Supporting Grand Rapids women for 50 years

Organization helps women overcome employment challenges
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Womens Resource Center

50 years ago, Women’s Resource Center opened its doors in the hopes of giving women the support they needed to overcome workplace and employment challenges. Today, the organization offers two programs that continue that legacy of support by helping women develop career plans and address barriers to employment.

“It’s an honor to be a part of an organization that has historically worked hard to provide a better quality of life, a better way of life for women and their families,” said Tatum Hawkins, director of development and communications at Women’s Resource Center. “We’ve been able to be flexible to the changing needs of women in the workplace as legislation has changed and as different things have happened. It’s just great to know that we were at the forefront of a lot of that, and we continue to change the lives of women on a daily basis, and we plan to continue to do that for many, many more years to come.”

Keeping their programming going for another 50 years is no small feat, but with financial support from the Grand Rapids community, that can become a reality.

“We definitely need the philanthropic support of the community,” Hawkins said. “We’re a nonprofit and everything we do, all the services we provide are at no cost to the women whom we serve. Having that philanthropic support can make sure that we’re a strong and sustainable organization that’s able to serve women in our community.”

Just in time for its semicentennial, the Women’s Resource Center has taken up residence in a new location that’s even more apt for serving women in Grand Rapids.

“This facility is located at 816 Madison, in the heart of the Third Ward community in Grand Rapids,” Hawkins said. “It’s the first time in the history of our organization that we’ve had our own space that we own and that we’re not sharing with anybody else. It’s a product of our Propel campaign, which raised $2.8 million for this new space and for programing. It’s a beautiful space, she continued. “We already have this such great response from the community. It’s more accessible to the women that we serve and it’s more visible to women that may be in need of our services.” Visit grwrc.org.

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Ever since Pasha Shipp could talk, she's been dreaming up colorful stories. Fantasy creatures, mysterious kingdoms, enchanted forests, you name it. As she reached adulthood, she decided to take the magic out of her head and put it down on paper. Pasha has been writing for Grand Rapids Magazine since November 2015, and has loved every minute of it. She has a master's degree in Communication and a bachelor's degree in Film Studies from Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University respectively. When she isn't daydreaming and writing stories for the magazine, she's exploring the many hidden treasures of Grand Rapids with her fiancé.