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Teaching Women How to Thrive Area non-profit offers programs to women to get back on their feet Part One by stephanie foster F orty percent of American heads of household are women with challenging life situations — divorce, spouse death or single parenting — that require them to work harder than ever or to re-enter the workforce. Thrive the Healing Center, a non-profit located in Spotsylvania County, works to equip women in these unfavorable situations with the skills they need to not only re-enter the workforce, but to succeed. As an organization, Thrive has been empowering women since its founding through programs designed to teach balance, wellness and essential life skills. With its new grant-funded Employment Preparation, Marketing, and Career Coaching program, Thrive is now taking even greater steps to ensure that women have the opportunity to successfully provide for their families. Kris Ringhoffer and Joanie Walsh elaborated on the new workforce reentry program and how it will serve and strengthen the community. Although the Employment Program can boost any woman looking to reenter the workforce, Thrive hopes that it will reach and empower the "unidentified" women who, for some intangible reason, are falling through the cracks of other, larger reemployment programs. Many programs in our area, including those offered by the Virginia Workforce Connection and Germanna Community College, have excellent, well-constructed systems for skills-building, resume prep and group sessions aimed at helping large quantities of people. Working with these other local nonprofits, Thrive is creating a system that will help reach 18 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • May 2013 Join us Saturday June 1 • 10am - 2pm at Goodwill Community Resource Center for the Holistic Wellness & Healing Arts Festival those women who not only need the skills building, but also need a well-rounded, emotional touch to get to the heart of their struggles. This is where Thrive excels: healing women emotionally, spiritually and mentally while instilling balance in their lives. So what will Thrive's Employment Preparation, Marketing, and Career Coaching program offer to local women? In addition to resume writing workshops, mock interview sessions and skills assessments built through their local partnerships, Thrive's program will also provide women with services like free life coaching, image consulting and access to their other, esteem building and life skills courses. These services can be potentially life altering for someone who has consistently struggled to obtain and succeed in a job despite their best efforts. According to Ringhoffer, the life coaching alone is of such great value that all women should take advantage of it. "Life coaching isn't necessarily for people who are having struggles," she said. "Life coaching is for winners." Thrive's certified life coaches bring different backgrounds to the table, including experience in human resources and employment. To read more about THRIVE's programs for women, visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net.