Women’s Giving Circle Awards $8,000 in Grants

The Women’s Giving Circle, a component fund of the Community Foundation, awarded nine grants to the following organizations on December 4 at Washington County Family Center: Boys & Girls Club, CASA, Inc. - Citizens Assisting & Sheltering the Abused, Girls Inc. of Washington County, Girls on the Run of Washington County, Hagerstown Community College, Potomac Case Management, REACH of Washington County, Salvation Army and Washington County Family Center. The group gave away a total of $8,190 in grant money to nonprofit organizations that support its mission of improving the lives of women and their families in Washington County.Boys & Girls Club received $1,000 for SMART Girls, a program that offers girls aged 8-17 guidance on healthy attitudes and lifestyles through group activities, field trips, mentoring and college visits.CASA, Inc. will use their $1,000 grant to provide women and children leaving the shelter with the tools necessary to ensure the ability of continuing to live in a safe, violent-free environment.Girls Inc.’s grant of $1,000 will go toward Secret Sisters, a program offering a supportive, positive environment for children as well as their parents, guardians and siblings who have an incarcerated parent or loved one.Girls on the Run received a grant of $1,000 to help support the coaches that provide instruction to the 3rd-8th grade girls participating in this program. The coaches will get training and program materials as part of this grant.Hagerstown Community College’s Girls Exploring Engineering will provide $1,000 in scholarships to five low-income girls attending the summer continuing education course, teaching them basic engineering skills and careers in engineering.Potomac Case Management received a grant of $750 to provide cooking classes focused on healthy eating and fresh ingredients on a fixed budget to women of Antietam Crossing, a safe, affordable housing option for women and children transitioning out of homelessness.With their grant of $690, REACH will work on completing the makeover of the women's sleeping area by providing new bed spreads, pillows, hooks for hanging coats and towels and under the bed storage containers.The Salvation Army Women and Children’s Emergency Shelter’s grant of $1,000 will help the shelter continue providing mothers and their children with a place to stay as well as meals and assistance in obtaining housing, employment and other needs.With a grant of $750, Washington County Family Center will help offset the costs associated with taking the GED or NEDP for women enrolled in their adult education classes that prepares them for self-sufficiency through personal achievement and education.