State grant to fund Women's Resource Center intiative

The Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County was awarded the Displaced Homemakers Grant. The grant promises a total of $411,000 from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to be spread out over five years with $85,000 per year. The funds are to be used to assist women over the age of 35 to acquire employable skills and training to obtain successful jobs. 

“Approximately 50 percent of the women served at the Women's Resource Center of Sarasota County are single women with children who are classified at or below the federal poverty guidelines,” says Valerie Goddard, the executive director of the Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County in a release. “We are so pleased that Governor Scott reinstated such an important funding mechanism. This grant allows us to continue to invest in the lives of the women in our community, who are aiming to achieve their highest potential and educational objectives.”

The Women's Resource Center of Sarasota County, a non-profit organization is dedicated to educating and empowering women in Sarasota County. In continuing the goal of helping woman further their education, WRCSC recently held its annual scholarship ceremony that contributes to the mission of helping woman further their education. A total of 43 scholarships were presented to residents seeking to complete or continue their education toward an employment goal. Each scholarship was for the amount of $1,000. The average age of the scholarship recipients was 37 years old with 58 percent of the recipients having children.

Eighty-three percent of the scholarship recipients are pursuing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which have high-earning salary potential. Others are attending school for degrees in business, education, criminal justice, interior design, English and psychology, among others.
 
Other recipients of the state Displaced Homemakers Grant included Chipola College in Marianna, Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and The Centre for Women, Inc. in Tampa.