Burlington County Freeholder Director Kate Gibbs and Deputy Director Linda Hughes are inviting women in the community to share their voice on the unique issues they face in their daily lives. In partnership with the newly reinvigorated Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council, Gibbs and Hughes are launching a new county-wide women’s survey to gather meaningful input on how county services and programs could be enhanced to better address their needs.
“As the only county in the state with women serving as director and deputy director of a freeholder board, I believe we have a unique opportunity and obligation to make a difference in the lives of women in Burlington County,” said Freeholder Director Gibbs. “We are using this opportunity to hear directly from women in our community and find out if their specific needs are being met by the county, and if not, learn what improvements we can make.”
The county-wide survey asks women questions to determine their awareness of, and experience with an array of existing county services and programs, as well as other topics like access to child and health care, educational opportunities, and the job market. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete and can be found on the Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council Facebook page (@BurlingtonCountyWomen) or by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BurlCoWomenSurvey
“It is my goal to make sure that all women in Burlington County know about the different programs the county offers including workforce development, job training, services through our health department and much more,” added Deputy Director Hughes. “Through this survey we can measure which programs are being utilized, and hear suggestions on what can be done better.”
Earlier this year, Gibbs and Hughes brought new life to the Women’s Advisory Council and tasked members with evaluating existing services and programs, educating the public about the challenges women face daily, raising awareness of the special contributions women make in our communities and providing opportunities for mentoring and collaboration that will enhance the quality of life for all women in Burlington County.
Since then, Gibbs and Hughes have worked with the Council to launch new women-focused-initiatives such as leveraging social media to create an online resource center with centralized information about services and programs for women, and have plans to launch a mentoring event series in the fall, with the goal of bringing more than 50 established professional women together with women either starting or re-starting their careers.
Reinvigorating the Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council joins other recent women’s initiatives including: an equal pay resolution, mandatory sexual harassment training and retraining for all county employees, and placing private, dedicated mother’s rooms in county buildings.
All information provided in the survey will be kept confidential and is open to women who live and/or work in Burlington County.