KANSAS CITY, Mo. – There are few things stronger than the bond between women and when you combine female forces for the good of the order, anything is possible. That’s the hope of a recent alliance of four women’s networking groups whose focus in these tough economic times is on job creation.
“The continued growth of the unemployment rate through layoffs has more women looking for employment,” explains Sherry Turner, President of The Women’s Employment Network and member of a new alliance called OneKC for Women.
Four groups make up OneKC for Women. They include
The Women’s Employment Network,
Kansas Women’s Business Center,
Women’s Capital Connection and
First Step Fund.
“Streamlining programming while offering more options,” that’s the goal says Turner. “As we combine our offerings we reduce any redundancy and provide more options for women that might want to consider a career change or supplement their income through their entrepreneurial talents.”
Turner believes that in today’s economy, women can maintain income in non-traditional ways.
“This might include working for an employer and supplementing income with their own business venture as an example,” says Turner.
The added benefits for the alliance are also financial.
“Obviously, we intend to create operational efficiencies among the four alliance organizations that will reduce costs in our non-profit world in a down economy,” offers Turner. “We are also able to create additional funding opportunities that each organization individually has not been able to do.”
Turner says women represent 50 percent of the workforce and statistically are starting businesses at twice the rate of the national average. The alliance of OneKC for Women will also build awareness of the services available to support women looking for work across the metro area.
“Yes, women helping women in the Kansas City area is powerful,” affirms Turner.
Eighty percent of the services the alliance provides are focused on women in all social and economic demographics in the eleven county metro areas. Services include resume writing, interviewing/job training, entrepreneurship training, consulting, mentoring, matchmaking, business loans and business investment funding. The investment is often women literally investing in women.
Turner says clients of OneKC will have an expanded menu of offerings at their fingertips from one convenient source. Working together will create a synergy Turner hopes will be able to deliver programs more effectively and ultimately serve more clients
Turner is President of the Women’s Employment Network, and maintains her leadership role with the Kansas Women’s Business Center and the Women’s Capital Connection to support the OneKC For Women’s alliance. Vanessa Finley, Executive Director of First Step Fund will continue to provide leadership for the First Step Fund as she has for eleven years.
