning, VERY EARLY in the morning, I dragged myself out of bed, put on the big girl clothes, and headed to the office. It was 5:30 in the morning and I was not happy about being out of my cozy bed. I was borderline grumpy.

I pulled in the parking garage at 6:00 a.m., greeted by the film team from 1820 Productions. We dragged all of the equipment up five floors to the YW offices and began setting up for the shoot. Furniture was moved and cameras were placed around the office, waiting for our super star, 17-year old Angelica. Mother of a preschooler and soon to be high school graduate, Angelica was in for a big surprise!

1820 Productions Team, Jennifer Ware, Cheryl "Action" Jackson & Angelica

Before Angelica arrived, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts about Angelica’s success. Here’s a 17-year old kid, who became a mother at 13. She could have easily become a statistic – another teen mom destined for a life of struggles.

Instead, Angelica figured out quickly that she was going to have to do whatever it took to create a bright future for her son. Lucky for all of us, Angelica met her YW Nurse-Family Partnership nurse, Holly. At that moment our lives changed.

Angelica’s family “became whole again” as she says. Holly made a connection that she will hold dearly for the rest of her life. And the rest of us at YW found a role model.

Take a few minutes and watch Angelica share her story on AlrightTV – a new YouTube channel focused on the good in the world.

While you’re watching, see if you can figure out where my morning turned from grumpy to teary. Then click here to see how you can Take Action today. Every dollar matters. Every dollar changes a life.

Thank you.

P.S. Have you checked out The Raise for Women Challenge?

YW Volunteer Spotlight: Stephany Coleman

Our volunteer spotlight shines on Stephany Coleman!  Stephany will celebrate her one-year anniversary as a YW Financial Empowerment volunteer on March 24th!  Read what Stephany has to say about volunteering:

YW Volunteer Financial Coach, Stephany Coleman

"For nearly a year, I have served as a volunteer in the Financial Empowerment program at YW. It has been very rewarding to witness firsthand the impact these classes have on the lives of clients who possess the courage to seek greater awareness of their personal finances, who have the willingness to work diligently to apply the knowledge they have gained, and who utilize each resource and tool available to them in an effort to achieve their financial goals. To play a small role in seeing these dreams come to fruition is quite humbling, so I was very excited to participate in the Volunteer Financial Coach initiative.

After completing training sessions with Heidi "Trainer Extraordinaire" Tippetts, I was assigned my very first client! To date, my client and I have met twice in person with weekly meetings scheduled until she feels more confident in her ability to reach her first goal which is budgeting. Heidi did such a great job assessing this client's readiness for coaching. She has been surprisingly honest and forthcoming from the first meeting and demonstrates each week her commitment to her first goal. I look forward to continuing to share her progress. Thank you YW for all the opportunities you provide to help change women's lives! "

Home for the Holidays

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to visit one of our YW clients, Tianisha.  She and her three children are celebrating their one year anniversary in their first home.  Tianisha is a graduate of our Financial Empowerment classes and a successful saver of our IDA (or matched savings) program. 

Tianisha came to YW in Summer 2011 with one specific goal - she wanted to own a home for her children. She and her family had lived in subsidized housing for 12 years.  Her children had no backyard, but loved to be outdoors.

Over the course of six months with the support of her YW financial coach Heidi, Tianisha set on the road to home ownership.  Her credit was poor and not enough to get a home loan.  So Tianisha took action and tackled her credit problems.  Through communication and hard work, she was able to increase her credit score 100 points in six months!

We sat at her kitchen table today, and she showed me her Financial Empowerment workbook from 2011.   You could see that she had taken the class seriously; each page was filled with her notes and her words of strength and encouragement.

Tianisha says that she still uses the tools she learned in her YW classes.  When she sees something in the store, she asks herself, "Is this a want or a need?"  When it's a "want", she puts it back.  She says owning a home is much greater than the small "wants" along the way.

The best thing she shared with me, though, is that she is teaching and encouraging her three children, Cardarius, Lataviah, and Honesty not only the importance of saving, but how to do it!  Each has their own piggy bank and always puts a portion of money they receive in the bank.  I asked the girls about saving... their message is in the video!  (By the way, it was filmed on the jungle gym in their very own backyard.  Tianisha tells me the girls play there from sun up to sun down!)

At YW women come to us to change their lives.  Today, Tianisha and her family's courage and strength changed mine.  Thank you!

YWCA Community Partner for New Exhibit Featuring Anne Frank Family Photos

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance is honored that the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas is our community partner in promoting the new exhibit, Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album.  The Holocaust is a monumental human tragedy in which there are millions of stories about human beings whose lives can be placed into at least one of three categories—victim, perpetrator, bystander or Upstander.      

The story of Anne Frank is enlightening, often humorous and sometimes sad.  She was, most notably, a typical idealistic, naïve, rambunctious teenager who pushed the limits of life to the fullest.  In her, I see many young women whose futures take on realities that they had never imagined.

Her father spoiled her and gently guided her while she idealized him as only a daughter could. By all accounts, Otto Frank was the consummate family man. A doting husband and father, and an amateur photographer, Frank made his daughters, the older, Margot, and his younger born three years later, Annalies Maria (Anne), his most treasured photographic subjects at a time when most families used professional photographers for family photos.

The photographs were dutifully mounted in albums and captioned by Anne’s mother and later by Anne Frank herself. All of the photos were taken before the family went into hiding in 1942 in Amsterdam to escape Nazi persecution.  It was during this time that Anne penned her now-famous diary that remains one of the top selling books in the world. After the family was discovered and deported to death camps, Otto Frank became the only member of the Frank family to survive. Following his liberation, he returned to the annex to collect the albums and Anne’s diary.

More than 70 rarely-seen family photographs taken by Otto Frank will be on display in a new exhibit at the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance. The new exhibit opens December 1st. Visitors can also view a 28-minute documentary, The Short Life of Anne Frank, in the DHM/CET Theater. The YWCA is a Community Partner for the exhibit. The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas is the presenting sponsor.

The exhibit will run December 1 to March 31, 2013 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends at the Dallas Holocaust Museum, 211 N. Record St. The exhibit is free with paid admission ($6-8). For more information call 214-741-7500 or visit https://www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org/.


-Paula Nourse, Director of Marketing, DHM/CET