Fresh Start Women's Foundation

For current news and press releases, select from the list below.

Fresh Start Opens First-Of-Its-Kind Women's Resource Center

Fresh Start Women's Foundation, determined to help fill gaps within women's services, has constructed a first-of-its-kind resource center where women can obtain assistance while rebuilding their lives. The Jewell McFarland Lewis Fresh Start Women's Resource Center, located at 1130 E. McDowell Rd., in Phoenix, opens Oct. 2, 2002.

"Our work, in partnership with area organizations that serve women's needs, will help provide the level of support that's needed when women are facing life-changing situations," said Sandra Duke-Lowe, Fresh Start executive director.

Duke-Lowe said Fresh Start now has expanded its programs, beyond the initial mentoring and grant funding, to include six primary services at the resource center:

1. Employment Resources - The center's state-of-the-art, online system is linked to the City of Phoenix employment-services system, allowing women access to the jobs that best suit their skills, experience and desired location. Additional resources provide details about job-training opportunities.

2. Information Counseling - Master's-level counselors work with women to prioritize their needs and then refer them to the best sources to meet those needs, either within the center or with other partner agencies.

3. Legal Services - Women may obtain assistance from a full-time, staff attorney and a network of Valley lawyers who specialize in domestic-relations, landlord/tenant, immigration, creditor-rights and bankruptcy, estate/probate, consumer-fraud, employment-law and tax issues. Services will be individually assessed, based upon minimal sliding-scale fees.

4. Mentoring - Women are given individual support and encouragement from women who volunteer assistance for a minimum of six months.

5. Specialty Library - A computer-equipped, Internet-accessible lending library has books and tapes relating specifically to the immediate needs of women who seek emotional and financial independence, as well as personal growth.

6. Workshops and Featured Speakers - Weekly programs are taught by leading professionals, in eight meeting rooms, on more than a dozen subjects, ranging from relationship guidance and workplace skills to personal finance and health and wellness. Program catalogs are available at the resource center, or by calling (602) 252-8494.

An additional service - free child-watch - will provide peace of mind while women obtain assistance at the center. Mothers may leave their children in two age-related, supervised areas while they meet with staff members or attend the many workshops

Sandy Cowen Miller and Barbara Ralston, past chairs and current members of Fresh Start's board of directors, have co-chaired and overseen this extensive four-year project. Their dedicated efforts have been supported by Fresh Start founders Pat Petznick and Beverly Stewart; by members of all three Fresh Start boards, the staff and volunteers; and by many committed community professionals. More than a dozen committees were formed to refine the strategic approach to programs and operations at the center. Committee members included Fresh Start's partners and various experts in local social-service delivery.

"There is an overwhelming need for a resource center such as this," Cowen Miller said. "Research and needs assessments have revealed there is no single place, until now, where women can get comprehensive assistance for the many challenges they face. We will be able to help them on a variety of levels."

Fresh Start estimates there are more than 150,000 women in Maricopa County, who-because of situations relating to one of eight D's: death, divorce, domestic violence, desertion, disability, disease, drugs or downsizing-are suddenly thrust into self-supporting roles. In addition, more than 360,000 women surveyed admitted to having at least one previous emotionally or physically abusive adult relationship, and 42 percent of all working women in the County earn less than $20,000. "These women, among others, need support," Cowen Miller added.

"The center is also a steppingstone for women who have come out of crisis and now are striving for more stability," Ralston said. "In this way, the resource center can help fill gaps that exist in the continuum of services available to women throughout the Valley. "

Banner Health System was one of the numerous organizations that committed early to supporting the center. The group acted by donating nearly two acres of land for development, across from Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, and by leasing the property to Fresh Start for $1 annually for 75 years.

Jewell McFarland Lewis, for whom the center is named, and her husband Del Lewis were among the first individuals who provided financial assistance. The family, who previously owned MAC America Communications, has been ardent followers of Fresh Start since its inception. The Stein-Cox Group, with Mo Stein as the lead architect and Marlene Seitz as the project manager, designed the two-story, 22,500-square-foot facility. Chanen Construction Company, Inc., directed the building of the center. Construction costs of $4 million were funded through corporate and individual donations.

Fresh Start, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to assisting women in need who seek self-sufficiency, has worked on behalf of Arizona women since 1992. Opening the resource center is the highlight of the foundation's 10th anniversary.