1. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Subscribe Now | Pay Bill | Place Ad | Contact Us
El Paso Times Weather Calendar Jobs Cars Real Estate Apartments Shopping Classifieds Dating Saturday, April 29, 2006
News search
Local Nation/World Sports Business Entertainment Living Neighborhoods Opinion Obituaries Education Military
Living Link To Article Print Article Email Article
Health expo
New group hopes to help single moms, many others
News
By Bernadette Sedillos Self / El Paso Times
Local
Nation/World
Sports
Women empowering women.
Business
Entertainment
To Tania Schwartz, that's not just a popular catchphrase.
Living
Opinion
It's part of a vision the president of the Women's Fund of El Paso
Obituaries
shares with the organization's founding board of directors -- and
Neighborhoods
dozens of El Paso women who want to pool their skills and resources
Education
to help people pull themselves out of poverty and improve their
Military
family's quality of life.
quot;There are so many women in need in this community who are in
need of help and support,quot; Schwartz said. quot;Single mothers, especially,
have a lot of challenges and it's very difficult at times for them to Gina Silverman-Lovett, left, Caroline
balance work, the needs of their family and even their own needs, North, center, and Rita Silverman are
with trying to, say, take classes to learn English or going to college to collecting dozens of purses for the
learn a new skill.quot; inaugural Power of the Purse auction for
women May 11. The auction will help
The Women's Fund of El Paso, a private, nonprofit organization, support the new Women's Fund of El
appears to be the first of its kind in the city. It's modeled after Paso. About 200 purses, including
women's funds that have been used with success in other cities. designer bags by Gucci, Kate Spade
and Louis Vuitton will be auctioned at
There are many organizations in El Paso that offer services to women the ElPaso Chile Co. warehouse, 705
but the Women's Fund will be different because it will offer financial Texas. (Debra Gulbas / El Paso Times)
assistance directly to women.
quot;The grants will go directly to the female recipients. They will not be filtered through an agency,quot; said Tita Yanar,
director of UTEP's Upward Bound program and a member of the Women's Fund board. quot;That is very different from
the way many agencies or foundations offer grants.quot;
Schwartz said 100 percent of the funds will go to the women who need the help.
quot;We will actually get to learn about the individual and what she's trying to accomplish,quot; Yanar said.
This first year of the fund, board members are focusing on helping single mothers who are trying to emerge from
poverty through taking English as a Second Language classes, college classes or other skill and leadership
training.
But the new Women's Fund isn't only about offering financial grants to those in need, said Laurie Paternoster,
also a founding member of the fund.
quot;We want to create a network of services that women will be able to access,quot; Paternoster said. quot;We're partnering
with different agencies, organizations and institutions that help families and women.quot;
Paternoster said the Women's Fund is developing a Web site that will provide information about services available
to El Pasoans, particularly for women.
Organizers are aware that many of those in greatest financial need don't have computers in their home or that it
may be difficult for them to get to a public library and use one there.
quot;Another thing is, some of the older women maybe don't know how to use a computer or don't speak English and
they're too embarrassed or intimidated to go to the library and ask for help,quot; Paternoster said.
There is discussion about working with El Paso Community College, UTEP or perhaps the public schools to allow
people in need to use computers at the schools.
quot;There are a lot of possibilities to help each other out there, to help build a network of women helping women,quot;
Paternoster said.
Azuri L. Ruiz, assistant director of UTEP's Center for Civic Engagement, agrees.
The Women's Fund is partnering with at least 40 different agencies and organizations in its effort so that it won't
waste time and money duplicating services.
Advertisement quot;We're not trying to reinvent the wheel,quot; said Ruiz,
who also is a board member. quot;It is this partnership
with the nonprofit agencies that is going to help us
connect with women who most need the services.quot;
Ruiz pointed out that the board wants to engender
a quot;pay it forwardquot; kind of spirit among donors and
recipients.
quot;It's more about people realizing their potential and
also using their own skills and experiences to help
others,quot; Ruiz said.
Yanar, whose Upward Bound program helps many
high-school students from extremely low-income
families, said the fund has the potential to directly
impact women's lives.
quot;The need out there is staggering,quot; Yanar said.

2. quot;Our per capita income in El Paso is so low. We
have four-member families that exist on $25,000
annual income or less. It's a struggle -- a real
struggle.quot;
Schwartz said the Women's Fund organizers were
inspired, in part, to create the fund after seeing the results of a study commissioned by the YWCA and UTEP.
The survey, titled quot;El Paso Portraits: Women's Lives, Potential and Opportunities,quot; shows that there are more than
38,000 households headed by females, and of these, more than half of the children are living in poverty.
Also, about 24 percent of El Paso women 18 and older have less than a ninth-grade education. And, there are
more than 5,000 children on a waiting list for subsidized day care, the report states.
Schwartz said single mothers who are trying to support families need a helping hand to break the cycle of
poverty.
That support, organizers said, is crucial to those who want to improve their children's lives but either can't do it
alone or don't know how to do it.
quot;It's not just the money that will have impact, it's also this tool we're trying to create with the Web site,quot; Ruiz said.
The Web site will be launched May 11. Schwartz said the program is open only to El Paso County residents.
quot;We're focused on networking and bringing women together to focus on each other's needs,quot; Schwartz said. quot;It's
about women helping women.quot;
Bernadette Sedillos Self may be reached at bself@elpasotimes.com; 546-6155.
Make plans
What: Power of the Purse Auction. Designer and artist creations will be auctioned at the inaugural event to
benefit the new Women's Fund of El Paso. The Women's Fund will help provide financial assistance to low-
income women who may need tuition and other help. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
When: 5:30 p.m. May 11.
Where: El Paso Chile Co. Warehouse, 705 Texas.
How much: $60.
Information: 532-4673.
RETURN TO TOP
Privacy Policy