A woman starting a clinic teaching other women life skills is calling for groups and individuals to come forward and help make her initiative a success.

Yolanda Wooten said The Women’s Empowerment Clinic she is establishing in Portsmouth’s Churchland area, at 3026 Tyre Neck Road, Suite D, is faith-based but not preachy.

“It’s faith-based, but I don’t want to just throw church, church, church at people,” she said. “It’s all about building women up. If we can network with the right people, we can bring help and we can bring solutions to women that are in trouble. If you can captivate the mind of the woman and show her different ideas, maybe she will make better choices with raising her family.”

Wooten says she has been working with crisis centers and shelters since 1999, and is raising the six children of a young lady who has been in and out of prison “because of the choices that she made.”

Wooten says she wants to offer at the clinic prayer, Bible study, networking, how-to and health awareness seminars, etiquette classes, educational and motivational workshops, conferences, retreats and fellowship.

She held a scripture class Thursday, and will post future events at www.thewomensempowermentclinic.com.

“Most classes we’d like to be free, or a low cost, like $2 or $5,” she said. “We are asking the community, if anyone fits into these criteria, that they call us.”

Wooten said she is starting the clinic out of her own pocket and with donations. A chair-drive on Facebook resulted in her being able to purchase chairs and tables from Costco, she said, and she’s also hoping to raise money for a projector and screen.

Wooten said would also rent the clinic space to outside groups for events and functions, including small weddings.

Her father, Apostle E. Pressley Settles, who pastors a church in D.C., will travel down in December to dedicate the clinic, Wooten said.

Wooten can be contacted at 701-3594.