HUNTSVILLE, Alabama, November 18, 2020 – The Women’s Philanthropy Society of the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville is proud to partner with Partnership for a Drug-Free Community to support their Recovery Resource Hub which aims to reduce the number of overdoses and deaths in our community through treatment, prevention, and education outreach. Our community has many addiction-support resources, but it is often a challenge for an individual or family in crisis to easily connect with the resources they need. The Recovery Resource Hub has established partnerships with other organizations to provide the client in need of treatment the information they need throughout the stages of treatment and recovery, as well as support for the entire family. Community Foundation Program Officer Ann Kvach shares, “At the Community Foundation, we believe that together we can accomplish more than any company, organization, or person can alone. Partnership for a Drug-Free Community understands that the substance abuse crisis in our community can best be tackled through the collaboration of multiple organizations working together to address all parts of this epidemic.”
The Women’s Philanthropy Society–established for women by women–wishes to positively impact quality of life in our community for generations to come. To accomplish this goal, the Society seeks high-impact grant opportunities to address systemic issues with a long-term, strategic approach. Melissa Thompson, CEO and President of Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville, remarks, “This group of visionary women wants to create a legacy of love in our community by seeking strategic solutions that spur enduring change in the lives of local women, children, and families.”
Each year the Women’s Philanthropy Society awards one high-dollar grant to create systemic change for women and their families. The mission-focused Power of S.H.E.E. framework guides our efforts to create a positive and measurable impact through grants selected from four core areas which are as follows:
- Safety, security, and stability – Domestic violence, homelessness, child abuse, human trafficking, and food insecurity
- Health and wellness – Mental health, physical health, substance abuse, infant mortality, and pregnancy
- Education – Early childhood education, adult literacy, GED, higher education, and job/workforce training
- Economic empowerment – Financial counseling, entrepreneurship, housing counseling, childcare, and transportation
This year, the Women’s Philanthropy Society chose health and wellness with a focus on substance abuse and the opioid epidemic as its focus issue for 2020 grantmaking. Holly McCarty, Women’s Philanthropy Society Chair, comments, “The WPS was pleased to be a supporting partner for the Partnership for a Drug-Free Community’s Recovery Resource Hub as they address problems cause by real and devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic on women in children in our community.”
Since its inception in 2017, The Women’s Philanthropy Society has granted out $175,000 to support the work being done by various organizations and agencies to address a wide spectrum of systemic issues that impact the quality of life for women and families. With over 70 members, the Women’s Philanthropy Society is the fundraising arm for the Women’s Endowment, which is the heart of this effort. The Women’s Endowment provides a permanent source of community capital to provide a perpetual funding source to ensure that their good work can continue indefinitely.
