Women's fund awards WeARE $7,000 grant

Accepting the grant check is Becky Twamley (center), executive director of WeARE Advocates for Reproductive Education, given by Karen Munsterteiger and Jennifer Bergman, both Brainerd Lakes Area Women’s Fund board of directors members. Submitted photo

By Brainerd Dispatch

June 15, 2017 at 10:38 PM

The Brainerd Lakes Area Women's Fund awarded a $7,000 grant to WeARE Advocates for Reproductive Education at its recent Women Making Waves award ceremony.

The funds will go toward the organization's efforts for reproductive health education and services, including opening a clinic in the fall of 2017.

"Our organization is a strong supporter and advocate of WeARE," stated Jill Carlson, president of the women's fund, in a news release. "Their steadfast efforts continue toward helping change the unacceptable statistics in our county regarding teen pregnancy and the epidemic rates of infections, especially chlamydia. WeARE needs to be recognized and supported by the entire community for the work they are doing. We stand by their mission and will continue to support them in the future to keep their clinic growing here in the Brainerd lakes area."

After offering monthly education and advocacy in the lakes area for the past two years, WeARE will soon provide clinic services including education, birth control, and testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. The clinic will open the first part of October on James Street in Brainerd and will initially have clinic hours two afternoons a week. While focusing on the underserved population of youths and young adults, the release stated, no one will be turned away.

"We truly appreciate this grant money from the Women's Fund," stated Becky Twamley, executive director of WeARE, in the release. "This is the second grant that we've received from this strong organization and, because of them and so many other strong community supporters and donors, we will be able to open our clinic this fall."

WeARE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. For more information, visit www.wearebrainerd.org or email wearebrainerd@gmail.com .

The Brainerd Lakes Area Women's Fund is a program within the Central Lakes Community Foundation and a supporter of issues relating to the health and wellness of women and girls in the community. Visit www.communitygiving.org/BrainerdWomensFund for more information.