Women Empowered, a nonprofit life-coaching organization, will honor four Vineyard women who have demonstrated a significant commitment to bettering the Island at its annual fundraiser brunch, held at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown on Sunday. The program’s keynote speaker is Jessica Kensky, a Boston Marathon bombing survivor and a double amputee.
The honorees are Mary Beth Grady and Allison Burger, co-owners of Chilmark Chocolates; Betty Burton, founder and coordinator of Serving Hands and Family to Family food distributions; and Jo Ann Murphy, director of Dukes County veteran services and Martha’s Vineyard veteran service officer of the year.
Ms. Kensky will speak about her experiences and the importance of resilience. She and her then-fiance Patrick Downes, now husband, were at the Boston Marathon in 2013 when the Tsarnaev brothers set off pressure-cooker bombs at the finish line. Ms. Kensky and Mr. Downes each lost their left legs as a result of the explosion. Later, Ms. Kensky’s right leg was removed.
Ms. Kensky has never been to the Island, but was connected to Women Empowered through a mutual contact with board president Vivian Stein.
“She was very excited. She loves what we do,” Ms. Stein said.
Women Empowered, founded in 2000 by Kaye Flanders, who has since moved back to Iowa, was a one-woman show for its first few years. Ms. Flanders worked to expand it, and the group now has seven volunteers, called “facilitators,” who operate out of a one-room office in Vineyard Haven. The nonprofit runs almost entirely on donations and what Ms. Stein describes as a “small endowment.” All staff are volunteers, aside from a part-time office manager.
Though the organization is branded toward women, Women Empowered takes clients of any gender, Ms. Stein said in a phone call with The Times. She sighted branding as a roadblock to attracting male clients, but said that so far, the board has not decided to change the female-centric name of the organization.
“There is a need for men as well, but men are not very good at seeking out what they need,” Ms. Stein said, with a laugh. “Women are much better at it. Of course we get mostly women because of our name, as well.”
Women Empowered essentially provides life coaching to clients, who generally approach the organization through a referral from either friends or a number of Island organizations who lend support to residents. Clients go through an intake procedure, and are matched with the facilitator who best matches their needs. Services offered are primarily organizational — that is, help with the literal organization of one’s life, whether that be sorting through rampant credit card debt or physically sorting through a hoarder’s possessions. But facilitators also help clients search for jobs and write résumés, which means that a client’s tenure with Women Empowered varies dramatically based upon individual need.
“We have clients for two years; we have clients who meet with us once,” said Ms. Stein, who recalled a client she had worked with once.
“I remember well a woman who was trying to divorce her husband and moved to the Island. She had no place to live, and we helped her find temporary housing, helped her write a résumé to get a job, helped her with job seeking because she really hadn’t worked in years. For many years now already, she has been on her own, taking care of herself and her daughter. Everything has worked out very well for her.”
The cost for services is inexpensive and is offered on a sliding scale. Clients pay a onetime fee that ranges from $10 to $50, Ms. Stein said, depending on what he or she can afford.
At any time, Women Empowered serves between three and 20 clients. Ms. Stein said that they tend to be busier between fall and spring, when she said that Islanders have more time to pay attention to and be aware of their problems.
“We’re pretty consistent,” she said. “We would like to grow, but we really don’t have the funds.”
September’s brunch benefit, which honors what the organization’s board deem exceptional women in the community, is intended to aid that need. Ms. Stein said they expect about 100 attendees, and that she thinks the high-profile speaker might attract some additional guests.
“These are all women who give so much of their time and energy to the Island. Most of it is not paid time. Most of it is just their love of the Island and their seeing a need, whether it’s the veterans or the people who are hungry,” Ms. Stein said. The event is open to the public, and is $100 per person.
For more information, or to attend, go to Womenempoweredmv.eventbrite.com or call Ms. Stein at 508-560-0853.