Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1511253
16 Elevate Grant from Alabama Power Foundation lifts nonprofit in Enterprise Harolyn Benjamin said her nonprofit, Women Who Care, had survived for nearly 25 years, even rising above a Category 5 hurricane. But as funding and support for the nonprofit dwindled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she battled an ongoing illness, Benjamin said she was almost ready to close the doors. The game-changer came, Benjamin said, when she got the word last year that Women Who Care was receiving a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation. "It was more than a grant; it was a lifeline," said Benjamin, executive director and co-founder of Women Who Care. "I had become tired of begging for help. I didn't feel like people valued what we do, so why was I still doing it? When I got the email that we were receiving the grant, I just cried. It was God saying, 'I haven't forgotten about you.'" Women Who Care, located in Enterprise, provides quality employment opportunities for underserved people in the state's Wiregrass region while helping them build a positive self-image. Since its founding, the organization has helped more than 50,000 women, men and youth, some as far away as Georgia, Louisiana and New York. "We have created a people-oriented culture here for our guests, as we call them," Benjamin said. "This place is an extension of my home, with flickering candles and beautiful furniture. It's not sterile. Everything was consciously put in a way that if someone walks in and needs me to help them find 'their place,' they will feel comfortable and at home." Benjamin said the organization's overarching goal is to help guests find their "starting place – what they were created to do in life." To that end, Women Who Care helps connect guests with jobs and assists them with writing résumés and preparing for interviews. The guests also have the opportunity to shop for free clothing from the Top: Benjamin (right) used much of her grant for office equipment. Center: Benjamin (second, le) helps connect people with jobs. Boom: Enterprise Community Relations Manager Trent Dillard (le) presents the grant.