© 2003, Rotary Club of Charleston

P.O. Box 21029
Charleston, SC 29413-1029

Club secretary:
Carroll Schweers
chasrot@comcast.net

Alterman highlights Center for Women
Organization offers lots of programs for women ...and men

AUGUST 19, 2003 — Club member Jennet Robinson Alterman, the Executive Director of the Center for Women, shared with Rotarians some glum statistics related to women, as well as highlighted the many opportunities the Center offers to assist women in their daily lives.

For example, according to Alterman, twenty-five percent of women in South Carolina will suffer abuse by an intimate partner. One half of all females aged 15 to 54 years has some form of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. In South Carolina, Caucasion women make only 71 cents for every dollar earned by a male in this state — minorities earn even less.

Despite the hurdles often faced by women, Altermann proclaimed “I come with good news.” Since January of this year, the Center for Women has conducted over 40 programs and reached out to more than 3000 women across the Lowcountry. Through referrals for services, short-term counseling, peer support groups, and educational outreach programs, the Center is making a difference in the lives of many local residents.

Topics covered in the support groups and educational sessions include: depression, divorce and separation, health insurance, business support, domestic violence, adoption, working from home, breast cancer awareness, and parenting issues.

Men are welcome to participate in any of the services offered at the Center.

The Center for Women is located at 531 Savannah Highway in Charleston, and can be reached at 763-7333 or by emailing to C4Women@bellsouth.net. Further details are available from the webpage found at www.C4Women.org.

-- Amy Jenkins

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