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ORU grant helps improve walkway for pregnancy nonprofit
members of the board of trustees present a grant to
the Wiregrass Emergency Pregnancy Service.
The Wiregrass Emergency Pregnancy Service in Enterprise has a lot of needs. One thing it no longer needs to worry about is the walkway leading from the rear parking lot up to the main entrance.
“Just as we look to really improve our client experience, we wanted to update our steps to be more ergonomic and a better flow for our clients,” WEPS Executive Director Tamara Davis says.
The walkway project received help from a $1,250 grant funded through the Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s Operation Round Up Foundation. The funds are generated by members who participate by rounding up their monthly bills to the next dollar.
WEPS is a resource center that helps women throughout their pregnancies with everything from applying for health insurance and food assistance to parenting classes after their children are born.
leading from the rear parking lot up to the sidewalk
and main entrance at the Enterprise nonprofit.
Davis says the programs offered by WEPS are about empowering motherhood. Services include an “earn while you learn” parenting program. Women are assigned mentors to help them through 10 lessons. Once they complete the program, participants receive a new transition car seat that is good for seven years. Participants can also earn credit for items like nursing pillows and infant clothing by watching other parenting videos.
“It’s one thing to learn something, but we want to equip them,” Davis says. “So, everything that they’re learning, we want to equip them to use.”
WEC Vice President of Member Services and Business and Community Development Stevie Sauls says Operation Round Up grants like the one provided to the Wiregrass Emergency Pregnancy Service would not be possible without the support of the cooperative’s board of trustees and membership.
“We average around 88% of our membership who allows us to round up their utility bill to the nearest dollar each month,” Sauls says. “All 100% of those funds go into our foundation, and then we’re able to give those funds back through grants and emergency response and community outreach to great things like this. We’re just blessed to be able to do it, and we couldn’t do it without our membership and without our board supporting it.”