Recognize a community development corporation (CDC), community
based organization (CBO), local community development group, local economic
development group, or city which displays the best example of a
community/economic development project resulting in non-traditional economic
development achievement against community disadvantages. (Non-traditional
economic development: creation of wealth and increase of tax base by activity
other than traditional manufacturing business location/expansion).

The Center will receive this award presented by the Governor at the
Governor’s Award Luncheon presented on May 17th at the Lake of the Ozarks near
the state capitol. This information, we thought would be important to pass along
to our administrator, Ms. Alvarez, in that you know, she will be the keynote
speaker at the "Women in Business 2000", Governor’s Economic Summit on Women in
Business. This event as you know is going to be held on Thursday, April 27th in
Columbia, Missouri. We plan to have a booth at this conference that will
highlight the activities of the Women’s Business Center. We expect several of
our clients to attend the Summit Conference and also assist in manning our
booth. If the administrator has an opportunity to visit with us at our booth, we
will treat it as a photo opportunity (if we can be advised in advance, it could
be helpful).

Further, the center has been awarded a state grant of $300,000 given through a
local organization, Area Resource Community Human Services (ARCHS) to assist in
the start-up and expansion of daycares. This award provides us the ability to
make a grant up to $25,000 to start a daycare or up to $15,000 to expand an
existing daycare. The funds are targeted increasing
the number of available sites that can and will accommodate infants to 3
year olds. These daycares are to help alleviate the crucial demand for
quality daycare services available to working women; particularly, those
moving from welfare to work.