Local organization supports projects working to build community spaces for women in the Valley

Donors and supporters of the Fund for Women & Girls recently awarded the annual Impact Builder Grants to a trio of organizations working with women in the Valley including Honeycomb Arts & Wellness Collective, Autism Society of Mahoning Valley and The EMBER Project. A fund of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, the Fund for Women & Girls invited supporters, including donors to Gems of the Valley honorees to past grant recipients, to hear from finalists and vote on how grants are awarded. This year, the fund awarded a record $5,000. After hearing presentations from the three finalists, the audience cast their vote and selected the winner of the $2,500 grand prize: Honeycomb Arts & Wellness Collective for its Red Tent Series. One of the Honeycomb’s longest-running programs Red Tent provides a space for those across the spectrum of womanhood to take part in an array of activities, from yoga to self-care and from cooking to conversations. The Autism Society of Mahoning Valley received $1,500 to expand its Mom’s Night Out program. A mainstay of the organization’s social offerings, Mom’s Night Out provides mothers and caregivers of autistic children with a chance to relax, build friendships and create support networks in what can often be an isolating role. In third place was The EMBER Project, which was awarded $1,000 for its four-part Pathways program, which will expand into in-person workshops for single mothers, adding a new element to the longstanding skills-building series: building community. “Now more than ever, people are looking for community and this year’s class of Fund for Women & Girls grantees are working hard to make sure that women in the Valley are able to find each other and support each other in ways big and small,” says Mae Medore, staff liaison for the Fund for Women & Girls. “Community change starts when people closest to the issues come together and support each other in the work. We’re honored to support such important work.” For more information on the Fund for Women & Girls or to make a donation, visit CFMV.org/fund-for-women-girls.