Soundings (Organization)

A women's center in Ann Arbor, Mich., founded in 1977 by Glenora Brown to help women in their middle years cope with adjusting to life after widowhood or divorce.

Soundings now offers its services to women of all ages and backgrounds. Soundings' main focus has been on job readiness, but it has offered workshops,programs, and individual and group counseling sessions on such topics as reentry into the workforce, assertiveness training, personal finance, and physical and emotional health and well-being.

Soundings was founded in 1977 by Glenora "Gerry" Brown in order to help women in their middle years regain their footing after widowhood or divorce. This social problem was just beginning to be recognized with the term "displaced homemaker," and there were few if any social programs in place to address the issue. Formerly a librarian at the Kelsey Library of the University of Michigan, Brown returned to school and received her Masters degree in social work. She chose to name her organization "Soundings" as a way to express the double meaning of taking a sounding on a river channel in order to navigate, and for the "sounds" all around, which a person in trouble may need help hearing through support and guidance from others. Since its beginning, Soundings' guiding mission has been to "promote both the economic and emotional well being of women." ("A Brief History of Soundings," History ("Herstory"), Printed Materials, Background, Box 1, Soundings.)

Brown first ran Soundings from her home and financed the organization with a small personal bequest. She was soon introduced to Esther Donahue, an intern at the Center for the Education of Women (CEW). Esther became the agency's assistant director from 1978 through 1987 and later, comptroller. The first big program the two partners staged was "Anchors and Options" in September of 1978 at Bach Elementary School. This session covered the topics of physical and mental well-being, assertiveness training, financial planning, and strategies for reentering the work force. Over one hundred women showed up, far exceeding their expectations for attendance.

After the Anchors and Options program, Soundings began to grow. Two local counselors volunteered their services. With startup grants received from the Ann Arbor Area Foundation and the Power Foundation, Soundings was able to pay the counselors and hire a part-time administrative assistant. A grant from the Michigan Department of Labor enabled Soundings to start its cornerstone program, "Target: Jobs for Women." Other grants came from the City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County Department of Social Services. Another major Soundings program has been "Divorce and Beyond," a series of workshops and small group counseling sessions. In addition to grants and donations, Soundings is funded by program fees, which are charged on a sliding scale based on participants' income levels.

Gerry Brown retired as director of Soundings in 1986. She was succeeded as executive director by Lynne Carbeck, with Lin Orrin and others following.

As society changed over the intervening years and funding priorities shifted, Soundings faced increasing difficulty in securing sufficient operating funds for all of its programs. In addition, other existing agencies offered similar services, and women were as a whole becoming better equipped to deal with the problems accompanying divorce and widowhood. In the early 1980s, Soundings broadened its focus to include all women, not just those in their middle years.

Over the next decade, more changes to the organization took place. Soundings' initial focus was on job readiness because this had been the only area for which funding was then available. In the mid to late 1990s, Soundings endeavored to add other programs to meet the needs of changing times. Soundings also made efforts to forge alliances with national and local agencies. These attempts met with varying degrees of success. In order to increase the scope of its mission and to widen its funding base, Soundings sought acceptance as a United Way member agency, explored alignment with Washtenaw Community College, and participated in a pilot project with Michigan Rehabilitation Services and the Department of Social Services. Soundings continues to provide support and services to women in the Washtenaw County area.