Nonprofits can apply for an Elevate Grant through July 28
Harolyn Benjamin said her nonprofit, Women Who Care, had survived for nearly 25 years, even rising above a Category 5 hurricane. But as funding and support for the nonprofit dwindled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she battled an ongoing illness, Benjamin said she was almost ready to close the doors.
The game-changer came, Benjamin said, when she got the word last year that Women Who Care was receiving a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation.
“It was more than a grant; it was a lifeline,” said Benjamin, executive director and co-founder of Women Who Care. “I had become tired of begging for help. I didn’t feel like people valued what we do so, why was I still doing it? When I got the email that we were receiving the grant, I just cried. It was God saying, ‘I haven’t forgotten about you.’”
Women Who Care, located in Enterprise, provides quality employment opportunities for underserved people in the state’s Wiregrass region while helping them build a positive self-image. Since its founding, the organization has helped more than 50,000 women, men and youth, some as far away as Georgia, Louisiana and New York.
“We have created a people-oriented culture here for our guests, as we call them,” Benjamin said. “This place is an extension of my home, with flickering candles and beautiful furniture. It’s not sterile. Everything was consciously put in a way that if someone walks in and needs me to help them find ‘their place,’ they will feel comfortable and at home.”
Benjamin said the organization’s overarching goal is to help guests find their “starting place – what they were created to do in life.”
To that end, Women Who Care helps connect guests with jobs and assists them with writing résumés and preparing for interviews. The guests also have the opportunity to shop for free clothing from the organization’s in-house boutique. Finally, Women Who Care works to help teens and adults build self-esteem and confidence.
“We help people see that they can move beyond their circumstances,” Benjamin said. “Because people may say you’ll never amount to anything or go anywhere, it doesn’t mean that’s your truth.”
A helping hand
Women Who Care was among the 2022 recipients of an Alabama Power Foundation Elevate Grant, which is designed to help nonprofits address pressing needs and expand their capacity to make a positive impact on their communities.
Benjamin used the grant to purchase two desktop computers, two laptops, four desks, a printer, office supplies, some inspirational wall hangings and snacks for the guests. Most importantly, some of the funds went to help pay utilities.
“Before we received the grant, we only had one computer, so I had to type the résumés for all our guests,” said Benjamin. “Having the computers, which allowed our guests to do the work themselves, and the money to pay the utilities, was a blessing.”
Harolyn Benjamin is the leader and inspiration behind Women Who Care. (contributed)
“When you have a nonprofit, there is no sustainability and extra income coming in, which makes it that much more challenging,” Benjamin said. She expressed special appreciation for Julie Davis, Customer Service manager for Alabama Power’s Enterprise and Ozark offices, for connecting her to the Alabama Power Foundation.
The foundation grant came when it was most needed. In addition to the financial pressures faced by the organization, Benjamin was suffering from myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune, neuromuscular disease in which antibodies mutate and begin attacking the body instead of protecting it.
Davis said she was proud to do whatever she could to help Benjamin get her organization back on its feet.
“Through her nonprofit, Harolyn offers more than a handout,” Davis said. “She helps the whole person, no matter their situation. Despite her own struggles, you never saw her when she was not reaching out to help someone else.”
Accepting the challenge
A native of New Orleans, Benjamin said she started Women Who Care in 1998 on a dare from her husband, Michael.
“I would see people in New Orleans who looked like they had lost all hope, and it would make me cry,” she said. “My husband said, ‘Stop crying and do something about it.’”
Among other services, Women Who Care has a free boutique to support clients on their journey. (contributed)
Harolyn Benjamin models some of the fashions available in the free boutique. (contributed)
Starting with only a sewing machine desk, a typewriter and business cards made from construction paper, Benjamin took that dare and ran with it. Soon she got the opportunity to promote her new nonprofit on a local television station.
“By the time I got home, we had more than 100 women who wanted to attend classes that didn’t exist yet,” Benjamin said.
The nonprofit hit its first obstacle in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans, forcing her to evacuate to Alabama. She and her husband then decided to restart the organization in Enterprise, which has become their home.
Women Who Care is still growing and touching lives. It will celebrate its 25th birthday on Aug. 18.
“We want to make a difference and help women, men and children see they can accomplish more than they ever thought they could,” Benjamin said.
The Alabama Power Foundation is once again offering support to nonprofits by offering another round of Elevate grants. Nonprofits can apply for the 2023 grants through July 28.
The foundation will award grants of up to $10,000 to 10 nonprofits across Alabama. The grants will focus on initiatives that fit into the following focus areas: educational advancement, civic and community development, arts and cultural enrichment, health and human services, and environmental stewardship.
To apply for a grant, visit the Alabama Power Foundation website at powerofgood.com. Click on “Grants” and then “Elevate Grants.”
To learn more about Women Who Care and its impact in Southeast Alabama, visit allwwc.com.