From the Globe Business Desk

On Thursday 24 enthusiastic students graduated from the Women’s Initiative’s ownership program, a 20-session class designed to build the entrepreneurial capacity of women who are starting or expanding their businesses.

    The Alameda Free Library’s all-purpose room was filled to capacity with proud and hopeful graduates and their families and friends, who cheered and clapped for their loved ones as the students presented 30-second commercials about their businesses.

    Women’s Initiative helps women overcome economic and social barriers and achieve selfsufficiency by providing them with financial support and training in business.
    Since 1988, the Bay Area program has assisted high-potential low-income women who dream of business ownership. Graduates have started and expanded over 1,600 businesses, from photography studios and catering companies to mechanic shops. In 2006, 301 new jobs were created by the program’s graduates.
    Globe Associate Publisher and Managing Editor Eleanor Boswell-Raine delivered the keynote address, in which she shared her business experiences, successes and challenges, and gave encouragement to the graduates.
    She concluded her speech with these words: “You and I have something in common: We laid a new track and got on track. We decided that yesterday was gone and today had promise, so we chose to step out of yesterday, and that’s how we got here today. God bless you as you move forward into your futures.”
    During the ceremony, small business trainers Teresa Miller and Shannon Penn presented each graduate with a diploma and a congratulatory award from California Senate President pro Tem Don Perata.
    After students graduate from the Women’s Initiative program, they can obtain ongoing support from SuccessLink, which connects them with influential women in business through seminars and coaching.
    Scholarships and stipends for childcare and transportation are available for very low-income women to ensure that no one is turned away for lack of financial resources.
    Women’s Initiative administers a revolving loan fund, disbursing loans ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, and links women with asset building opportunities, including matched savings accounts called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), through which participants have the potential to double their savings for capital investments.
    For more information, visit www.womensinitiative.org. Classes are offered in San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, Richmond, Concord and San Jose.

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