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Women's Rural Entrepreneurial Network

 

Entrepreneur: Natalie Woodroofe

Address:
2011 Main Street, P.O. Box 331
Bethlehem, NH 03574

Telephone: 603-869-9736
FAX: 603-869-9738

Email: natalie@wrencommunity.org
Web Site: http://www.wrencommunity.org/

Grant Amount: $40,000

Mission Statement

WREN encourages and supports women and girls by developing opportunities through an exchange of resources, the development of community, the opportunity to gain new skills, and the achievement of economic independence.

Purpose of Grant

To help WREN establish their store, Wrenovations, at its Main Street, Bethlehem, NH location in which to market crafts and art produced by its members.

Additional Information

WREN was founded in 1994 to assist rural women in achieving sustainable incomes through business ownership. Over the intervening years They've expanded their mission and diversified their initiatives in support of better lives and livelihoods. WREN provides training to its members in which they can acquire skills, from merchandising to cash-flow management to technology and digital imaging, to help them in their businesses.

Today they are touching the lives of nearly 700 individuals by providing the place, resources, expertise, culture, connection, and support to pursue better lives and livelihoods. WRENs now come from across NH and Vermont, as well as 13 other states. They are male and female - as young as ten for their arts-based wings of the wren program for girls, as old as great grandmothers selling their handmade items in our store. They offer over a dozen pathways for rural people - from entrepreneurial support to networking opportunities: a marketplace through their store, Ovation; peer lending and investment groups;  a gallery that provides artists with exposure and income and the community with culture; and retail readiness support and affinity