Since its establishment in Kerrville in 1999, the Christian Women’s Job Corps has provided Hill Country women with the resources and support needed to succeed beyond any barriers in life.
The CWJC welcomed its first graduating class in the spring of 2000. Since then, over 523 Hill Country women have completed their workforce development programs.
“We serve women going through any type of transition, whether that’s divorce, being widowed, or helping women coming out of addictions to get everything together. Women come into the program not able to dream, but by the end, they have goals. They leave with a plan of action,” CWJC Executive Director Edna Vandiver said.
The CWJC programming consists of a 12-week program for women ages 18 to 70, which offers fellowship, mentorship, and a variety of lifestyle and work skills courses aimed at instilling career confidence in its students.
“On the work side of things, we do career assessments right off the bat – it gets them on track. Then for people who have never had a resume before, we teach them about transferable skills,” Vandiver said.
Women attend the CWJC courses free-of-charge, thanks to the community support through donations and volunteering.
“All of our teachers are volunteers. This year, with all of our programming, we have 45 volunteers teaching classes like parenting and personal discovery, healthy relationships, and money management,” Vandiver said.
Recently, the CWJC has been able to expand its programming to also offer an evening option, doubling the amount of women they were able to serve in past years.
“In the last two years we have added evening classes, which opens us up for a lot more people. Our class sizes are limited to 10 students, so now we’re able to meet the needs of 20 women a semester instead of just 10,” Vandiver said.
The annual CWJC’s Leading Ladies Style Show fundraiser turns students into models and showcases the confidence they have earned through their hard work.
“The models are women going through the program, at the end of the 12-weeks, we get to see how they have confidence and dreams for their futures,” Vandiver said.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CWJC helping Hill Country women, the annual Style Show is set to feature alumni from previous classes as well as former staff.
“Style Show is coming up May 6, and we’re inviting all past graduates, board members, and directors. This summer, on June 7, we’re going to have a picnic in the park for all our alumni and their families, as well as volunteers from the past to come in. Then in September, we’re planning a big open house,” Vandiver said.
The CWJC will continue to celebrate its anniversary with events throughout the year highlighting community and healing. To support the CWJC, those interested in sponsoring meals for students or donating can contact the CWJC on line by logging onto www.cwjckerrcounty.org.