Circle of Hope Update The 12th Annual Circle of Hope Awards is around the corner. The deadline for event registration is October 17. If you still need to register, please visit the PA Women Work website and click “Register and Buy your Circle of Hope Tickets Today.” Additionally, we are still accepting items for the silent auction such as event tickets, memorabilia, vacation home rentals and jewelry – to name a few examples. You can also make a monetary donation, which will be used to purchase gift cards for the auction. Again, we thank you in advance for your support of our organization and this inspirational event.
Move to Google Apps Over the last several months PA Women Work has been working with Pittsburgh Cares-HandsOn Tech to move the organization to a cloud-based email system called Google Apps. As of September 24, the organization was successfully transitioned to the new system. Google Apps, which is free to non-profit organizations, provides a secure email system as well as platform for working remotely. With Google Apps, the office staff now has access to their email, calendar and documents – from anywhere in the world. External clients and stakeholders will not notice any changes from their end. All of the PA Women Work staff members have retained their current email addresses.
Great news from The Pittsburgh Foundation PA Women Work has been accepted for inclusion in the 2012 Pittsburgh Foundation’s Holiday Wish Book! The Wish Book provides individuals and families in our community with a unique opportunity to make a difference by purchasing tangible items of $2,500 or less that are much needed by nonprofit organizations. PA Women Work applied to this fund to help cover the cost of extra books and materials we provide to our New Choices students… and our wish has been granted! Wishes will be available to view on line at www.pittsburghfoundation.org.
Customer Service Training We are pleased to announce that our Customer Service Training program has been completed successfully. Throughout the month of September, 13 New Choices graduates completed four classes in which they learned various skills to become employable in the customer service industry. We received support from UPMC, PNC Bank and Peoples Natural Gas who gave our graduates the opportunity to interview for actual customer service positions. We received positive feedback from these employers and would like to provide this class as an adjunct to our New Choices program for those who are interested. The next step is to find corporate funding for future classes.
Save the Dates! November 3, 2012 – Mothers of Bedford Screening We will be hosting a screening of the film The Mothers of Bedford on November 3 at 2 p.m. at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 477 Melwood Avenue in Pittsburgh. This fascinating documentary highlights the struggles of five incarcerated women and the effects of their incarceration on the mother-child relationship. It also explores the hardship of finding employment for women once they are released from prison. The filmmaker and one of the women featured in this film will conduct a question and answer session following the screening. Please mark your calendars.
February 5, 2013 – Fundraiser at Mad Mex Pennsylvania Women Work has been awarded a terrific fund-raising opportunity thanks to the generosity of the Big Burrito Group. On February 5, 2013 at 7 p.m., we will be hosting a PA Women Work fiesta that includes a full-course dinner with drinks at the new Mad Mex in Shadyside. The price of the dinner is $35 with all proceeds going to the organization. Please mark your calendars! More information on both of these events will be coming soon!