SEE THE POSSIBILITIES WORKING TO CREATE A MORE EQUAL, SAFE + PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR WOMEN + GIRLS IN CHICAGO Giovanna Smith was standing in front of the public aid office when her phone rang. In just a few minutes, her life would change forever. Giovanna would learn she had landed a full-time job with the Howard Area Community Center – a job that included a salary, health benefits and on-site daycare for her two daughters, Zanaya, 2 and Trinitee, 9 months old. The timing was perfect. Giovanna had been working two part-time jobs to make ends meet. But, after being laid off from her job at a café and being unable to keep the second job because of travel and daycare costs, Giovanna was unemployed. To help her get off unemployment, Giovanna was referred to the WILL (Women Invested in Learning and Livelihoods) program at Youth Job Center. A grantee of the Eleanor Network at CFW, the 18-month WILL program helps women ages 18-25 find, secure, and maintain career jobs. Giovanna attended workshops on financial literacy, education and career advancement. The program even had a savings match incentive to help her reach her long-term financial goals. Also, Giovanna had the opportunity to connect with supportive services and professional mentoring. Like all of CFW’s grantees, the WILL program is specifically designed to identify the unique challenges faced by women and girls and provide practical solutions. The WILL program is one of the 8 workforce development programs in the Eleanor Network at CFW. Launched in 2012 following CFW’s strategic alliance with the former Eleanor Foundation, the Eleanor Network at CFW expands economic security across the lifespan of a woman. The grantmaking model within the Network combines intensive training and comprehensive support services to ensure that women have clear pathways for career advancement. Giovanna is now a family support worker who travels to the homes of first time mothers. She provides prenatal advice, child development information, and financial literacy materials. Many of the mothers naturally connect to Giovanna because she understands the barriers that low-income women and their children face. GIOVANNA SMITH Giovanna Smith with her daughters, Zanaya and Trinitee. Giovanna is a graduate of the WILL program at Youth Job Center, an Eleanor Network at CFW grantee. Through WILL, to date, she has saved over $4,000 and dreams of buying a home and car. Once her girls are older, Giovanna plans to attend college and study early childhood education. She sees it as her calling, one she would not have found if not for CFW’s support of Youth Job Center. 05