Saturday, February 23, 2013

The latest with Show Me Women Who Care



August 2012  -$3,955    MJ Clapp championedHabitat for Humanity this month.  She told us about a family that was built a Habitat for Humanity home years ago.  This family has a child that is now 16 years old who is handicapped.  In order to care for her properly a handicapped accessible bathroom is required.  Habitat is building on to their home this special bathroom to make the care of their daughter much easier and safer for all.  Our collective donations will go toward the expenses of this bathroom addition.

May 2012 - $4,030                Jean Brown championed and won our combined donation for the YWCA  ENCOREplus program.  She explained how it saves women’s lives by empowering them to become active and responsible participants in their own health maintenance and care, stressing the importance of the early detection of breast cancer.  The program provides:   Presentations about breast cancer awareness through community presentations, and one-on-one sessions, referrals about how to get a FREE Mammogram or FREE Clinical Breast Exam, free brochures about breast health and transportation and childcare the day of an exam.  Fortunately the YWCA has a bilingual staff person to help those who are having difficulty due to a language barrier. Funding for this program has been primarily from a grant that was not renewed for this year.  Your donation will help keep this program alive and operating. 

February 2012 – $4,665 Held in March of 2012 due to weather -  Hands of Hope Hospice makes an enormous difference in the lives of the dying and their families.  Kris Daise championed this cause as she has personally benefited from their services as her father recently passed after being under their care for a year.   During that time she has learned about the challenges some of their client’s experience.   The funds she asked for will be directed to help those who fall through the cracks.  Some of these people have extenuating circumstances that make dying at home a challenge.  For example, she told of a 19 year old girl who is dying of cancer.  This young woman graduated from high school but was unable to purchase her senior picture.  A thirty something year old man, with a wife and two children, needed pest control to be able to stay in his home to die.  Others are threatened to have their electric cut off when they are dependent on oxygen to breath.    These are the types of situations our donation will fund to help make the dying process a little easier and allow the patient to remain at home. 

November 2011-    $3980              Family Guidance Center received this quarter’s SMWWC donation.   They in collaboration with the St. Joseph School District help keep at risk children in school by offering alternative education and mental health services in a day treatment setting.  They work with preschool and kindergarten age children at the Colgan Alternative Resource Center.  Rachel McCoy told us about how these children have been removed from traditional classroom settings due their social emotional and/or autistic needs.  Family Guidance works with these children to help them overcome these issues so they can again be mainstreamed.  They have a 95% success rate.  Family Guidance Center also runs an after school program for older school age children with similar problems.  The money we supply will be used for educational toys and materials used in their nontraditional classroom and after school care.

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