To honor everyday women impacting their communities, JCPenney announced in March 2025 the second-annual Women Making Change donation giveaway. The retailer invited customers to nominate women actively serving their community through volunteer work at a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to receive a $2,000 donation grant to the causes they support.
Today, JCPenney is proud to announce the recipients of these grants.
Renee Metanoia, Eileen & Callie’s Place
Renee Metanoia is the Operations Manager of Eileen and Callie’s Place, a nonprofit in Washington state dedicated to empowering, educating and coaching young women who have aged out of the foster care system to utilize life skills and community resources to support their ability to sustain an independent lifestyle.
Renee began her journey with Eileen & Callie’s Place as a volunteer, later becoming the organization’s first hired staff member as a part-time administrative assistant and was recently promoted to the role of operations manager. From coordinating impactful events like Celebrate 18!, a program designed to celebrate the birthdays of young women again out of foster care, to being a mentor and fostering community connections, Renee’s work exemplifies how one individual’s efforts can uplift an entire community and make everybody count.
This donation will directly support Celebrate 18! program by providing new clothes for the Celebrate 18! boutique, giving the young women a dignified and joyful shopping experience on their day of celebration.
Namitha Nayak, People’s Impact Network
Namitha Nayak is the Founder, CEO, Chief Visionary Officer and Advisory Board Chair for People’s Impact Network, a nonprofit in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that promotes sustainable fashion by facilitating the reuse of south Asian ethnic clothing and to support programs that benefit the community. PIN collects donations of gently used, pre-loved clothing from all over the country, and then sell it at affordable prices to the community so people can buy them at subsidized prices. The money raised is then used to provide grants to nonprofits in the community.
People’s Impact Network plans to use this donation to further improve their processes and logistics to scale operations and improve efficiency, thus allowing them to raise more money for the community.
Marita Garrett, Civically, Inc.
Marita Garrett is the Founding President and CEO of Civically, Inc., a nonprofit social enterprise(501c3) that focuses on community development by promoting civic and social literacy to instill self-reliance while addressing the immediate needs of the economically underresourced in the greater Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh East End region. Civically’s programs are designed to target challenges including food insecurity, barriers to access and community engagement and literacy.
Marita Garrett has a long-standing commitment to the community and founded Civically to better serve the community she loves. She served as Wilkinsburg’s mayor from 2018 to 2022, overseeing multiple community development projects and navigating and providing support for the numerous health and safety concerns that impacted Wilkinsburg occurring during the COVID pandemic. Largely influential for the renewed interested in Wilkinsburg’s revitalization, she was awarded the Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence for Promoting Community & Economic Revitalization in 2020.
This donation will assist in general operating and program support to continue Civically’s mission.
Kari Cordero, Napa Solano SANE-SART
Kari Cordero is the Executive Director of SANE-SART (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner – Sexual Assault Response Team), a nonprofit organization in the Bay Area dedicated to providing comprehensive, trauma-informed, and victim-centered services to individuals affected by sexual violence and other violent crimes. SANE-SART aims to promote healing, justice, and recovery by integrating medical, forensic, mental health, and advocacy services in a collaborative, coordinated manner.
Kari Cordero’s leadership has transformed the way victims of violence access care across Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Marin Counties. Under her guidance, the organization has significantly expanded its services to reach more individuals who have traditionally been underserved—including victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and child abuse. She actively collaborates with law enforcement, healthcare providers, and community organizations to ensure victims are identified early and connected to care. She also brings clinical expertise to the role as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, uniquely positioning her to integrate mental health services into a traditionally forensic model.
SANE-SART will use this donation to expand access to life-saving, trauma-informed services, helping to create a community where every survivor is seen, heard, and supported.
Dr. Crystal Ward, Greater Than Expectations
Dr. Crystal Ward is the Founder and CEO of Greater Than Expectations, a nonprofit based in Dallas, TX, that aims to educate youth from foster care, equipping them with the essential tools necessary to transform their lives and discover their potential as leaders and change-makers in a challenging world.
Dr. Ward has always had a passion for teens and, more specifically, foster youth. As a teacher and former school administrator with over 15 years of experience in education, she witnessed a gap that needed to be filled for foster youth to help them reach their education goals and potential. Now, through programs that promote mentorship, life skills, college and career planning and financial literacy, she’s making a difference for the community.
Greater Than Expectations plans to use this grant to fund their Freshman Fresh initiative, providing students entering college from foster care with everything they need for their dorm rooms.
