Asheville
YW
MATTERS
FALL 2016
YWCA IS ON A MISSION
BACK eliminating racismTO andSCHOOL empowering women
A
New Support for Students, Parents, and Student Parents
s students of all ages headed back to school this fall, multiple programs at the YWCA launched new initiatives to expand services for local families. Through partnerships and your continued support, the YWCA is working to close the education and achievement gap in our community.
Openings in five-star, full-time child care for children six weeks through four years of age is hard to find in our area. Our Early Learning Program (ELP) serves 80 infants and toddlers and now, through a new partnership with Verner Center for Early Learning, has broadened to include two additional Early Head Start classrooms. These new Early Head Start openings will increase capacity for ELP to care for more children, and most importantly, will enable us to serve the most vulnerable families in our community. Early Head Start provides not only child care, but also extends wrap-around education, resources and services for the needs of the whole family. Afternoons are in full-swing in the YWCA Primary Enrichment Program (PEP), which provides after school care for kids Pre-K through 5th grade. Our PEP program focuses on providing homework help for our students as well as extra curricular activities to build confidence, promote wellness, and have fun. Dedicated volunteers tutor students one on one to help them succeed academically. This year, children in our program also have access to sports and mentoring through new partnerships with Girls on the Run, Big Brothers Big Sisters, ABYSA Soccer, Tennis and YWCA swim lesson scholarships. As parents head back into the classroom to further their education or access job training, our Empowerment Child Care (ECC) offers affordable part-time options for student parents. This fall, through a new partnership, ECC increased our capacity to serve more student parents with child care specially designed for those enrolled at AB Technical College. Through the AB Tech Childcare Parnership, student parents volunteer in ECC for four hours per week and they receive twelve hours of care for their children while they attend their degree seeking or continuing education classes. YWCA believes that everyone in our community has the right to quality education. Every individual deserves the support necessary to get an early start on learning, to succeed through school and graduation, and to continue education; ultimately improving the lives of women, children and families, and our community as a whole. We are on a mission. Join us in empowering women, children and families in our community. Donate. Act. Connect.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
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Matt Shepard
hen his schedule opened up, Matt Shepard wanted to start giving back to his community again. He chose to volunteer at the YWCA because of his passion for working with kids in our community and his strong belief in our mission.
Matt can be found many afternoons at the YWCA with our Primary Enrichment Program (PEP) helping students with homework and giving high fives. “I enjoy child-like fun and the wonder that kids have. I can interact with them on their level and validate them as people. I feel like that is what I have to offer.” Through past volunteer experience with Asheville City Schools’ Randlolf Learning Center and Youthful HAND at Lee Walker Heights, Matt has gained a wealth of experience helping local students. He believes it is importatnt to not only help students complete homework, but also help them to feel good about themselves in the process. One student who was having a really hard time completing school assignments just needed a little encouragement and understanding. “You’re really smart!” Matt would whisper to him when he struggled with his math problems. “He knew how to do it all, he just had a hard time with the directions.” Matt wholeheartedly believes in the mission of the YWCA - eliminating racism and empowering women - because social justice is important in eradicating all types of oppression and inequality. Through volunteering with the PEP students, Matt strives to be a healthy male role model by sharing these values and leading by example. “I care about people,” Matt says. “Helping to make healthier, happier kids - it makes the world a better place.”
ON A MISSION TO REGISTER VOTERS The YWCA is committed to social justice through action, advocacy and service delivery. In line with our mission, we promote solutions to improve the lives of women, girls and people of color in Buncombe County and across the country. Voter engagement, especially among marginalized communities, is an important part of our advocacy work. We have a long history of voter registration drives, hosting candidate forums and voter education. As a recipient of the national Nonprofit Vote 2016 Campaign grant and as a member of the Voter Engagement Coalition, the YWCA is once again committed to registering voters, collecting "pledge to vote" cards and keeping voters informed. Our program participants and members have easy access to voter registration at our engagement table in our lobby and through program and membership sign up. On September 27, YWCA Asheville along with more than 2,000 organizations across the country joined forces for national Voter Registration Day - the largest one-day effort to register voters. During National Voter Registration Day volunteers and staff successfully registered 18 voters, and 96 people completed a "pledge to vote" card for the upcoming 2016 election! The deadline to register is October 14, but voters may also register at the polls during Early Voting beginning October 20.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AVL Technologies Asheville Savings Bank CarePartners Foundation HomeTrust Bank The Biltmore Company Biltmore Oil
WEEK WITHOUT VIOLENCE Ending Gerner-Based Violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For over twenty years, YWCA USA has declared a week in October as the Week Without Violence. Previously focused on domestic violence awareness and advocacy, the scope of the campaign has broadened this year to include all forms of gender-based violence, which covers intimate partner violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and harassment. Gender-based violence impacts the lives of countless women and their families across the United States and right here in our own backyard. Victims include women and girls of all ages, income levels, racial and ethnic communities, sexual orientations and religious affiliations. It is also important to recognize that LGBTQ individuals, women and girls with disabilities, communities of color, veterans, and those with multiple marginalized identities are at heightened risk for violence, and often face greater barriers to safety, access to resources, and support. Driven by the mission of the YWCA, to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, YWCA Asheville advocates for issues that impact the women and families we serve and supports policy that creates a safe and equitable community that supports and uplifts us all. Gender-Based Violence Legislation supported by YWCA Asheville: HR 2216: Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act: prohibits the sale and possession of firearms and ammunition for people with a charge of stalking or domestic violence against them. SAFE Act: ensures that domestic violence survivors who need services like medical attention and legal assistance can take leave from work, allows survivors who have to leave their jobs to receive unemployment insurance, and protects survivors from firing because of harassment by an abuser. YWCA Asheville held several events throughout the Week Without Violence to raise awareness, elevate survivors, advocate for legislation that protects women and help educate about abuse. These events included, Helpmate’s Clothesline Project and Our VOICE Survivor Art on display, a postcard writing campaign in support of HR2216 and the SAFE Act, and a workshop for MotherLove participants regarding healthy relationships.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lyndia Chiles, President Heidi Reiber, 1st Vice President Cameron Raley, 2nd Vice President Marian Arledge, Secretary Leslie Fay, Treasurer Cathleen Adams Natalie Bailey Jesica Gaskin Althea Gonzalez Wendy Haner Jerri Jameson Kendall Oliver Bobbie Short Muriel Singer Viola Spells Becky Stone Laurie Stradley Nona Workman Lu Young
Asheville 185 S. French Broad Ave. Asheville, NC 28801 828-254-7206 www.ywcaofasheville.org
ywca
A CONVERSATION WITH BETH MACZKA, CEO
Beth Maczka recently sat down with Wanda Harris, Director of our Early Learning Program BM: Tell me a little about your background and what brought you to work at the YWCA.
WH: My BA is in Urban Planning, it was through volunteering that I began a career with children. I ran an in-home childcare center for 12 years. I grew up at the YWCA here in Asheville. My grandmother lived right down the street and I sang in the YWCA Community Choir - so this is my community, my stomping ground. I began at the YWCA running a women’s empowerment program, NEWS. I never thought I would work for an organization with a mission that was so powerful. I have been working here for 15 and a half years! BM: What do you think makes our Early Learning Program (ELP) unique? WH: Because we are family! When I took over the child care program, I brought some of the women [from my women’s empowerment program] and we went through early childhood cetification together. Some still work with me today in ELP. With the foster-grandparents, volunteers and teachers, we are the center point for this community. We provide quality childcare and early learning education so that parents can go to work confidently knowing their children are in good hands. This is their second home - we make sure we build good relationships with our parents and families. BM: How does our Early Learning Program relate to the YWCA’s mission of empowering women and eliminating racism? WH: First, our teachers, especially those who have been with me and the YWCA for years. I’m proud to offer them opportunities for more trainings and resources to grow. Also, Early Head Start coming to our facility is another piece we need to serve families in our community. This helps more mothers, who can’t qualify for vouchers, access quality child care - it closes another gap. And more families will get wrap-around care. It’s great! www.facebook.com/ywcaofasheville
@ywcaofavl
MISSION : The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.