The Women's Resource Center creates personal, social and professional growth opportunities for all women in La Plata County. We are an open door center that seeks to enhance lives through resources and programs that improve the health and overall economic vitality of our region.
Human Services
Adults
Females
Males
On the second Friday of each month, WRC offers one-hour consultations with a representative from the Small Business Development Center at Fort Lewis College for women who need advice on starting their own businesses. Appointments are for women who have a definite business idea and specific questions. Consultations are on a first-come, first-served basis and pre-registration is required.
This program has helped entrepreneurs become successful and reach a living wage.
Human Services
Adolescents/Youth (13-19 years)
Adults
Females
Males
The more education a woman attains, the greater her chances will be that she earns a sustainable income. In turn, a sustainable income will allow her to purchase a home, accumulate assets to pass on to her children, and ensure that they stay "out of the cycle of poverty" and remain in "the cycle of opportunity" for future generations. The Center established the Educational Opportunity Fund to help women who may or may not be ready for college, but who would benefit from any kind of training that would give them the skills they need to find a better-paying job.
The Educational Opportunity Scholarship fund has been instrumental in helping women (and a few men) achieve the higher education required to get them to a place of economic self-sufficiency.
Human Services
Adults
Females
The Women's Resource Center's Professional Development Coaching program will help women address their own ongoing social, economic and professional needs as they relate to their roles at work, at home, and in the community. The program will provide them with one-on-one coaching assistance to help them make decisions and take action steps that will lead them towards individual success and a balanced life.
Outcomes of coaching often involve: increased work-life balance, improved communication skills and increased productivity.
Human Services
Females
Males
Womenade is a grassroots organization that provides financial assistance through one-time grants of up to $500. The purpose of the program is to help individuals who are normally self-sufficient and are experiencing temporary and/or unexpected financial hardships get back on their feet and move forward in their lives.
The Womenade program has been instrumental in keeping community members from entering a financial downward spiral.
Human Services
Adults
Crime/ Abuse Victims
Families
Female Adults
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged/Indigent
Every third Monday of the month, the Women's Resource Center offers 60-minute legal consultations with a lawyer for $30 on matters of divorce and custody. Clients must be of low to medium income and all are required to attend the Pro Se Divorce & Custody Clinic FIRST, before scheduling an appointment. The program has been made possible by a generous grant from the Colorado Bar Foundation.
Clients are able to obtain legal consultations at a discounted rate.
Human Services
Adults
Females
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged/Indigent
Families
Single Parents
Our Resource & Referral program is the cornerstone of our organization. Started in 1987, the program went to helping some 200 individuals to now over 1,600 individuals throughout the year. The WRC boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive resource databases in La Plata County covering everything from housing assistance, financial assistance, health care resources, professional and small business development and more.
This program went from serving 200 individuals in it's first year to now over 1,600 individuals annually.
Education
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
Female Children (5 - 14 years)
Female Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
The Women's Resource Center recognizes that a good education is the best way to avoid a life of poverty. One of the most critical times in a young woman's educational career is her passage from middle school to high school, when she leaves her childhood and enters her teenage years. The Women's Resource Center helps eighth-grade girls prepare for their passage into young adulthood with the "Girls to Women, Women to Girls" Conference (now called Keys to High School Success) held each spring. About 250 girls from La Plata County learn from peers and adult women how to negotiate life's trials and tribulations that may interfere with their education.
This program continues to grow thanks to our partnership with the Durango 9R School District.
Education
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
Female Children ( 5 - 14 years)
The Women's Resource Center offered the 4th annual "Get Your Girl Power" Conference for fifth-grade girls on Friday, April 8th at Bayfield Elementary. This conference is to encourage more young girls to embrace their intelligence, strength and body image.
"Get Your Girl Power" is modeled after WRC's successful Keys to High School Success program established in 1999 with a grant from the Women's Foundation of Colorado.
Get Your Girl Power is now in it's 5th year at Bayfield elementary school and was piloted within several Durango elementary schools in 2017.
