Group: CORE 6

Intro

The Women’s Resource Center was formed in 1975 to provide victims of domestic violence,

sexual violence and stalking in the Norman community with the resources to live in a safer tomorrow

(Women’s Resource Center, GiveSmart). The WRCs mission is, “We believe that women have the right

to live in safety, to be treated with dignity, to make choices and to hope” (Women’s Resource Center,

GiveSmart). Kristy Stewart, executive director, and the person responsible for forming this organization

has helped maintain the WRC for 34 years (Women’s Resource Center, GiveSmart).

The WRC has grown at a rapid rate and is constantly in need of more resources and funding.

Over the past years, the WRC has incorporated new events, updated features to the WRC and added

members to their staff and volunteers (Women’s Resource Center, GiveSmart). The WRC Gala is a new

event that raises money, resources and awareness about domestic violence (Women’s Resource Center,

GiveSmart). The WRC depends on the funds of grants, donations, including resources and money,

employees and volunteers to maintain sustainability (Women’s Resource Center, GiveSmart).

Just over the last year, WRC has positively impacted the community by providing over 3,300

crisis calls, providing space for 215 residents, court advocacy to 83 people, continued resources to victims

and their families and adding more services to help treat victims physically (WRC Programs, 2019).

Overall, the organization is multiplying in size rapidly and needs more space, more funding, a better

recruiting system for adding members to the board of directors and volunteers to continue providing

services (Women’s Resource Center, GiveSmart). In the future, the organization may face change over

the potential rebranding of the name and the growth of the organization (WRC Programs, 2019).

Culture of the Organization

The WRC firmly believes in its ability to positively impact the community and create room for

growth. The organization expects to serve any and all victims in order to decrease the statistics of

domestic violence. The WRC has a unique social and psychological environment of the organization in

the sense that the center’s safe house is a secret location in hopes to keep victims location out of the
wrong person’s hands (WRC Programs, 2019). The organization is accustomed to being creative with

their workspace as they are limited in space. The WRC takes advantage of any and all ways to empower

their organization.

Finances of the organization

The Women’s Resource Center is primarily funded by the community through various

partnerships, fundraising galas, and customer loyalty. The WRC is in need of both monetary donations

and practical household items for the tenants. The WRC has partnered with a variety of organizations

including some LGBTQ, Male Survivors groups and even organizations at the University of Oklahoma

targeting domestic violence. The idea that most consumers are better off after obtaining the resources that

the center has to offer is one piece of practical evidence that can keep donations coming. Essentially

customer confidence builds revenue for this organization (Women’s Resource Center, 2019). The

company itself has a grand total of 63 staff and volunteers. 12 of those are full time staff, 13 are part-time

and the rest are volunteers (Women’s Resource Center, 2019). Because the WRC provides free services to

the victims, it is essential to have volunteers who understand that justice needs to be had for these victims

and that exceeds any monetary payment.

Political Influences on the Organization

When considering how political influences may affect the WRC, it’s imperative to think beyond

taxes, war, or the stock market and rather into legal forces or even political opinions on what the

organization stands for. The fluctuation of the stock market may set the WRC up for losing donors, but

that is an inevitable force. Political opinions stimulating conversation and action in the realm of domestic

violence are huge potential problems or benefits for the organization. The public opinion of the WRC is

caused by direct interaction with the organization. The WRC has been serving victims for 34 years and

has proved its commitment through its growth and dedication to each victim (Women’s Resource Center,

2019). Thanks to the support of the community, the WRC is rated 4.9 out of 5 stars on google and has

shown promise to victims and families (Women’s Resource Center, 2019). Within the community, the

WRC has made it known that victims are able to receive help from the center. The center also receives
donations to able to serve victims. The community helps fund the center through various fundraisers or

events. The WRC has built great trust between members in the community and have proven to be an

effective organization with a pressing cause worth donating to (Women’s Resource Center, 2019).

Key Facts
The Women’s Resource Center was established in the winter of 1973-74 and became an official

organization in 1975 (Women’s Resource Center, 2019). The history of Women’s Resource Center was it

was established by Pat French to provide seminars for women undergoing and anticipating change in their

lives. These changes were women seeking employment or returning to school after spending some years

out of school and the workforce, or women facing the difficulties of divorce or children leaving home. Pat

French soon realized that the short-term seminar was insufficient to develop self-confidence in women.

Therefore in 1974, Lydia Massey of the Community Mental Health Center made the satellite office. The

first “Women in Transition” groups began an eight-week series in January 1974. Evaluations by

participants encouraged the two leaders to continue having the series. In the fall of 1974, the Women’s

Resource Center was officially incorporated. The first permanent geographical site was established at the

Norman Public Schools Central Warehouse. During the first two weeks of operation, 85 women enrolled

in classes or groups or called the Center for counseling or had volunteered help. In January 1975 the

Norman Police department agreed to work through the Center to provide counseling services for rape

victims. The Center continues to grow each month rapidly. During the spring of 1976, the Center applied

for the United Way of Norman for funding. They were admitted as a new United Way agency in 1976 and

received their first funds for 1977. The Women’s Resource Center opened the Norman Shelter for

Battered Women on March 3, 1980. The shelter provided counseling and basic life necessities to women

who before had no safe place to escape from abuse. During the first ten years of operation, the number of

women and children through the shelter’s doors exceeded 5000 (Women’s Resource Center, 2019). Since

becoming an organization in 1973 the organization has not received any awards.
 Women’s Resource Center is a socially responsible organization because it provides services to

help the community. They provide advocay, crisis intervention, supportive services, education group and

sexual assault support groups (Women’s Resource Center, 2019).

What distinguishes the Women’s Resource Center from their competitors is they have a rape

crisis center. The Rape Crisis Center is the only facility like it in the state of Oklahoma. At the Center,

they provide crisis intervention, advocacy, supportive services, and follow up services to victims of

sexual violence. At the Rape Crisis Center, a sexual assault nurse examiners provide forensic medical

exams and expert testimony for victims of rape (Women’s Resource Center, 2019).

Women’s Resource Center brands itself off of women. In the mission statement, they explicitly

state women, “we believe that women have the right to live in safety, to be treated with dignity, to make

choices, and to hope.” They are looking to create a new mission statement because donors believe this is

more of a vision statement than a mission. They are also want to rebrand themselves with a different logo.

Their current logo portrays four women holding hands. The challenge the organization is facing is that

they want to be more inclusive to men and the LGBTQ community. The organization desires to rebrand

itself to be more inclusive. However, they don’t want to lose stakeholders who identify with the

organization because the brand is tailored towards women (Women’s Resource Center, 2019).

Direct Competitors are organizations in Clevland County that provide the same services for

domestic and sexual abuse, advocacy and rape crisis services. These organizations include Family

Builders, Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and YWCA. Family

Builders and Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence offer services beyond just to women. They

brand themselves as an organization that offers services to any gender and any age. YWCA states women

in their mission statement and identifies as also being an organization that helps women (YMCA, n.d.).

The Indirect Competitors of Women’s Resource Center is the Norman Police Department. They

help women get out of domestic abuse relationships and provide services to help with rape crisis. Policy

makers in Cleveland County are also an indirect competitor.

Key Features
 The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) main service was to provide resources, shelter, and a

community for victims of sexual violence. The WRC does not exclusively serve women. The center

distinguished itself from similar programs by providing free services as well as services that are designed

to provide “more” for victims. These included a shelter for pets whose owners have experienced sexual

violence, secret canisters to deliver information about the WRC to potential victims, and children’s

programs for children of victims.

The purpose of these services was to rebuild the lives of victims of sexual violence, raise

awareness, and prevent future cases of sexual violence. The services existed to adapt and grow with

changing needs that victims of sexual violence had.

The WRC had a shelter for people who need immediate or temporary housing following a sexual

violence incident. The center also had a Rape Crisis Center to attend to victims who needed aftercare or a

domestic violence exam. The WRC had a satellite office that provided communities, legal counsel and

advocacy. Daisy’s Place operated as a shelter for pets whose owners experienced sexual violence. These

served as umbrella areas for all of the center’s resources and programs.

Kristy Stewart was the executive director and continued to grow the center’s resources and reach.

She started as a volunteer, then moved to full-time staff and eventually executive director (Norman

Transcript).

The vendors, or donors, for The Women’s Resource Center include United Way Norman, the

Office of the Attorney General, Cleveland County and the VOCA, or Victim of Crime Assistance, group.

All of these vendors have made a large contribution to The WRC and assure that it runs smoothly.

Although each organization is different, their donations have made The WRC a more successful place

allowing them to purchase more food, toiletries and other needed products to support their clients in the

proper way. When United Way Norman agreed to lend their assistance to The WRC it pointed the

organization in the correct direction. United Way Norman is a company that dedicates their time towards

raising money for various organizations they see worthy, one being The Women’s Resource Center.
 The Women’s Resource Center underwent many processes before it became what it is today. It

was originally created to provide workshops and seminars for women whose lives were unpredictable and

constantly changing. Women who would attend were facing difficulties in their lives, including divorce,

unemployment and other life altering events. The founder of the organization realized workshops were

not effective enough to help the women long-term. The founders became more invested in the

organization and decided to take to take it a step farther. They began to focus on the women’s mental

health and confidence. The feedback from this was positive and eventually lead to the creation of the

Women’s Resource Center. As the corporation progressed, new branches were added such as the Rape

Crisis Center. This focuses on women who are in need after facing a form of sexual abuse. The WRC is

constantly adding new centers to better improve their organization and reach different audiences of those

in need.

The WRC has multiple locations in Oklahoma. If a woman is in need, she is able to select the

nearest location based on her proximity. The WRC has various locations around Oklahoma to ensure a

victim can select the one that is the easiest. Volunteers open their homes to women who need a discreet

place to stay to avoid danger. Therefore, The WRC is everywhere. They are constantly helping victims

who are placed in different areas of Oklahoma. The WRC can also be reached through their website.

There is contact information where a woman can talk to someone who wants to help. The WRC does a

great job at providing different routes for women to reach out if they are in need.

Key Publics

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) worked to meet the needs of women and men that are

victims of domestic and sexual violence. The WRC provided specialized services regardless of race,

religion, age, sexual orientation, degree of disability, or legal status. Through these services, the WRC

sought to provide a safe space and prevent future gender-based violence through prevention and

education. The organization gave its clients the opportunity to regain control of their lives mentally,

physically, and psychologically.

 Clients, clients’ families, and clients’ pets were provided an emergency shelter, complete with

education groups and safety procedures to ensure protection and privacy. The organization was dedicated

to the idea that people in the community deserve options that provide practical solutions to their issues,

celebrate their accomplishments, and give opportunities to future generations. The Women’s Resource

Center aimed to utilize trauma-informed techniques to help victims recover from their circumstances. The

trauma-informed process included:

● Realizing the widespread impact of trauma and understanding of potential paths for

recovery.

● Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma amongst family, friends, colleagues, and

others

● Responding by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and

practices

● Resisting re-traumatization

Through this process, the Women’s Resource Center gave victims, family members, and

surrounding community members the tools to recognize the internal and external signs of trauma and

know how to help people close to them that are in need. While a majority of funding comes from grants,

the Women’s Resource Center has always been open to donations, such as personal hygiene items,

clothing, food, entertainment and bedding supplies. Donors have been open to offer all types of donations.

Unrestricted donations have been offered in the form of supplies or small monetary amounts, as well as

the freedom to donate through various events throughout the year. The organization’s restricted donors

included the Attorney General’s Office, VOCA grant (Victim of Crime Assistance), Cleveland County,

City of Norman, and United Way.

Volunteers were always open to help out at the Women’s Resource Center. Following a thorough

training, volunteer duties traditionally included helping with our crisis hotline and procuring donations.

The Board of Directors of the Women’s Resource Center consisted of seven dedicated

individuals: Senior DVSV Advocate Kisha Johnson, Rape Crisis Center Director Courtney Foster, SANE
Coordinator Amber Scroggins, Satellite Office Coordinator Debby Hooks, Director of Development Kyla

McMoran, and Bookkeeper Randy Jorgensen. Johnson worked within the emergency shelter; Foster and

Scroggins worked under the Rape Crisis Center. Hooks worked at the satellite office, and McMoran and

Jorgensen operated in administration. Staff also included numerous passionate advocates and workers

who operated under the Board of Directors.

The Women’s Resource Center was a powerful outlet for college students. 11.2% of all students

experienced rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation (rainn.org). The

Women’s Resource Center provided advice and counseling on how to handle and process sexual violence

as a college student. Many organizations partnered with the Women’s Resource Center to maximize the

organization’s services and accomplish the group’s mission, including, but not limited to, the National

Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, RAINN, Teens Against Abuse, the National Stalking Resource

Center, and OU Women’s Outreach Center.

The Women’s Resource Center was unique through its view of education. The Center believes

that education is the first step toward prevention. Information made people be more sensitive to the needs

of victims of violence, more willing to take a hard look at the causes of these crimes, and better able to

find ways to prevent them.

 Works Cited

“Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics.” RAINN, https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence.

Family Builders (2018). Who We Are. Retrieved from https://familybuildersok.org

Women's Resource Center. (2019). Retrieved from

https://givesmartokc.guidestar.org/profile/1142568/women's-resource-center.aspx

Women’s Resource Center (2019). WRC Programs 2019 [PowerPoint Slides]. Retrieved . . from
https://canvas.ou.edu/courses/142469/files/folder/Client%20information?preview=17092047

YWCA (n.d.). Programs. Retrieved from https://www.ywcaokc.org/programs

Norman Transcript (2014). Stewart journeys from volunteer to director at Women’s Resource Center
Retrieved from https://www.normantranscript.com/news/local_news/stewart-journeys-
from-volunteer-to-director-at-women-s-resource/article_81f34efd-4337-5bbf-8fab-c661cbeeaa2c.html