Our Vision & History
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF THE WOMEN’S RESOURCE
We help women and girls make choices toward becoming independent, productive and financially stable.
In our programs, women acquire the essential financial knowledge, skills and confidence they need to make sound decisions and improve their lives – for themselves and for generations to come. For 2.8 million Houstonians who are experiencing financial distress, The Women’s Resource trains and coaches women and girls, meeting them where they are. We are inspiring financial change, improving financial health, and overall individual and family wellbeing.
We envision a day when every woman and girl has the KNOWLEDGE and HOPE she needs to reach her financial goals.
– Annabella, YourLife coaching client
OUR HISTORY
1990
Cheryl Stavins becomes first scholarship recipient to attend the Executive Development Program at the University of Houston. Avance and Wellsprings become the first grant recipient.
1991
Governor Ann Richards is the keynote speaker at our Annual Business Meeting.
1993
Tickets sell out in 45 minutes for Oprah’s visit benefitting the Greater Houston Women’s Foundation (GHWF).
1997
Launches a $1 million fundraising campaign to establish an Endowment Fund.
1998
GHWF publishes ground-breaking research on the “Status of Women and Girls in Greater Houston.”
2003
Name changes to The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston. We make the strategic decision to concentrate our resources on education and training programs.
2005
Project LEAD is launched as a pilot program for pregnant and parenting teens at Jefferson Davis High School.
2009
Jo Cassady, Margo Geddie, Suzette Jones, Rhonda Sands, and Joyce Tyler-Williams are honored as the first Outstanding Women in Banking and Financial Services.
2013
Gloria Steinem draws a record-breaking crowd of 740 for our 23rd Annual Spring Luncheon.
2016
Project Lead becomes RISE! and transitions from a one-semester program to a four-year program for high school girls.
2017
The Women’s Resource becomes a United Way THRIVE partner.
2018
Launch YourLife Coaching & hire two coaches to provide one-on-one financing coaching.
2019
Develop a 6-class financial education curriculum — YourLife Finance Classes.
2020
The Women’s Resource celebrates 30 years of helping women and girls succeed.
Our Yearly Impact
Past Research
In 1992, we began issuing grants, commissioned annual research on topics of significance to Houston’s women and girls, and launched a series of free financial education classes. A decade later, The Women’s Resource made a strategic decision to cease its grant-making activities and concentrate its resources on education and training programs and building partnerships to further our mission.
Read some of the reports produced by The Women’s Resource:
- A Report on Charitable Giving Habits of Houston Women
- The Effectiveness of Financial Literacy Classes
- The Status of Women and Girls in Greater Houston 2004
Help us grow our efforts to improve women’s lives in Houston by donating.
