POWERGRAMS

6 and other notions. If they complete all three levels of training, participants are given their own sewing machine provided through a partnership with the Sewing Machine Project based in Wisconsin. With the training program off the ground, Bib & Tucker is moving to the next stage, Taylor said. It will begin selling handcraed products, beginning with pillows and quilts. The items will be sold to wholesalers for distribution to retail stores. Viola Ratcliffe, Bib & Tucker program manager, said the trainees will help make the new products, providing them with added experience. "We are working with our trainees to strengthen their hand-sewing skills and doing a lot of embroidery work so that when we do start producing products, the stitches will be consistent," Ratcliffe said. "That way, every single product will be uniform, and the trainees will be able to make them more quickly." The Alabama Power Foundation is playing an instrumental role in the success of both projects, Taylor said. The foundation awarded a $15,000 Elevate Grant to Bib & Tucker in 2016 to help fund the Woodlawn training, which was a pilot program at the time. Since then, the grant has helped fund instructors, rent and insurance on the facility, and the design team responsible for researching and developing the new product line. The Elevate Grant program helps empower nonprofits like Bib & Tucker by providing funding over a two-year period to support unique, worthwhile community projects. The foundation offers workshops where recipients can meet to network and share best practices. "Our Elevate Grant program seeks to help nonprofits make a real difference in their communities, so supporting a small but growing organization like Bib & Tucker is a perfect fit," said Myla Calhoun, president of the Alabama Power Foundation. "Their program teaches a marketable skill to provide flexible working conditions for women to support their families, and for many of the women it's life-changing. Making our state a beer place to live and work, even if it's one family at a time, is exactly what the grant program is all about." As an instructor, Ratcliffe knows she is making a lasting impact on her students' lives. "It's very rewarding for us to teach the trainees new skills and help them hone skills they already have," Ratcliffe said. "It's a great way to help them learn to do something in their spare time they can use to supplement their income or even give them a desire to want to do something with sewing on a larger scale." Bib & Tucker offers several programs, including the March Quilts, an arts project in which the organization partners with the community to create quilts focusing on human or civil rights themes. The organization introduces students to sewing through quilting and summer camps. Taylor said she is grateful to the foundation for sharing the sew-op's vision for the Woodlawn training. The foundation was one of the program's earliest clients, commissioning trainees to make runners for tables for its annual Elevate Conference. "I'm proud of the Alabama Power Foundation for taking a chance on us and seeing our vision in terms of empowerment, education and economic opportunities," said Taylor. "We are a small organization, but there are so many benefits we can offer through sewing."

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