We Welcome Media Inquiries
For story ideas, interview requests and photo permissions, contact Executive Director Robbie Pentecost (859-302-1229 or rpentecost@nosw.org) or Development & Communications Coordinator Amy Hogg (859-985-7200 or ahogg@nosw.org).
LOGO AND BRAND
Our Logo
Please contact us at 859-985-7200 and ask for the Development & Communications Coordinator to request vector line art for graphics/large-scale print projects.
How to Write Our Name
- Our name is the New Opportunity School for Women
- The abbreviation NOSW may be used in conjunction with our full name, New Opportunity School for Women, in public materials.
Our Brand
- Our mission is to improve the financial, educational and personal circumstances of under-resourced Appalachian women.
- Our tagline is: Serving Appalachian women who are ready to build stable and fulfilling lives for themselves, their families and their communities.
BACKGROUND INFO
Mission: The New Opportunity School for Women provides under-resourced Appalachian and Kentucky women tools to help them grow in self-knowledge, build confidence, and access resources to improve their financial, educational, and personal circumstances.
Vision: We envision all Appalachian and Kentucky women achieving successful and rewarding lives that positively impact their families and communities.
Our Founding Story
Founded in 1987 by Jane B. Stephenson, the New Opportunity School for Women is as relevant and needed today as it was in 1987. The first program, a three-week residential program for 14 women, was held in the summer of 1987. When applications exceeded expectations and capacity, the Ford Foundation awarded a grant of $50,000 to add a winter session, which began in 1989.
The program grew out of an urgent need for women in Appalachia to become better educated and employed. Thirty-eight counties in the Appalachian region of Kentucky were labeled as distressed in the 2019 ARC Annual Investment Strategy Statement, so it is no wonder that women from the Appalachian region share common challenges resulting from low educational attainment, limited employment skills, few strong role models and, ultimately, low self-esteem.
These challenges for women are linked to high incidences of early marriage, teen pregnancies, divorce, domestic violence, substance abuse and high school dropout rates – all factors that negatively impact community well-being, financial stability, physical and mental wellbeing, and family structure. A lack of self-esteem, experience and education impede their ability to become confident community leaders, economically self-sufficient and role models to their children and grandchildren.
What We Do
The New Opportunity School for Women challenges Appalachian women to make the changes they want to see in their lives. We hold space for women to do intense self-development work. They build confidence so steps toward education, employment and financial independence no longer seem unattainable.
