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just received some microenterprise industry data that
we'd like to share with you! According to FIELD
(Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination),
Women's Initiative actually served more clients than
any other training-led microenterprise agency in the
U.S. Using the definition of 'client’ as anyone
receiving 10+ hours of service, we served more clients
in fiscal year 2004 than any other organization in the
country through our culturally-competent, adult-learning
curriculum. Our graduates receive 50-60 hours of quality
training in the classroom alone, plus they get individualized
additional service through consultations, matched savings
accounts, loans, seminars and coaching. This means that
in some cases, our clients get more than 5 times the
hours of service than at other agencies. Additionally,
we are on track to offer more loans than any other training-led
agency in the country, more than doubling the number
of loans offered by the top ranking agency in 2004.
All of us at Women’s Initiative would
like to thank you for contributing to our success and
encourage you to continue sending talented women our
way! |
| HOT
TOPICS |
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 Find
out what Kim Le (Nurturing
Salon) has to say about learning
to balance work and life
through her training at
Women's Initiative
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DON'T
MISS THIS EVENT! |
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Save
the Date – Tuesday,
June 6, 2006
5:30
p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Westin St. Francis Hotel
Enjoy
friends and new entrepreneurs,
come prepared to fall in love
with their beautiful products
at the marketplace and network
with the people you need to
know!
Women’s Initiative Gala
Chairs DeeDee Towery,
Rita Steel
and Cloey Hewlett
and Honorary Chairs Mary
Huss and Eunice
Azzani invite you
to celebrate women entrepreneurs
and Lisa Stevens,
Regional President of Wells
Fargo Bank.
We are honoring women who
walk the walk of commitment
to our community. Your support
and attendance at this year’s
best party makes the dreams
of business ownership and
financial independence come
true for many Bay Area women.
TABLES
and TICKETS:
Tables
$3,500 - $10,000 (includes
recognition on the website
and in the program booklet);
Tickets $250 per person. All
proceeds will benefit Women's
Initiative programs.
For
more information,
CLICK
HERE.
•
To purchase tickets or to
become a sponsor CLICK
HERE. Contact Heather
at (415) 641-3461 or hphillips@womensinitiative.org
with questions about sponsorship
opportunities.
• You are welcome to
invite friends to this event.
»
CLICK HERE to send them
a personalized message. Perhaps
there is someone who has helped
you walk your walk —
bring them along!
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Volunteers
Needed for Bay Area Business Woman's
Expo: Women on the Move: From Vision
to Action
Bay Area BusinessWoman News,
in partnership with the City of Oakland,
will host an event unique in structure
and content. An interactive women's
tradeshow, to be held Saturday, May
13, from 9am-4pm at the Oakland Marriott,
the Expo is designed to reflect the
way in which women do business with
one another in a collaborative, synergistic
fashion. The Expo will showcase the
economic power and resources of women
in the Bay Area - one of the largest
communities of women-owned businesses
in the nation. Women, from all fields,
will come together to share resources,
form strategic alliances, and increase
business success. The event host is
looking for energetic volunteers to
help with set up, registration, workshops,
food handling, and exhibitor assistance.
To be a volunteer, please
call Anna Marks at (510) 654-7557,
ext. 16, or email anna@babwnews.com.
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PICK
OF THE MONTH |
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Maria
del Carmen Flores, owner of Estrellita
Snacks and ALAS graduate
Maria
del Carmen graduated from ALAS last year
and has been very focused on growing her
snack and catering business. I had the
pleasure of sampling her delicious plantain
chips and pupusas – I just loved
them. Her specialty is the pupusa, a typical
Salvadoran homemade dish and she serves
them with plantain chips. Her plantain
chips were a big hit at the Women’s
Initiative business conference last October
and also have been served at events in
City Hall. The chips are being snapped
up from shelves of markets in the Mission
district. Maria del Carmen also does catering
with a variety of homemade Salvadoran
dishes. I’d like to say that her
plantain chip and food are perfect for
every occasion where you need some delicious
cooking to wow your guests. To order you
can contact Maria del Carmen directly
at (415) 240-6305 or mariaflores3399@sbcglobal.net.
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| EVENTS |
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Presenting
Your Best Self
Last rainy Friday night in San Francisco,
we packed the house of the beautiful
Greenberg Studios and made connections
that will change lives! Fran Zone of
Zone Communication started us off with
inspirational words and a challenge
to manage impressions and to take advantage
of every opportunity. 60 graduates with
businesses ranging from Brazilian swim
wear to massage therapy showed up ready
to learn and connect. And our 19 connectors
were ready to give great coaching and
connections. Public relations experts,
financial services and marketing were
represented and complimented seminars
by Fran Zone, Judy Grant, Vanessa Ferrer,
and Gloria Romero, image consultations
from Sandra Osorio from Mr. Pinkwhistle
Salon, and Kathryn Lovell from KKL Image
Consulting. To wrap it up our courageous
staff did a fashion show to knock your
socks off. In all seriousness, it was
a night to remember with great music,
food by El Huarache Azteca and lots
of powerful women making connections.
Our graduates and connectors were thrilled,
even stunned about the benefits they
received. Stay tuned for more
information about our upcoming Connect
Event in July. If you'd like to become
a Business Connector contact Heather
Haxo Phillips at hphillips@womensinitiative.org.
Graduates Hope Meng
and Melissa Alvarado
of Stitch Lounge will be participating
in an exciting event called the Maker
Faire on Saturday, April 22 from noon
to 4 PM and Sunday April 23 from 10:30
AM to 2 PM. On Saturday, check us out
at Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a giant clothing
swap with teams of local designers on
hand to help you refashion the new treasures
you acquire at the swap, followed by
a fashion show of the day's redesigned
garments!
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I
support women moving from poverty to prosperity through
small business ownership! To make a donation to Women's
Initiative, please CLICK
HERE. |
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CLICK
HERE