RICHES Provides Resources to Community Groups

What do 302 people representing 225 community-based organizations (CBOs) and public agencies in North Carolina have that you may not? A way to tap into free, statewide resources to help them do their work with the women they serve.Did you hear the word "free" ???

Over the past year, through a one-year grant from the NC GlaxoSmithKlineFoundation to the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, the Resources in Communities Helps Encourage Solutions Project (RICHES) accomplished three things:

• Identified and united hundreds of local organizations serving women of reproductive age, especially agencies serving racial and ethnic minorities, through a statewide, on-line directory.

• Increased communication, support and resource-sharing among these CBOs and statewide organizations by convening a statewide network, facilitating regional meetings and providing opportunities for participants to share information and learn about additional resources.

• Increased the long-term capacity of CBOs to promote health behaviors and health choices among the women they serve through the development of a toolkit that includes resource such as free or low-cost educational materials, training announcements, grant opportunities and links to N.C. statistics and reports.

Moving forward, and with funding from the N.C. Division of Public Health, new opportunities are available in FY 08-09 for non-profit and governmental agencies serving women of reproductive age in North Carolina.

In anticipation of starting its 20th year working to improve the health of women and babies in the state, the N.C. Healthy Start Foundation is hosting six regional trainings in October and November. The sessions will unveil the newly created Women's Health Journal and an electronic toolkit of resources for local agencies serving women between 15 and 45 years of age. The meetings also kick-off a one-time, small community grants program and participants will have the opportunity to network and learn about available resources.

At each session, attendees will receive training on how to effectively use the Women's Health Journal and how to integrate it into the work they are already doing with women. Starting in November, the Journal (in both English and Spanish) will be available in North Carolina, at no cost, through the N.C. Healthy Start Foundation.

Community Grants Program
Private non-profit agencies and local governmental agencies that participate in the RICHES Project, or who are willing to become involved, will be given priority for community grants program. However, all agencies in N.C. serving women of reproductive age are invited to apply.

Grants up to $3,000 will be awarded each month from December 2008 through February 2009. Proposals that show collaboration between organizations and those from counties with poor health status among women of reproductive age and/or high infant mortality rates are encouraged to apply. Details will be provided at the regional meetings and are available on the Foundation's web site. Four regional meetings are scheduled for November 2008. Meetings have already been held in Asheville and Kenansville.

• November 5: Nash County
• November 7: Moore County
• November 10: Mecklenburg County
• November 12: Guilford County

For more information about the community grants program, RICHES or the Fall regional trainings, visit www.NCHealthyStart.org/RICHES/index.htm or call (919) 828-1819.