We thank Julie Mercer for choosing to write about the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan for her entry in the Harbor Springs Kiwanis Club Essay Contest.  Her essay earned the Women’s Resource Center a $50 contribution from the Harbor Springs Kiwanis Club.  Her essay is printed, below.

The Women’s Resource Center is committed to equality, justice, and the well-being of women. To that end they will engage and encourage our community to work with them toward these goals. If I received $50 to give to a charitable organization I would chose the Northern Michigan Women’s Resource Center (WRC). I would choose this charity because I think it is important to our community to have a place for women and children to go for help. I also have had personal experience with WRC. I hope you would have a heart for this amazing charity and donate $50 to them.

The Women’s Resource Center has been part of our community for a long time supporting women and children. This charity was founded in 1977 by a group of eight women. In February the organization will have been open to the public for 35 years. WRC will hopefully be open for many years to come.

Many people have benefited the Women’s Resource Center over the past 35 years. $50 could benefit this organization by providing contribution to all the services of the agency. This money could also help run the shelter,

pay the staff, and pay for food. WRC serves mostly women and children. They also serve those who have been abused. Money is raised for this organization in multiple ways. WRC owns the Gold Mine Resale Shop in Petoskey, Michigan. The Gold Mine Resale Shop brings in a lot of money to help pay for all the expenses of WRC. Also they do many fundraisers and have people who generously donate to WRC. The Women’s Resource Center has many programs to help the community. They have child and family services; this includes parenting classes and a playground for children. They also have career and educational programs. These programs help you find your career, a job, and they have financial assistance for occupational training. Another program they have is counseling for families and individuals on death, divorce, and drug and alcohol problems. WRC provides many programs and services involving abuse. WRC helps the community by providing a place to discuss personal and financial issues. The Women’s Resource Center appreciates the many people who benefit the organization.
I have had personal experience with the Women’s Resource Center. My Girl Scout troop, 319, made tie blankets and had a food drive for the Women’s Resource Center Women’s Safe House. This spring we choose the Women’s Safe House because we thought of all the women and children who couldn’t live in their own home. We started making the tie blankets in the spring and put boxes in the offices of Shay and Blackbird for the food drive. By the last week of school both of the boxes were filled with canned food. Once the blankets were done someone from  the Women’s Safe House came to talk to our troop about it and collect the food and blankets. She said that the women and children would be so thankful that we put our time and energy into helping them. I was very proud of myself and our troop for helping this organization and hope everyone enjoyed the food and blankets.
The Women’s Resource Center would greatly appreciate the $50. This would help the community providing money to WRC to run their agency. I chose this charity because I wanted women and children to be able to have a place to get financial and personal aid. Women’s Resource Center deserves this money to have a chance to help our community in as many ways as possible.