Retired IBMer Makes Experience Count at YWCA
For more than 100 years, YWCA Maricopa County has sought to establish programs that eliminate discrimination and empower women in the greater Phoenix area. In recent years, the YW created Own It Financial Education, a program aimed at providing financial literacy to low-income women and families.
Although Own It had great promise, a lack of resources and manpower kept the program from expanding and reaching its full potential.
That was until the YW heard about Experience Matters.
Experience Matters was established in February 2009 to give those in the second half of their lives the ability to find meaningful and fulfilling work, most likely within the nonprofit sector. The organization pairs talented, passionate, experienced adults with organizations in need of help.
In the case of the YW, that experience came in the form of Bev Strom, a retired IBM employee who spent more than 30 years working as an IBM sales specialist in everything from hardware and software to consulting services.
Arriving at the YW in June, Strom’s main goal was to expand the Own It Financial Education program. She has played a vital role in the development of the program’s new curriculum and is partnering with organizations such as Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, the Salvation Army Kroc Center, Florence Crittenton, UMOM, YMCA of Glendale and Dress for Success.
Under Strom’s direction, the program has scheduled more classes within the first quarter of 2013 than it has since its inception. Own It’s four-week curriculum covers topics such as setting goals, overcoming obstacles, record keeping and understanding net worth and credit. By June, the YW estimates that nearly 150 women and their families will be empowered by Own It.
– Text by Kristen Coco, YWCA Maricopa County
