“It is clear that Porter County women are motivated to help other women,” shared Julia Hess, a member of Impact Porter County, to a room full of women from across the county who gathered at Strongbow to learn the work the Women’s Fund is doing for the community. Impact Porter County is a giving circle, working to raise money awarded in grants to deserving organizations.
Since 2007, Impact Porter County has awarded $239,000 in grants in support of causes that work for the advancement of women, from supporting scholarships for women to learn job skills, to helping support initiatives that help re-integrate incarcerated women back into society. “Together we have demonstrated the power of women helping women,” stated Barb Young, President of the Porter County Community Foundation.
During this mid-day tea luncheon, attendees learned about past organizations that have received help from the Women’s Fund, in particular the group helped in 2011: Parents as Teachers of Porter County (PAT), an early childhood family education program. PAT received a $45,000 grant from the fund, which helps to aid low income families in preparing their children for school. PAT has been able to serve an additional 51 families with the grant, decreasing the likelihood of repeating years of school and increasing the graduation rate for these kids.
Other organizations served by grants from Impact Porter County include: Tot Shop, a program that helps low income families secure baby supplies; Hilltop Neighborhood House, which opened Walt’s Place, allowing for expansion of the house’s afterschool and summer programs; PACT, a program that helps break the cycle of abuse experienced by female offenders; and KV Works, a program that provides training opportunities so women can improve their job skills and better their lives.
“While we have helped many, there are still many in need,” shared Young, going on to share sobering statistics of life in Porter County. The wage gap in this county is larger than the entire state of Indiana and the nation. Men average a salary that is $16,000 higher than women.
The poverty rate between the sexes is also staggering, with the poverty rate for female head of households with children exceeding 37%. Out of all the homeless in Porter County, 75% of those are female. “The situation for some women in our community remains dire,” Young stated.
The luncheon concluded with a presentation from author Jenn Snyder, the founder of ‘Don’t Change the Channel’ which promotes the importance of participating in community-enhancing projects for all ages. Jenn spoke on recognizing “your moment to stop and do whatever you can to make a difference,” in order to make a difference in someone else’s life.
Her own journey began with a news report about a murder near her hometown in Ohio that left a 2.5 year old boy without parents. After watching the coverage spread across the country, Jenn had a realization and knew “this is the moment where I have to do something to help.”
With the goals of raising $100,000 for a college fund for the boy, creating an event to provide healing to the community, and providing a house for the boy and his family, Jenn spearheaded a campaign that brought in people from across the country to support this broken family. In an economy that was about to nosedive, Jenn and her team were able to raise $55,000 for the boy’s college fund, put on a massively successful family festival, and provide a house for the family in a matter of weeks.
To help inspire others to make a difference in their community, Jenn compiled her stories into a book, “Don’t Change the Channel.” After 3.5 years and 65 publishers, the book was still a no-go but that didn’t derail Snyder. “I knew it was the right thing to help people realize that we all matter,” she said. Working with a class in Tampa, Florida, Jenn was able to inspire 120 kids to begin their own acts of kindness in the community. 10 days later, the book got picked up and the rest is history.
Even though she has been the catalyst for change in the community, Jenn finds her reward in “just being included in something, being a part of change in someone’s life. I see something and I just have to help!”
This tea was sponsored by BMO Harris Bank, NIPSCO, Centier Bank, Dean & Barbara White Family Foundation, Emerson, North Coast Distributing, Porter Health System, FFMG Fifth Third Bank, 1st Source Bank, Hodges & Davis, Hoeppner Wagner & Evans, Horizon Bank, Mason Investment Services, Mechanical Concepts Inc, Peoples Bank, Scannell Wealth Management, Teachers Credit Union, and WiseWay Foods.