WHO WE ARE

“I want to welcome you to New Opportunities for Women, Inc. (NOW, Inc.), the 501c3 non-profit, navigational health care comprehensive human services organization, with a focus on women, AIDS testing and prevention, and improving the quality of life for all, was founded February 26, 2016, by women to help all members of Baltimore City and the State of Maryland live their best life and fulfill their destiny. In 2016, following the closing of a long-standing organization in Baltimore City, a small group of us joined together to continue providing services to women and men of all ages, and the LGBTQ community.  We are parnered with LIGHT Health and Wellness Comprehensive Services, Inc.,  and where we are currently located.  Founded by Debbie Rock over 20 years ago, LIGHT shares our mission of reducing social determinants of health primarily in the areas of health literacy, access to healthcare services and access to safe and affordable housing, and other wrap-around services that improve lives.  

 

From our inception, it has been my sincerest desire to initially help the communities surrounding our current location. Having spent the majority of my career as a high school and alternative education administrator in these communities, identifying needed services and trends were very evident to me. I have observed habits of substance abusers change when adequate services were provided in the community. In some cases, it was evident that people wanted jobs, but lacked the skills or were not prepared for employment. Many were reading below the 6th grade level, and settled for fast-food, part-time jobs. Many parents seemed to lack parenting skills and the skills needed to encourage their children to set high goals. An 18 year old student once asked me, “Will you teach me to read to my 4 year old son?” Another 18 year old female once asked, “If I were your daughter would you give me my own room?”

 

Following my retirement, the question I needed to answer was, “How can I support the many young people and their families I have serviced over the past 30 years, and enable them to live their best life.” My answer was New Opportunities for Women, Inc. I realized that when change took place in this country, women were at the forefront of radical changes. Not only had Women inspired change, but they had been strategists and advocates. History has not been made by well-behaved, docile women. Instead, history has been made by radical, visionary women such as, civil rights activists Dorothy Height of the National Council of Negro Women and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Civil Rights Activist Angela Davis, women’s rights activist Gloria Steinem, and President of the Catholic Health Association - Sister Carol Keehan, who rallied 50,000 nuns in support of the Affordable Care Act. President Obama stated, “We could not have gotten the Affordable Care Act done had it not been for her”.

 

It is my sincere and deepest pledge that NOW, Inc. is here to help all within our grasp to have longevity of life, live their best life and to fulfill their dreams to find their destiny. We are here to identify and share resources to help you make the best choices for yourself and your family.   Our partnership with LIGHT Health and Wellness Comprehensive Services, enables us to provide and link you to holistic services we believe help people to live productive lives.  I hope our website helps you identify services that will improve your quality of life and help you fulfill your destiny, NOW!

 

Welcome to NOW, Inc. We are women linking services for equity in health care and "radically improving"  the quality of life for all, NOW!”

– Rhonda Alexander