It is what they have always done - Anderson County women, that is.

 

It only takes a brief look around our community to see their legacy of giving, creating, challenging and changing.  With a soft touch and an iron will, traits necessary to the success of most any venture, and ones inherent to women, their leadership has modestly and quietly, yet, constantly affected a positive influence on the health and well-being of this community.

 

With a vision to provide an environment in which children in Anderson County will become responsible adults—and, a mission to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to do so, this new century of women leaders has charted a course for success.

 

It began, innocently enough, with 12 - about six years ago, as dedicated women from diverse backgrounds stepped forward from business and industry; from their homes and community to form the foundation of the WLI.

 

Get us into the Schools!”

 

The Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) has worked strategically and effectively over these many years to recruit broad-based support for its chosen impact issue—the prevention and reduction of teen pregnancies within our community, specifically its schools.  Choosing this issue was the result of many months of research, focus groups, surveys and meetings with the community and its five (5) school districts.

 

The WLI sought first to name the priority needs of the community.  These needs were narrowed from as many as 50 potential areas to six (6) key areas: child abuse; homelessness; family/domestic violence; illiteracy; teen pregnancy and lack of medical care.  The more the WLI researched these issues individually, the more they discovered a critical link of one issue, teen pregnancy, to all other issues.  Ultimately, it was discovered that teen pregnancy prevention was not just another single issue—in fact, it was the critical link and area of greatest potential impact on remedying other societal ills.  The WLI wanted to focus on the cure not just the symptoms.

 

In its desire to strategically target their plans for comprehensive, measurable success, the WLI partnered itself with the region’s teen pregnancy prevention program, a United Way member agency—asking, “We know that this is a problem.  Educate us on how we can effect positive change.”  Overwhelmingly, the message the WLI heard was, “Get us into the schools!”

 

Teams of WLI members began meeting and surveying the leadership of our area’s five (5) school districts, in an attempt to measure the scope of the problem within each district and, further, to gauge the willingness of each district to join with the WLI in their efforts to create positive, sustained change within this issue plaguing the community.

 

It was determined that based upon the many demands already placed upon our schools and educators, the WLI and IMPACT would need to assume the responsibility of implementing a comprehensive “Super Program” (Kristin will explain further) within the schools. This would involve hiring a dedicated staff person to be responsible for the oversight and implementation of the prevention program, beginning with Grade five and continuing through the completion of the senior year of high school.  At each level of learning the students are given the tools that they need to make wise decisions regarding their sexuality.  The “Super Program” is based upon years of study and trial implementation across the nation and is a well-measured, proven technique for reducing and preventing teen pregnancies

 

 We’ll start small—well, if you call $30,000.00 a small commitment!

 

The WLI, through its work with the United Way of Anderson County, raised $30,000 to fund the position of the prevention coordinator.  They structured their fundraising in such a way as to involve all levels of ability to give.  It was their firm commitment to the involvement of all women, which has set the tone for their broad-based support and success.

 

On March 10, 2004, the WLI awarded its first gift to the schools of Anderson District Three (Starr and Iva, SC).  Recognizing that this district had the highest number (statistically) of teen pregnancies in the entire county, as well as the highest percentage of repeat pregnancies, the WLI elected to not shy away from the area of greatest challenge.  It is their intent to plant the seeds of success in the area of greatest need—first! 

 

Working with and through the schools, the faith community and the parents/guardians, the prevention coordinator acts as the catalyst for change, empowering others to own their success—on behalf of their children and their future.

 

Power Chicks--Vision; Direction; Results!

 

$175,000 has been raised by this initiative to-date and gifted to the pilot project in School District Three.

 

In October 2004, the Women’s Leadership Initiative was awarded a prestigious “Shining Star Award” for their program of work by the United Way of America.  This award recognizes the efforts to create positive results in one’s community.

 

In July 2005, our very own Juana Slade (AnMed Health) was invited to join the National Women’s Leadership Council for the United Way of America.

 

In September 2005, the WLI was honored with a Strong Communities for Children award from Clemson University for our efforts to reduce and prevent teen pregnancy in Anderson County, specifically in District Three.

 

All of these examples pay tribute not only to the quality of our members, but as well honor the far-reaching influence and recognition the “chicks” of Anderson County are garnering for their very effective efforts.

 

It is not just a statistic—it’s a life.  As the WLI moves boldly forward, it will be motivated by statistics such as these.  The statistics are astounding—astoundingly bad!

 

Teen mothers are less likely to complete school and more likely to have additional children while still a teen

 

Studies show that almost one-half of all teenage mothers and over three-quarters of unmarried teen mothers begin receiving welfare within five (5) years of the birth of their first child.

 

Yet, the WLI recognizes that all of their planning will result in measurable change for each of us.

 

Teen pregnancy costs us all!

 

It costs $135,441 a year to Anderson County taxpayers, to support one child born to a teen mother.  Do you care to multiply that figure by 400—the number of teen pregnancies for 2006?

 

Presume for a moment that the WLI and its implemented “Super Program” were to only prevent one-third of the pregnancies in School District Three, that would be a savings of almost $1.3 million dollars-—this year!