Jefferson State Community College and six local nonprofit agencies recently received grants from The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham to help strengthen the economic security of low-income women and their families and work to end intergenerational poverty.

The grants focus on providing essential services for single women and their families identified by research and community roundtable discussions. Support for the grants comes from generous individuals from within and beyond the Birmingham area.

Jefferson State’s $25,000 grant is a collaborative program with the St. Clair County Head Start. The program provides dental assistant training for single mothers of children in St. Clair County Head Start to improve their economic security with a transferable, credentialed skill.

“The generous support of the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham allows Jefferson State to provide a pathway out of poverty for single moms,” said Jefferson State Workforce Education Director Kay Potter. “This effort is a true community partnership… the First Methodist Church of Pell City provides nutritious, delicious meals for the moms at each class meeting, Pell City Dentist Dr. Scott Barnett provides his office as a lab for the ladies to practice dental assistant skills, and St. Clair Head Start provides a fantastic facility for learning.”

“Collective giving is a powerful way to transform a community,” says Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham President Jeanne Jackson. “With these grants, individuals’ gifts to The Women’s Fund are leveraged into long-lasting change. Each grant addresses the complex problem of poverty. By providing job skills training, affordable housing, childcare, and mentorship, women have greater opportunities to move into financial independence. These grants unlock human potential.”