Debbie Graham lost her smile.

By age 22, she had been married and divorced, and she became the sole parent of her son. She struggled with problems of self-esteem, and a car accident in 2006 left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and nowhere to turn.

She eventually sought counseling, but it proved too expensive, until a counselor introduced her to Washington Women In Need. She was able to receive a grant from the company to pay for therapy services. It wasn’t long before she was driving again, and a second grant helped her pay for dental care to “fix her smile.”

“They just really treated me with a lot of dignity and respect, and lots of times when you need that kind of assistance it’s really difficult to get through the red tape and all the hoops,” she said. “You really felt like they were giving you a hand up and not a hand out.”

Graham recently earned an undergraduate degree, and is heading to the University of Washington in the fall to earn a masters in social work.

Graham is one of more than 5,300 who received help from WWIN. The Bellevue-based nonprofit just celebrated its 20th anniversary July 10, a day Gov. Christine Gregoire even proclaimed Washington Women In Need Day.

To this day, the organization represents the vision of Julia Pritt, the founding member of the company in 1992. The organization, which only has four full-time staff members and runs on an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million, supplies thousands of dollars in grants for women every year.

Executive Director Michelle Nitz said Pritt decided to create the company after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Pritt wanted to make a difference in the community. At one point in her life, Pritt was a single mother, having a hard time making ends meet. She hoped to create an organization that would help take some of the burden off women in need.

Such a broad goal was distilled down into four areas over the years. Grants available to women include: education at accredited institutions, mental health counseling, payment of health care premiums and physical, dental and vision exams.

The organization gets its money purely through private donations. With few staff members, the company relies almost entirely on volunteer work, said Board President Shirley Heath, who is entering her fifth year involved with WWIN. Additionally, Pritt gave a generous donation annually, and that has continued, even though she died in 2010.

“Julia is still able to support us even after she is gone,” Nitz said.

Going forward, awareness may prove the key to another 20 successful years, Heath said. Despite WWIN’s longevity it still flies under the radar for many people. The proclamation from the governor is a great start to reverse that trend. In the last three or four years, the company emphasized technological tools such as social media to spread its message. The website has been updated recently, and online donations are easier than before, Heath said.

“When people know about WWIN and the mission, the money will come,” Heath said.