History

Dorothy Bock and Elaine Hirschenberger, members of the School Sisters of St. Francis, co-founded Womanspace in Rockford, Illinois, in 1975, and in 1977 Womanspace became a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. For 21 years, Womanspace leased its land and primary office building from the School Sisters of St. Francis. In 1992, Womanspace erected its second building, New Dimensions Studio adjacent to the original center. Womanspace purchased and acquired title to the property and both buildings in 1996, and now owns and stewards a beautiful 7-acre campus in northeast Rockford, Illinois. A volunteer Board of Directors in cooperation with the Executive Director governs the interfaith center. Ten Consultants assist Womanspace with their specialized expertise.

Mission, Goals, Values

Womanspace enriches lives, inspiring creativity, well-being and spiritual growth.

The programs of Womanspace:

Stimulate awareness, develop competence, encourage creativity, and generate healthy decision-making.
Provide environments of support that offer honesty, compassion, challenge and opportunities for growth.

Womanspace works cooperatively with others and seeks collaborative partnerships that are aligned with its core values of connecting, empowering, creating, and transforming.

Philosophy

Womanspace focuses its energies primarily (though not exclusively) on women. Womanspace believes:

Every person is a spiritual being, having within themselves the potential for health, self-reliance, creativity, wisdom and responsible caring.
By enhancing one’s potential, a person enriches their own life, the life of the family, and the lives of other people with whom they relate.
Through the strong, healthy, self-development of each individual, the world we live in is made a stronger, healthier, and more peaceful planet.