Lynn McLaughlin, founder of DandAlliance, LLC, has been through multiple grant interviews, but she says one with Girl-Powered Giving program participants was the one of the most in-depth.

“The girls were all engaged and asking questions,” McLaughlin says. “It was wonderful to see what we were doing resonated with them.”

Offered through the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region, the Girl-Powered Giving program teaches girls to embrace their power to change the world and become the next generation of thoughtful and effective givers. Twelve high school girls decide how to award $10,000 in grants to area nonprofits.

The girls chose to award a $5,000 grant to Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative, of which McLaughlin’s organization is a member. The grant allows more people to receive eCPR training, where “e” stands for emotional, “c” for connecting, “p” for empowering and “r” revitalizing.

“It was great to see these girls understood that more work is needed around emotional health and what steps they can take to improve not only their own emotional health, but others, too,” McLaughlin says.

Through the grant, McLaughlin will provide training sessions to young people ages 18 to 25, who will have the opportunity to explore their relationship with emotions, increase their understanding of the biology of emotion and identify the ways that they currently interact with their emotions and the emotions of others.

Julie Keller

“eCPR helps people in the day-to-day setting so there’s not a build-up to an emotional crisis,” McLaughlin says. “Anyone can learn eCPR and use it to help other people. It’s really about learning how to sit and listen to others expressing their emotion.”

McLaughlin says eCPR is something that can be continually practiced, adding she’s conducted regular training since 2019.

Sign up for a free eCPR training sessions via Zoom.

Another  $5,000 grant was awarded by Girl-Powered Giving to Exceptional Equestrians, which promotes physical and mental health through equine therapy.

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The Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region is a supporting organization of the Community Foundation and a separate 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. The Women’s Fund invests in the needs of women and girls through grants, advocacy and education. Since 1994, the Women’s Fund has awarded more than $1.8 million in grants to innovative programs that improve women’s and girls’ physical and mental health, ensure their economic security, promote their safety and enhance their lives.