Congratulations, Juliana!

Originally Posted on March 14th, 2011

Juliana Kerrest, our stellar AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator completed her year of service, and in the entrepreneurial spirit of EWI launched her own business. We are very proud of all she’s accomplished since joining EWI in September 2009, and are looking forward to supporting her new endeavors.

 

In a relatively short period of time, Juliana contributed a wealth of talent and strategic thinking to help EWI grow its programs and develop new streams of revenue by creating an online store, managing a micro-enterprise program, and promoting and managing a series of artists markets and events.

 

Not only has she empowered and assisted EWI student entrepreneurs and graduates in building their businesses, but she herself launched her own online store to sell her beautiful photography, decorated stitch art, and embroidered jewelry. Last week, Juliana attended her first artists’ market, Art Carnage at The Soundry, Vienna, VA, not as an EWI staff member, but as an entrepreneur, marketing her own art and telling her own story. We will be missing Juliana dearly, but we know she will transform lives wherever she goes.

 

Read Juliana’s full success story written by Paula Margus.

 

What Makes EWI a Great Nonprofit Empowering Women?

Originally Posted on June 18th, 2010

June 8, 2010 — During the month of May, GreatNonprofits.org, an online place to find trustworthy nonprofits, ran a campaign to find the top-rated nonprofits empowering women. Thank you to all of you who reviewed EWI. We are grateful for your feedback and encourage all who have not done this yet to take a moment and submit your review.

What really makes us great and our organization so special is the quality and dedication of the people that serve with EWI. From our dedicated board members to our most extraordinary staff, everyone on our team works with passion to deliver the very best service and impart knowledge to our clients.

This month, I want to take a moment to feature our volunteer staff who work tirelessly every day to provide vital services that help new immigrant women, refugees, and their families get started on the path to self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship.

Michelle Somerday, our Development Volunteer, works 15-20 hours a week to help EWI better define, support, and communicate its programs and services. Michelle is a self-employed independent business consultant.

Laura Usrey, our Volunteer Summer Intern, is a senior at T.C. Williams High School. She is about to finish her internship with EWI and will have given over 75 hours of service. One of her projects was to assist us in building an online Graduate Directory to feature our talented and successful artists and entrepreneurs.

Juliana Kerrest, our full-time AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, is an amazingly gifted person with incredible dedication, passion and energy to empower women. One of the many projects Juliana is leading is the EWI online Etsy gift shop, that features more than 30 exquisite jewelry designs, hand painted silk scarves and notecards made by our beneficiaries and graduates. Check out our online Etsy Shop and support EWI!

Sharmila Karamchandani, our Client Services Manager, is a graduate of our Entrepreneur Training for Success and a dedicated educator. Sharmila conducts the client intake interviews and provides career and business coaching to help immigrant and refugee women achieve their career and business goals.

Kudos to these and all of our amazing volunteers who contribute thousands of service hours every year to empower women and transform their livelihoods. We couldn’t have done it without you! You continue to empower and inspire me to pursue my vision and lead EWI to success!

Warmest Wishes,

Marga Fripp
President EWI