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Dear Friend,One year ago, the Downtown Women's
Center presented our very first eNewsletter to the
community! We have experienced a number of amazing
events over the past year - from our 2006 Annual Gala,
to an in-house broadcast of Larry Mantle's radio
program, to our participants' production of a dramatic
performance at the Eagle Rock Performing Arts Center -
and our eNewsletter has kept our growing number of
subscribers informed. We thank you for your loyal
participation and for your interest in happenings at DWC!
To celebrate the first anniversary of our official
web bulletin and to honor our incredible participants
who have achieved so much over the past year, we have
refreshed the look of our eNewsletter. Since this update
is designed to keep you - a valuable member of our
community - informed, we would love to hear your
feedback! Please reply to this email (nuib@dwcweb.org)
with thoughts on articles you have enjoyed, and/or
suggestions for what you would like to see in future
editions. (Past issues are available at
www.dwcweb.org.)
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You're Invited! Happenings at DWC
- 10th Annual Gala - Our annual dinner
and auction, hosted by actress and
philanthropist Jane Kaczmarek, will be held on
October 1 from 6-9:30 pm, in the Music Center's
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. For more information
or to sign up to receive an invitation, please
contact Molly Moen, Director of Development &
Finance, at
mollym@dwcweb.org.
- Thank-a-Thon - August 23, 6 - 8 pm,
at DWC. Join us in thanking our valuable
supporters through the first-ever DWC
Thank-a-Thon! If you are interested in
participating, please contact Molly Moen,
Director of Development & Finance, at
mollym@dwcweb.org.
- Tour of DWC - Standing tours of our
Day Center and Residence are held the second
Saturday of each month at 11:30am. Please RSVP
for our August 11 or September 8 tour by
contacting Vanessa Luo, Department Assistant, at
vanessal@dwcweb.org.
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Spotlight on Participants: Wellness Group
On July 11, five women - Fannie, Julia, Phyllis,
Regina, and Susan - became the first to graduate
from DWC's recently-launched Wellness Group, a
workshop designed to address chronic health
concerns in a nurturing, supportive environment.
These dedicated participants have gathered
regularly with Mina Kedar, DWC's Director of
Continuing Services, over the past three months to
discuss struggles and triumphs, and to learn vital
tips to getting and staying healthy. Sessions have
addressed wellness on the physical, mental, and
spiritual levels; taught participants how to
better cope with stress; and emphasized the
importance of giving back to others.
During the ceremony, each participant shared what
they learned from the workshops with an
enthusiastic audience of participants and staff in
our Day Center. We learned that everyone was
successful in overcoming barriers to good health;
over the course of the workshop, Susan was able to
drop her blood pressure, Fannie received her very
first Certificate of Completion from a health
education class, and Julia has made a resolution
to wear more comfortable shoes. Congratulations,
Ladies!
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How You Can Help: Gala Auction Items
In 2006, DWC's annual Gala was our greatest
success yet, raising over $169,000! These funds
enabled us to provide 40,000 meal, housing, and
social services to 2000 homeless women in 2006. A
significant portion of the Gala's proceeds is
raised through our auction, which is made possible
year after year by our generous in-kind sponsors.
You can help make this year's Gala an even bigger
success by donating items for the auction. We are
currently most in need of hotel accommodations,
restaurant or store gift certificates, theater
tickets, attraction admissions, Playstation 3
games, and airline tickets. Please visit our
Gala web page for more information, including
a Gala Auction Item Donation Form.
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The DWC Community in Numbers: DWAC Needs
Assessment
This month, the Downtown Women's Action Coalition
(DWAC), a collaboration of downtown-based homeless
service and advocacy agencies as well as community
residents, will be conducting a needs assessment
survey aimed at understanding the needs of
homeless women in the Skid Row area. This
important tool - refreshed every three years -
seeks answers to questions regarding health care
and supportive housing service availability in Los
Angeles from women who have experienced
homelessness first-hand. Many Struggles, Few
Options, the report completed from 2004 survey
data was incredibly informative and guided service
enhancements and policy changes throughout Skid
Row; below are several frequently-cited
statistics:
- 23.8% of women surveyed reported a
permanent physical disability;
- 36.0% are affected by mental illness;
- 55.4% have been victims of domestic
violence during their lifetimes;
- 62.8% had been homeless for one year
or more during their lifetimes; and
- More than 75% of women reported that
they would take advantage of affordable,
permanent housing outside of the downtown area,
dental care, and/or medical care if offered that
day.
Over the past three years, this information has
reminded us of the pressing need to increase
access to a variety of resources for the women
we serve. DWC and our partnering organizations
are committed to designing programs and services
to meet urgent needs of this population. Stay
tuned for results from the 2007 survey, and
visit the
DWAC web page for more information on DWAC
and to view past survey results and
recommendations.
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To view photos from our April 28 Open House and
Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony, please visit DWC's
online album.
Thank you for your support!
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