Contact: Darin Preis
For Immediate Release
April 12, 2017
CENTRAL MISSOURI COMMUNITY ACTION HOSTS CONGRESSWOMAN VICKY HARTZLER
FOR TOUR OF MISSOURI WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER
Columbia, MO – Yesterday, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler toured the Missouri Women’s Business Center, a program sponsored by Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA). Congresswoman Hartzler met with the Center’s staff, including Director Jaime Freidrichs; CMCA’s Executive Director, Darin Preis;Jason Ramsey, Board President, and Kimberly McKinney, a recipient of services from the Missouri Women’s Business Center.
Preis said, “It was such an honor to have Congresswoman Hartzler join us. We appreciated the opportunity to show her what we do at Central Missouri Community Action and that our efforts are designed to move people off of public assistance. We all agree that one must have a healthy income to experience the quality of life middle class Americans enjoy. Many in our community however don’t earn enough to meet their basic needs even though they are working. Some of them are interested in trying something different and creating their own living wages. That’s where the Women’s Business Center comes in.”
During her tour and interaction with Ms. McKinney, Congresswoman Hartzler learned how the Missouri Women’s Business Center supports and nurtures women business owners through programs and services such as business seminars, a speaker series, individual coaching, and networking opportunities. The Center is funded by a grant from the US Small Business Administration, and matched $2 to $1 with local investments and donations. The Missouri Women’s Business Center serves women and men regardless of income.
Ms. McKinney has started her own photography business. “I was trying to figure out how to earn some income while I stayed home with my young children and people told me I am good at photography. I didn’t know anything about starting a business though and I learned the whole process at the Women’s Business Center. I also have an Early Head Start home visitor who helps me keep my kids on track and my home was weatherized to keep my bills down. CMCA is helping me reach my goals.”
The Women’s Business Center is one component of CMCA’s mission to end poverty. Central Missouri Community Action provides direct services to residents with low-incomein Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau, and Osage Counties. These services help stabilize families who are struggling, allowing them to begin moving toward self-sufficiency. We help families who want to succeed have the tools to do so. CMCA also helps mobilize communities through local partnership initiatives to meet each community’s unique needs and provide innovative solutions to address the causes and conditions of poverty in central Missouri.