Women's Services inc. receives $1 million gift from Yield Giving

Mar. 21—Women's Services Inc. has been awarded a $1 million gift to broaden its mission in helping those affected by domestic and sexual violence.

"This is a gift — there is no matching funds required," Bruce Harlan, executive director of Women's Services Inc., said Wednesday in announcing receipt of the award from Yield Giving's open call.

Yield Giving is a charity established by MacKenzie Scott, a philanthropist, novelist and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos. The couple founded Amazon.com.

Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control, according to the charity. To date, Yield's network of staff and advisers has provided more than $16.5 billion to more than 1,900 nonprofit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others.

In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an open call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to aid individuals and families of meager or modest means, and groups that have met with discrimination and other systemic obstacles.

Women's Services Inc. was one of 361 recipients out of 6,353 applications. It was one of 82 agencies to receive $1 million each; 279 agencies received $2 million each.

Established in Meadville in 1977, Women's Services Inc. has aided women and children who have experienced sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The gift will go toward what Harlan termed "moving upstream" with services.

Women's Services already helps about 1,200 people a year on average, Harlan said. Services include assisting those seeking protection from abuse orders from the court system, those staying in shelters, and those calling for assistance.

It also collaborates with other agencies in the county and the Crawford Central, PENNCREST, Conneaut and Titusville school districts on prevention education with students.

"We want to prevent further abuse and violence," Harlan said. "This will not supplant anything we're doing."

The agency is looking to expand the HOPE Initiative to other areas of the county to develop a healthy community, Harlan said.

HOPE, an acronym for health, opportunity, place-making and engagement, was started in 2019 in Meadville's Fifth Ward, a lower-income area of the city.

It's been a collaborative effort by Women's Services, Crawford County System of Care, Center for Family Services, and Peace 4 Crawford with Fifth Ward residents.

Project staff are residents of the Fifth Ward who have experiences and deep knowledge of that community. Residents may struggle with poverty, mental health challenges, drug use and trafficking, blighted housing, high levels of stress, and weak social networks, according to officials.

Acccording to HOPE:

—Health has included addressing social, behavioral, environmental and medical factors, officials noting, adding that residents have a strong interest in strengthening relationships with their neighbors.

—Opportunity has ranged from self-improvement to community-improvement with cleanups to meeting neighbors' safety or emergency needs.

—Place-making has included improving Spring Run, a small stream, as well as developing community spaces for events within the Fifth Ward.

—Engagement has been residents meeting with various local, state or federal officials and nonprofit agencies, employers, health care providers and others to discuss questions, ideas or needs for their community.

"We want to find additional communities in the county that wants the support we can provide," Harlan said of expanding the HOPE initiative.

Receipt of the Yield Giving award "recognizes the incredible work that the organization has done and our top-level team of staff, board members and community partners," Susan Wycoff, Women's Services' board president, said in a statement.

Wycoff added the board had appreciation and gratitude for "a generous and compassionate community that has provided essential support over the past 47 years" to Women's Services.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.