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An Inspiring Woman on a Mission: Clara Corn

women on a mission Mar 16, 2018
 

 

Emporia, Kansas, is probably best known as the place where Pulitzer Prize-winner writer William Allen White practiced his craft as the editor of the Emporia Gazette. It is a small college town with a big heart, and it’s telling that one of the most notable historic buildings in Emporia has been a refuge for women for almost 100 years.

Plumb Place started out in the late 1800s as the family home of Emporia founding father Preston Plumb. When Plumb became a U.S. Senator and was away in the nation’s capital, his wife kept and expanded the home, raised their children and was active in issues pertaining to women.

After her death in 1920, the family heirs thought it would be appropriate to donate their home to the YWCA to be used as a residence for women in need.

Today, Plumb Place, under the leadership of Clara Corn, helps dozens of women each year by providing both temporary emergency shelter and transitional housing. The home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, offers 11,000 square feet of space for these women, including 20 resident rooms with 21 beds, two kitchens plus a kitchenette.

While at Plumb Place, residents receive intensive case management, internet access for finding jobs and online schooling, assistance with resume building and filling out job applications, and help with budgeting and other independent living skills.

The organization has an amazing success rate. On an annual basis, an average of 80 percent of the women who enter Plumb Place leave to move into a permanent home and have found employment.

But it’s not just practical matters like a home and job that concern Clara, who was named interim Executive Director of Plumb Place last year after two years as its director of residence services.

“A lot of our residents need help in bolstering their self-esteem,” she said. “When they arrive here, they often are down on themselves and don’t believe they can improve their lives.”

Much of the work done by Clara and the team at Plumb Place involves boosting that self-esteem and breaking a cycle of homelessness and sometimes domestic abuse that these women have experienced. They are also committed to helping the women there learn to explore who they are and how to express themselves fully.

Clara’s background is a perfect fit for these women who need empowerment. An adjunct professor of psychology at Flint Hills Technical College, she has been working the fields of mental health and education for several years.

She has a particular passion for art as a vehicle through which these women can heal, and graduated from Emporia State University with a masters of science in art therapy counseling.

“Art therapy can be helpful with any population, from people dealing with everyday stresses like school and work to those suffering from more serious and persistent mental illness issues,” she said.

One of Clara’s strengths is knowing that she can’t do it alone. She’s quick to give credit to her staff which includes Director of Resident Services Alee McCoy, Program Manager Mary Richardson, and Plumb Place’s maintenance man, Gerald Gosser.

“I'm nothing without my excellent and hardworking team,” she said.

One of the events held annually at Plumb Place marries empowerment and art. For the past 14 years, the mansion has been the venue for an Artists’ Open House, which also serves as a fundraiser for the organization. The day-long event features paintings, photography, jewelry and fiber arts, as well as a full buffet.

Residents of Plumb Place are a big part of the event – some create jewelry for sale (proceeds of which go back into buying supplies for the women in the house) and they also help with the preparation of the meal.

“It not only raises money for us, it gives our residents some terrific, marketable skills like catering and event planning,” said Clara. “We even had a resident last year who discovered she had wonderful artistic talent and hopes to open her own shop.” 

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