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Free, educational seminars targeted to mature women

JANESVILLE — Through three marriages and a four-year relationship that recently ended, Barbara Wien always had somebody in her life to help her make decisions.

Not anymore.

"I hope to work until I'm 70, but that's not far away. I think everybody can use budgeting skills, especially when they're starting over," the 66-year-old Janesville woman said.

She signed up to learn life skills in a YWCA of Rock County five-month series for mature women.

"Everybody needs someone in their corner. I'm hoping to bring away more skills than I have now because I've always had somebody in my life, and now I don't," she said.

Wien in August attended the first free lunch and learn series that focused on budgeting, and she signed up for the other four monthly sessions that continue through December.

Their titles are:

-- Retirement: What's Next?

-- Personalized Life Coaching

-- Physical Health

-- Moving on After Separation, Divorce and Widowhood

Martha Pearson, director of the YWCA's Women's Economic Empowerment Center, is part of the task force that developed the series for mature women needing guidance, inspiration, motivation and self-assurance.

The sessions are open to women of all incomes, she said.

"Most of the women we serve are unemployed and younger than 35, and demographics for poverty in women are very strong during the young years and again in the more mature years. So, we felt we were not offering services a more mature population who already had employment would desire," she said.

Seven women, including Wien, attended the first session Aug. 13. Each session has room for 14, Pearson said.

"It's an opportunity to talk about issues that are important to us in a community setting of women," she said.

Wien said the camaraderie of other women in the same situation is important.

"It's just seeing a friendly face and knowing you're not alone," she said.

Wien is looking forward to the Oct. 11 session on life coaching and finds the lunch-hour timing of the series appealing.

"It was important it fit into my full-time work schedule," she said.

Life coach Julie Waite, who also is a member of the task force that organized this series, is volunteering to facilitate two of the five free sessions.

"We all could use help with budgeting and what we want to do next. It's for any woman in transition. It's for women going into retirement. But it might benefit a woman of any age," she said.

Wien agreed: "It gives you the self-confidence you need to be on your own."