Education Matters: Serving the Community: Women’s Resource Center

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | July/August 2021

Founded in 1979 by a coalition of 19 local women’s organizations in Sarasota and later expanding to Manatee County, the Women’s Resource Center has been making a profound difference in the lives of local women ever since. While the organization has grown and changed in a lot of ways, their mission says it all—to engage, educate, enrich, and empower women of all generations.

To accomplish that goal, this impressive nonprofit organization offers a host of services to women 18 and up in our community. From health and wellness programs to financial support services and empowerment classes, they have a range of services to help anyone with just about any challenge they might face. And if the Center doesn’t have the appropriate expertise for a specific situation, they rely on their growing list of community partners and refer people to the perfect match to address their needs.

One of the core services they provide is career development, and a key component of this program is career coaching. Volunteers sit down with people to help them see what a career journey might look like. If the client has no idea what they want to do, working through the information and questionnaire in a career kit helps them explore their options. If clients already know what they want, coaches help them develop or update resumes. They also offer mock interviews and give advice on salary negotiation. Best of all, these services are free.

An additional related benefit is their amazing Career Closet. “When I first walked in and saw what they had,” says Lori Gentile, the Director of Client Services, “I was hooked for life. It’s so beautiful.” Set up like a little fashion boutique, the Career Closet is offered both  in Sarasota and one in Bradenton. “Any client can come get clothing for job interviews or get them through the first week of work. We also have clients just coming in simply because they need clothes, jewelry, shoes, or accessories.” Clients can choose up to five outfits every six months. For free.

The Center also keeps an up-to-date job list to help clients find a career match. Local and national employers contact the Center—sometimes weekly!—to update available job opportunities. A monthly Career Connections webinar gives people the opportunity to learn about jobs or training opportunities in our region. 

Another way that the Center helps change lives is through scholarships. This past year, they awarded 47 scholarships. “The money isn’t just for colleges and universities,” Gentile notes. “It can also be used for certification courses and other professional-level training.” Recipients get more than money, too—they’re assigned an advocate who checks in on them to see how they’re doing and help them stay engaged with the Center. 

Gentile admits that their staff is small but mighty. Considering that more than 5,000 clients received services at the Center last year, it’s hard to believe that they only have 15 employees besides her, and only 11 are fulltime. “We rely on about 120 volunteers to provide the majority of services you find on the services page of our website,” Gentile says. “The financial consulting, legal consulting, the computer tutoring, mental health counseling, all the workshop instructors—those are volunteers right from our own community.” 

Gentile herself started with the Center as a career coach volunteer two years ago after a career at McAfee and Intel where she ran teams worldwide. She’s been in Sarasota since 2005, though, because it didn’t matter where she lived with those jobs “so long as I had internet and a mobile phone and was near an airport.” A born-and-bred New Yorker, she came to love Sarasota for the same reasons we all do.

When she retired, Gentile quickly got involved in the world of nonprofits by working with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. Then she volunteered at the Center, and before long, the funding for the Director of Client Services position was secured.

“I looked at the job description and it had my name written all over it,” Gentile says, because the job duties were all about mentoring and coaching—which she’s done all her life. And Gentile’s highest goal in retirement was to help women and girls.

With her corporate background in learning and development, taking on this job just made sense. These days, she happily supports the mission of helping women not only survive, but to thrive financially and emotionally. The latter point is key with her. “Before you can even think about moving on in your career or growing and learning, you have to be emotionally healthy.” 

Mental health counseling is one of the Center’s biggest growth areas by far, because the demand for it skyrocketed as a result of COVID-19. Almost 2,000 people sought mental health support with them last year alone.

As much as Gentile and the Center are doing to make a difference in our community, what surprises her the most is how big the need is. “When I worked with the Education Foundation, I learned that 52% of kids in Sarasota were on free or reduced lunch. I was shocked!” And now that she works with the Center, it’s even more clear to her how many people are struggling in such a variety of ways right in our own backyard.

But Gentile wants people to know that the Center is here to help. “Any woman can call us for any need, and we will respond. We’re here for you.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Women’s Resource Center, please visit www.mywrc.org