A CLOSER LOOK

The Women, Work and Community South Portland Center is

located at 175 Main St.

The phone number is 800-442-2092 or 799-5025.

Carolyn May is the employment and training coordinator for Cumberland and York counties. E-mail her at [email protected].

Melissa Majkut is the microenterprise coordinator.

E-mail her at [email protected]

When Lee Silva, of South Portland, faced the unexpected death of her husband, she suddenly found herself needing to earn more money to support her then-5-year-old daughter, Sophie.

Aside from grief counseling, Silva knew she needed help increasing her income beyond selling books on eBay and doing part-time graphic design. So she headed for a nonprofit resource in South Portland, Women, Work and Community. For four months in 2004, three times a week, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., she dutifully devoted her time to a course called “Career Life Planning.”

“We did in-depth exercises in self-exploration to see what we were good at,” said Silva. “I was interested in doing something in the social services field, and now I work at the Portland Housing Authority. The job satisfies my need to work with people, but also requires that I use my brain in processing intake applications.”

The Women, Work and Community’s office in South Portland is an unprepossessing place near Cash Corner, next to Palmer’s Auto Repair, where women take intensive courses designed to regroup, rethink and restart their lives. A common motivation women have for approaching the organization is frustration with their current situation and uncertainty over what to do next. Frequently, a life transition pushes them through the door. These reasons are diverse and personal to every woman – a divorce, a domestic crisis, a desire to go to college, perhaps, but unwillingness to enroll in a course that won’t sustain their interest in the long run.

“Some women are all over the map,” said Carolyn May, workforce development coordinator. “Like when you’re 9 years old and someone asks ‘What do you want to be when you grow up,’ but they are grown up – so we help them focus.”

Founded in 1978 as a displaced homemakers program, Women, Work and Community began with an initial budget allocation from the Maine Legislature of $15,000. Now, with offices dotting the entire state and a current annual budget of $1.6 million, the Augusta-based organization’s mission is still about helping women succeed in the Maine economy. (Less than 10 percent of participants are men. They are welcome, but infrequent.)

The nonprofit’s four core-program areas are workforce development, micro-enterprise development, asset development and leadership development. A May 2003 study conducted by the University of Southern Maine identified the average age of a participant as 45. The study also showed that five years after completion of one of the organization’s programs, 50 percent enjoyed a salary increase and 61 percent were working more hours.

Women, Work and Community promises women a non-judgmental place to feel safe learning new skills and testing their abilities. May frequently must resolve a domestic crisis issue before unraveling the job dilemma.

“Basic barriers to employment must be addressed first,” said May. “If a woman is dealing with domestic abuse or homelessness, our first priority is making a few phone calls to help find her a safe place to live.”

High standards

Two years ago, Carolyn Carson’s three children were heading for college. After 14 years as a homemaker in South Portland she was job hunting and stressed. With the support of Women, Work and Community, Carson found the training and advice to plan a meaningful next step, and in 2005 she was enrolled in a rigorous lineup: Career Exploration, Workforce Communication Skills, Financing your Future and a Computer Class.

“The people who work here have the ability, wisdom and passion to take a class of women in crisis and shape them into new creations,” said Carson, adding that while always encouraging, the organization demands hard work and high standards.

“Because of their support, my resume was polished and my computer skills improved,” she said. “People came in from other businesses and gave us mock interviews, then critiqued us.”

Women, Work and Community encourages women to find not only employment, but also fulfilling employment. Now, Carson works at the Project for Supported Living helping people with disabilities perform both volunteer and paid jobs.

“I wanted a job that was very meaningful because I strongly believe in all people living on an equal playing field,” she said.

Women, Work and Community also encourages women to start their own businesses. As a result of completing a New Ventures course last fall, Anna Maria Tocci just signed the lease to open a new Portland coffee shop on Congress Street in Munjoy Hill this March, one that will also serve vegetarian food, music and, in the evenings, wine and beer.

“This program addresses the new entrepreneur on all levels, from cleaning up your finances to facing your fears,” said Tocci.

Every Tuesday for 12 weeks, the organization offered Tocci every resource to beat her business plan into shape, with a stream of professionals, from accountant to Web designer to lawyer, offering their professional guidance. In fact, Tocci’s business plan was so compelling she secured a five-year loan from Coastal Enterprises, a nonprofit that partners with Women, Work and Community.

“We looked hard at her plan’s cash flow as well as what she was willing to invest into the deal herself,” said Dan DeSantis, loan and investment officer of Portland’s Coastal Enterprises, which offers competitive loans with less stringent terms to people who do not have access to conventional capital.

For some women, managing money is their biggest issue. “They helped me organize my record keeping,” said Debbie Schmidt, who took three courses in 2005.

For example, to begin saving money, she started saving every last receipt to follow her money trail.

“I learned everything from how to switch to a lower (interest rate) credit card to saving by not adding more soap to a second load of wash,” she said.

Some of Women, Work and Community’s success stories are still percolating. Judith Faust divorced about a year ago and was a freelance art teacher who took a New Ventures course, where she fulfilled her dream of developing a business plan for a movie slide show telling the story of her parents’ Holocaust survival.

“WWC takes the mystery out of doing what you love,” said Faust. “One woman said our course was not only cheaper than a shrink, because they listen to us without a fee, but they also give us invaluable, very practical information.”