The Womenade Mission:
Womenade, a grassroots organization of La Plata County, provides financial assistance to individuals through one-time grants. The purpose of the grant is to help those who have a temporary and often unexpected financial hardship to overcome to move forward with their lives.
Womenade lets YOU decide how your contributions will be spent. All contributions collected are given to elected recipients; no funds are used for administrative expenses.
All events are at the Rochester Hotel. Bring a potluck dish to share, $25 for the donation fund, and a friend. You’ll then vote for the recipients of the money raised that evening. ALL proceeds directly benefit the recipients. NO money is used for administrative costs. Womenade funds have been used to help women with emergency car repairs, dental work, medical bills, and other emergencies. For more information, contact the Women’s Resource Center at 247-1242.
Contact Christy Schaerer at 247-1242 or programs@wrcdurango.org for more information.
Womenade Program FAQs
What is Womenade?
Womenade was founded in 2002 when Durango resident Jane Dunn read a story about a Washington, D.C., physician who organized a group of women to raise money at a potluck every month to give as a one-time donation to people in need.
The concept was simple: Rather than spend $35 or $40 on a meal out, the women gathered for a potluck dinner and contributed $35 each to a pool of money that they would then donate to people who had applied for the funding. Dunn gathered friends to plan their own grassroots philanthropy program, called it Womenade, and held their first potluck that fall.
Since then, the program has generated thousands of dollars in donations for needs as wide-ranging as a sent of dentures for one woman to travel expenses for a cancer patient. Although Womenade took a vacation last fall with the rapid changes in the executive director’s position here at the Women’s Resource Center, Womenade hopes to return with the same verve and commitment to the community that it established in 2002.
How do I apply for Womenade funds?
Womenade funds may be used to assist with:
- Past due bills like rent, utilities or medical care
- Car repairs
- Food
- Clothing
- Counseling
- Child Care
- Other needs as determined by the advisory council
All requests are funded based on the amount of funds available at any one meeting. Womenade does not assist with deposits of any kind.
To apply, download and fill out the Application Form and Confidentiality Agreement. Submit both to the Women’s Resource Center.
Please send to:
Womenade of La Plata County
679 E. Second Ave., Suite 6
Durango, Colorado 81301