Hero Story

In February 1993, after seeing a call to action on a flyer, Saginaw native Evelyn McGovern met with 15 or 20 other women at a club. The women who gathered there that day had at least two things in common: they cared about their community and wanted to make a difference. It was during that meeting that the organization Women of Colors was formed.

Violent crime in Saginaw’s neighborhoods was one of the first causes members rallied around. They marched through crime infested neighborhoods to protest the violence that was pervasive at the time and to show support for mothers who had lost their children due to crime.

McGovern didn’t know it then, but she was helping to lay the groundwork for a nonprofit organization that would still be central to her life and would be contributing to her community three decades later. She also found volunteer work to be therapeutic as she was grieving the loss of her mother, who died in a crash in 1992. McGovern was involved in the crash and was so badly injured she had to miss her mother’s funeral. Volunteering kept her from focusing on her depression.

About a year after that first meeting, McGovern applied for Women of Colors’ 501(c)(3) status, taking it from a small unofficial group of concerned citizens to a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.

Since its inception, Women of Colors has consistently shown an unwavering dedication to the Saginaw community for nearly 30 years. Women of Colors has been positively impacting the community through the prevention and education programs, clothing giveaways, and community forums. Statistics from previous years indicate that Women of Colors annually serves more than 18,000 community members. Women of Colors continues to grow, expand its reach, and impact more people every year.

WOC has an extensive successful track record of involvement in the community. WOC's specific community experience includes a broad spectrum of programs and services, including:

The Students and Future Technology (SaFT) Program:
This initiative is aimed at improving students' understanding and current knowledge of science and math concepts. Through a partnership with the First Ward Community Center and DOW Promise support, we were able to purchase the first zSpace 3D Virtual Reality STEM lab in the State of Michigan and mentor over 100 low-income students per year. Student performance and growth is measured by the rate at which each student satisfactorily accomplishes the project-based learning tasks. This data over the first three years of the SaFT program indicates students achieved a 90 percent success rate and were able to advance one level for every six class sessions.

Great Empowering Motivational Sessions (GEMS):
A youth mentoring program directed to girls 6-18 years of age and boys 6-12 years old. The program helped boost self-esteem of the participants and strengthened their commitment to academic success and personal goal setting.

Annual Warm a Child for Winter Coat giveaway & Children’s Spring clothing giveaway:
Annually provide coats, hats, scarves, gloves, books, and much more to children.
Over 600 children participated with the Warm a Child for Winter event in 2021 and were supplied with winter outerwear and much more. Over 3,350 children have received donations since 2014.

Prevention Programs (Prime for Life, Botvin Life Skills, Racial Justice Prevention Plus Wellness, & Beat the Streets):
Across a variety of settings program evaluations consistently show participants benefit from programs, including improvements in risk perceptions, increased motivation to reduce risk, greater readiness to change behavior, and recognition of positive support for change. Students are surveyed and evaluated on the program topics of discussion by instructors to assess their skills improvement and abilities. After completing the programs, most participants express confidence in planning to reduce their risk and enhanced life skills.

Community Forums:
WOC has reached thousands of community members through monthly forums broadcast live through Alpha Media radio station’s The Moose, WSGW, WTLZ, and WGER, the WOC Facebook Page, and available on-demand through the WOC TV Network. The forums are co-hosted with partner organizations and are focused on helping vulnerable and abused residents move past their personal trauma and overcome life obstacles. A variety of crucial topics are discussed including domestic violence, racism, mental health, suicide, criminal justice, sexual abuse disorder, and human trafficking.

Racial Disparities in Behavioral Health Care Project:
In 2021, Women of Colors received 200,000 from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund for the Racial Disparities in Behavioral Health Care Project. WOC has partnered with several community organizations to conduct research in Saginaw County through surveys, one-on-one interviews and listening sessions on the experiences of African Americans less likely to receive behavioral healthcare. We’re in the process of analyzing the findings so that recommendations can be made to healthcare providers and lawmakers on the necessary steps to initiate and direct necessary changes. This project is the first of its kind in Saginaw, Michigan.

Stronger Together 12-Step (support group for family/friends of people suffering with addictions):
WOC developed a partnership/chapter with Families Against Narcotics to implement the Stronger Together 12 Step program in a central location in the City of Saginaw. Stronger Together is an addiction support group for family and friends of people struggling with addiction. Participants join meetings, which offer compassion, support, and healing to those who need it. It also includes a unique 12-step recovery plan that can help participants move from a life of despair to a life of hope and purpose.