Nurturing the whole woman

Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005

I love the commercial that shows three little girls with three half full glasses of milk each trying to dunk a cookie into their respective glasses. They realize that in order to enjoy their cookies, they must share the milk to achieve their goal.

Organizations such as Virtuous Enterprises Inc. remind me that—like those three girls—we must share positive resources to effect a change in the lives of women.

Virtuous Enterprises is an organization that helps to provide spiritual, educational and economic empowerment programs to under-served women and girls in the region. Deborah M. Avens of Fort Washington founded the organization in 1994.

Throughout her tenure working in the private and public sectors, Avens said she found herself counseling women about marriage, careers, money and their relationship with God.

Avens said she decided to form Virtuous Enterprises after a former co-worker walked into her office and said that God had sent Avens into her life to help reconcile her marriage and improve her relationship with her daughters. Two weeks later, Avens was laid off and decided to officially form Virtuous Enterprises.

‘‘I discovered that many of the experiences and challenges the women were facing derived from their attempt to live their lives without God,” Avens said. ‘‘And at the time that Virtuous Enterprises Inc. was formed, there weren’t too many organizations that ministered to the needs of the whole woman.”

Virtuous Enterprises has formed several programs to enhance the lives of youth and women.

* The Girls⁄Tech Enrichment program was designed to increase the percentage of women college graduates in computer science, engineering and computer information systems.

* The Mobile Employment and Technology Training Program helps homeless women achieve economic independence with employment and technology skills training at rural shelters with laptop computers.

* ME First is a sex education and pregnancy prevention program for girls ages 12 to 18 that aims to decrease teen pregnancy and premarital sex among adolescent girls through education, mentoring and counseling. In June, ME First held its first teen conference. Teens that attended have requested the program hold a conference to teach parents how to discuss sex without being judgmental.

* The Della K. Chewning Kidney Fund is a program that Avens started in honor of her mother, who was a kidney dialysis patient for more than 20 years. The fund provides free nutritional packages and supplements to low-income dialysis patents at the dialysis center where her mother was treated prior to her death.

‘‘One of the most significant challenges I believe that young women face today is accepting themselves and embracing the way God has created them,” Avens said.

She added that many young women are still searching for acceptance from men due to the absence of fathers in their lives, and they have problems with trusting a parent or guardian to discuss teen issues such as sex, self-esteem and life purpose.

The group will hold its third annual jazz gala at 8 p.m. Oct. 21 at Tantallon Country Club in Fort Washington. Proceeds will be used for the programs mentioned. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Y. Renee Dudley at 301-203-4888 or by visiting www.VEINC.org.