CHICAGO – September 3rd, 2019 – The Junior League of Chicago (JLC) received a $5,000 grant from the A. Montgomery Ward Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee, to support its community-based efforts at The Women’s Treatment Center (TWTC), which supports women who are recovering from addiction to rebuild their lives with their families and successfully re-enter the workforce.  While women are in treatment, their children up to the age of five can live with them.

With this grant, the JLC will improve operations at TWTC’s Clothing Room, a volunteer boutique run by the JLC. The boutique allows women and children at the Center, many of whom arrive with few or no belongings, to select from donated clothing in a dignified setting. This grant will allow the JLC to install a commercial-quality washer and dryer, so volunteers can ensure all donated items are in the best possible condition for re-use.

“We are so appreciative of this grant, which will help us improve our work at The Women’s Treatment Center,” says Abigail Gravenhorst, JLC’s TWTC Co-Chair of the TWTC Committee.  “Using the funds to install a heavy-duty, commercial quality washer and dryer, the TWTC Committee will be able to efficiently send clean donations to the Clothing Room at the same pace at which we receive them. Having a more fully stocked Clothing Room will ensure that more women are able to find what they need to wear to work, job interviews, and counseling sessions, along with weather appropriate clothing as the seasons change, and access to clothing for their young children as they grow into new sizes.”

The A. Montgomery Ward Foundation and the JLC work to provide the Chicagoland community with high-quality educational and cultural programming for underserved populations including women and children. Together, the JLC and the A. Montgomery Ward Foundation hope to enrich the lives of these families impacted by addiction with education and cultural exposure.

To learn more about the impact the JLC has on the community, please visit www.jlchicago.org.

About the Women’s Treatment Center (TWTC):

The Women’s Treatment Center is an Illinois 501(c)(3) agency, located on Chicago’s Near West side, established to provide a comprehensive family-based treatment program for women 18+ who are battling addiction. TWTC is the only substance abuse treatment center in the state focused solely on women and specializing in treatment that is framed and informed by women’s issues. Their continuum of care enables women to remain with their young children, and transition from addiction to recovery with the ultimate goal of rebuilding families to lead productive lives. For more information, visit http://www.womenstreatmentcenter.org.

About the Junior League of Chicago (JLC):

Junior League of Chicago, Inc. (JLC) is a metropolitan organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Since 1912, JLC has been building a better Chicago by training our members to be leaders and by providing valuable volunteer service hours and critical funding to area nonprofits. This year, more than 1,500 JLC members will contribute more than 50,000 hours of volunteer service annually for Chicago area projects that focus on at-risk families, especially women and children. The JLC reaches out to women of all races, religions and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and a commitment to volunteerism. For more information about the Junior League of Chicago, visit www.jlchicago.org. Connect with the JLC on social media anytime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @JuniorLeagueChi.