I served on the board 2004-2010, as chair for the first three years, and continue as a volunteer, most recently as a co-chair for the Power of One event celebrating Jean Ledwith King. The Women's Center is unique and essential to our community, providing a safety net of comprehensive critical services under one roof and making them affordable. No one is turned away. The Center's work consists not only in providing human services, but more importantly in implementing a vision of social justice in terms of gender and socio-economic class. In spite of the current economy, the Center continues to deliver high quality services because, in part, it draws in professionals who volunteer their skills and time, which have a dollar value of 1.5 times the annual operating budget. In addition to direct programs and services, the Center has created a General Resources document in order to provide accurate responses to callers (3000 annually) needing critical information about food, shelter, medical care, etc. As a result the Center has become the go-to organization for other organizations that need to know how and where to refer their own callers and clients. The Center is unique and essential in our community in addressing the emotional and financial challenges of women who have nowhere else to go.