An Income of Her Own
History
Little did members of the San Antonio Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners® know that what started as a one-day conference to mentor to high school teen women would become a nine-month program. In 1999 Lynn Weirich and Dixie Kingston, both past NAWBO Presidents and founders of the San Antonio Chapter, launched the entrepreneurial conference An Income of Her Own. Curriculum used at the conference was developed by woman-owned Independent Means Inc., leading provider of programs and products for training young people in financial independence.
Even in the first year of the program, Chapter members realized they wanted the high school teens and school staff to experience more than just the one-day conference. Through her mentoring experience Lynn Weirich also saw a need to open students minds to entrepreneurship possibilities. The idea was to bring young teen women together with women business owners through fun, interactive events known as Business Connections, through mentoring sessions with the teens at their schools and through a venue whereby the teens could earn college scholarships. From a pilot program developed at Business Careers High School (BCHS) over ten years ago, Chapter members have remained committed to growing the An Income of Her Own® program.
Since the program began, over 1100 freshmen through senior high school teen women from nearly thirty different schools and community agencies have participated. Students have received $57,000 in college scholarships and awards such as entrepreneur camp tuition, computers, printers and other items. The majority of the students come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, attend schools that are in the enterprise zone of San Antonio, and are considered part of an under-served, high-need population.
Program Description
The 2009-2010 Schedule of Events describes the specific events in the program, including a minimum of six months of entrepreneurial and mentoring programs designed to encourage young women to stay in school, to help them see business ownership as a viable career choice, and to introduce them to a variety of industries and careers.
To participate, students write essays in which they describe their future goals and why they want to become entrepreneurs. Throughout the year, the young women attend networking events, mentoring sessions in the schools, a Business Plan training session, and an all-day entrepreneurial conference. In the spring participants may submit business plans in a competition for college scholarships and prizes. The six winning students are honored at an awards luncheon and awarded college scholarships totaling $20,500.
Our Lady of the Lake University is again partnering with AIOHO® for the 2009-2010 year. They provide information to the teen women at the one day conference about attending the university and feel that getting the teen women on their campus is a huge step forward toward college attendance.
Program Cost
NAWBO-SA must raise approximately $125 for each teen woman to participate in the An Income of Her Own® conference, with an estimated 130 attendees. The additional cost for each young woman to participate in the rest of the activities during the year is about $75 per student. In addition to program costs, we are committed to awarding college scholarships annually for a total of $20,500: First Place - $10,000, Second Place - $5,000, Third Place - $2,500, and Honorable Mention - (3) awards of $1,000 each, raised from sponsorships. Additional funds raised support all activities of An Income of Her Own® throughout the program year.
NAWBO-SA is a volunteer organization whose members give their time and commitment to support An Income of Her Own®. Our Lady of the Lake, as University sponsor, commits to providing the venue for the one-day conference and other events during the year. Schools provide transportation for the students to and from all events. While we rely on corporate partner and member sponsorships as our main source of funding for the program, many local businesses support An Income of Her Own® through cash donations and other prizes.
NAWBO-SA would welcome YOUR support. Click here to see sponsorship opportunities.
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