Women Empowering Families was founded in 2007 by two Anawim Housing board members, Cecelia Kent and Dotty Thurston. Their vision was to empower Anawim Housing to provide safe, affordable homes for women and families in need. Money raised through WEF go towards Anawim Housing's Supportive Services Department. These programs offer Anawim families everything from educational programming, to rental relief in the event of a life crisis. At Anawim Housing, we don't just place people in affordable housing, we empower them to succeed.
For more information on how to get involved with Women Empowering Families, contact Kate Rolfes at krolfes@anawimhousing.org
Women Empowering Families Spring Mother's Day Event
Our Spring Women Women Empowering Families event was centered this year around Mother's Day! The event was help on May 7th at The River Center in Des Moines. Thank you to all who joined for your generous donations of small gifts to our Anawim Housing mothers, and for helping to assemble over 100 lovely giftbags that were delivered in time for Mother's Day. The support and love for families and our mission at Anawim was felt all throughout the room. Special thanks to our wonderful planning committee for all of your hard work! Photography by Michael Watson, Catering by Trellis.
View all the photos from our event on our Facebook page!
Women Empowering Families ThanksGIVING Event
View photos from the event on our Facebook page by clicking HERE
Women Empowering Families - Home Is Everything Spring Event
This year's spring event was unique in several ways! The event was hosted at The River Center - a beautiful, brand new event location downtown. New this year, we asked guests to donate a couple items to be gifted to the many mother's living in Anawim Housing. During the event, guests helped assemble their wonderful donations into over 100+ gift bags to be gifted to Anawim mothers for Mother's Day. In the days directly following the event, Anawim staff hand-delivered the gift bags. The Anawim mother's we delivered the bags to were very surprised and overjoyed by this act of kindness that the Women Empowering Families guests provided.
View photos from the event on our Facebook page by clicking HERE
View photos of Anawim staff delivering the Mother's Day gift bags to Anawim mother's HERE
Women Empowering Families ThanksGIVING Event
This year's ThanksGIVING event was held on Thursday, November 2nd at our new Anawim Housing office! A huge thank you to all who were able to join us and generously donated household items to be given to Anawim Housing families in need throughout the year. We had 70 women attend which was a great success! This year we auctioned off a beautiful handmade dollhouse, with proceeds directly supporting Anawim programs and services. The house was a sweet reminder of our moto "Home Is Everything".
View photos from this year's ThanksGIVING Event on the Anawim Facebook page!
Women Empowering Families Basic Party
WEF hosted the second annual Basic Party on May 2nd at the Riverwalk Hubspot! We had a record turnout of over 70 women! Thank you to all who attended and donated household items to be given to Anawim families in need. A huge thank you to our committee who helped plan the event and address invitations.
View photos from this year's Basic Party on the Anawim Facebook page!
Women Empowering Families ThanksGIVING Event
This year's ThanksGIVING event was held on Thursday, November 17th at the Hotel Kirkwood in Des Moines, and had a record turnout! A huge thank you to all who were able to join us and generously dontated household items to be given to Anawim Housing families in need throughout the year.
View photos from the event on Anawim's Facebook page!
Women Empowering Families Basic Party!
Thank you to all who joined us for the Basic Party, held on April 28th at The Riverwalk Hub. This party directly benefited the many Anawim Housing tenants that come to us with very little- often in need of the very basic essentials. The generous supply of donations we received will help a wide number of new and current tenants. View photos from the night's event on Anawim's Facebook page!
Women Empowering Families ThanksGIVING event 2015!
Thank-you to all who joined us for the annual ThanksGIVING event on Thursday, November 12th at The Des Moines Social Club. The large supply of household donations we received will greatly serve the families of Anawim throughout the upcoming year. View photos from the night's event on Anawim's Facebook page!
Thank you to our 2015 WEF Committee members for helping make this beautiful event possible!
Spring Gathering and Home Tour
Thank you to all of the Women Empowering Family members who joined us on Friday, May 15 for our home tour. Touring Anawim homes is a great way to truly see the impact Anawim Housing has on the community.
For pictures from the Women Empowering Families thanksGIVING 2014 event, check out the album on Anawim Housing's Facebook page!
Thank you to our 2014 WEF Committee members for putting in the time and effort to make the November event possible.
$100 Nurturer
$250 Advocate
$500 Founder
$2500 Leader
Leader:
Joanie Houston
Sue Kenny
Cecelia Kent
Kate Raun
Dotty Thurston
Kathi Simpleman
Founder:
Kathryn Bernau
Jeanne Cunningham
Pam Douglas
Celeste Egger
Janet Fessler
Liz Goodman
Betsy Happe
Denise Horner
Jolene Huen
Laura Jacobsen
Loral Kirke
Kathleen Lillis
Diane Loffredo
Claudette McDonald
Jeanne O'Halloran
Sandra Rasmussen
Anita Shodeen
Patricia Shoff
Susan Stroud
Michele Whitty
Advocate:
Susan Barnes
Marilyn Carroll
Margaret Ann Comito
Jean Davis
Linda Kirkman
Lori Lyons
Dr. Kate Massop
Nancy Peters
Emily Porter
Nolan Quam
Sheila Rayburn
Dennis Rhodes & Mary Kay Shanley
Janet Rosenbury
Nurturers:
Lori Aldinger
Melinda Antisdel
Margo Blumenthal
Barbara Braak
Deb Brewer-Cotlar
Phyllis Cacciatore
Sue Damos
Megan Drake
Bev Evans
Mary Fanter
Pat Gerlitz
Joan Ghrist
Priscilla Gilbert
Collen Gleason
Georgiana Hoerster
Dr. Janet Hunter
Lisa LaValle
Janet Mashek
Patricia McCormick
Julie McDougal
Allison Nielsen
Jeannine Rolfes
Katie Roth
Valerie Sandford
Ginny Satterstrom
Melba Scaglione
Rose Mary Schira
Cheryl Sypal
Anne Webber
Emily Weitz
Friends of Women Empowering Families:
Cece Arnold
Samuel Bernabe
Shirley Brandser
Mary Chris Bruene
Amy Donnelly
Melissa Gray
Patricia Halsch
Gail Hansen
Carole Hays
Susan Heun
Mary Keables
Katie May
Amy McCaron
Sheila Moreno
Cynthia Mumm
Allison Peyton
Pam Quinn
Pat Rigby
Jenelle Sarcone
Eleanor Shivers
Tracy Wheeler
Roberta Williams