ST. CLOUD -- Two funds from the Central Minnesota Community Foundation have given over $78,000 to local programs that focus on improving the lives of women and girls in central Minnesota.

The Women's Fund gave over $65,000 to several programs in the region including:

  • $8,000 to help with emergency childcare placement, guaranteed for kids birth to two-years-old through St. Cloud Crisis Nursery.
  • $8,000 to assist in implementing an employment readiness program for victims of trafficking at Terebinth Refuge.
  • $8,000 to help expand the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center.

The remaining $41,000 will support things like beds at Anna Marie's Alliance, mentoring through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota and the Center for Victims of Torture.

The Julianne Williams Fund gave out over $13,000 in grants to three organizations.

  • $5,800 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota for their Date SMART program which helps kids learn how to develop safe and healthy dating relationships.
  • $4,700 to Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin Lakes and Pines to expand summer programs and support scholarships.
  • $3,350 to help buy winter sports equipment and implement programming for the Women's Empowerment Winter Wellness program at Terebinth Refuge.

Since 2002 the Women's Fund of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation has granted over $1.3-million to support programs for girls aged 10-18, women in transition and elder women.

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