Women’s Initiatives

Women helping women …

Volunteers of the Women’s Initiative Committee strive to improve the welfare and empowerment of underprivileged women in our community through a variety of programs and activities.

A recent study, Shaping the Future: Women and Girls in Central New Jersey, funded by the Fund for Women and Girls of the Princeton Area Community Foundation (PACF) and conducted by Dr. Sandy Gibson of The College of New Jersey, brought to our attention some startling data that shaped the priorities of our Women’s Initiative Committee:

  • Median Income for single mothers residing in Trenton is $20K (as compared to $71K for all other households in Mercer County)
  • 12% of Mercer County women age 25+ lack a HS diploma or equivalent
  • 31% of women in Trenton live below the poverty line
  • Trenton has the highest rate of single parent households in the U.S. at 54.7%

In response, the JLGP set a goal to have a measurable impact on employment outcomes for women in Mercer County.  Since 2013 we have partnered with Dress for Success of Mercer County to implement the Going Places Network Program, a 9-week, results-based training program designed to provide mentorship and job-search skills training to unemployed and underemployed women in Mercer County.