Women & Giving Helps Local Nonprofits Lift Women and Children

The Watertown Area Community Foundation’s Women & Giving program continues to make a difference close to home granting $46,090 this year to 14 local nonprofits that help women and children overcome barriers and reach their goals.

From leadership programs and transportation assistance to snacks for after-school learning and hygiene kits for families, this year’s grants touch many corners of the community:

• Beacon Center: Supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
• Boys & Girls Club of Watertown: Snacks for Project Learn
• Brothers & Sisters Behind Bars: Vehicle for client transport
• Community Transit of Watertown/Sisseton: Rides for women and children
• Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership: Delta Dental Care Mobile
• Joy Ranch of South Dakota: A five-person pedal boat
• Lake Area Zoological Society: Girls Rule program
• Our Little Village Learning Center: Staff training and development
• Rachel’s Hope: Hygiene essentials for women and children in crisis
• Watertown Area Snow Queen: Leadership classes
• Watertown Cares: Support for individuals facing homelessness
• Watertown Middle School: Girls Night Out program
• Watertown PACH: Weekly food costs
• Watertown School District: Hygiene kits for students and families

“This year, we’ve seen more requests for help keeping critical programs going,” said Cammie Mengwasser, Executive Director of the Foundation. “Our nonprofits are doing incredible work through challenging times, and it’s a privilege for Women & Giving donors to walk beside them.”

In total, $68,545 was gifted by Women & Giving supporters this year for immediate granting and scholarships, with another $22,510 invested into the Women & Giving endowment fund, helping ensure support for women and children continues well into the future.

“We’re so thankful for the vision of those who started this fund,” Mengwasser said. “Because of them and the generosity of our donors, Women & Giving can respond to needs today while also building a stronger tomorrow.”

Women & Giving also provides scholarships to nontraditional female students attending Lake Area Technical College and Mount Marty University. Scholarship applications are due October 25, with up to $30,000 to be awarded later this year.

>>>The Women & Giving Advisory Committee recently awarded grants to 14 local organizations, including a grant to Beacon Center to provide mission critical services for area survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.