YW
Spring ‘15
matters
Taking a Stand FOR Racial Justice at the YWCA
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liminating racism is one of the two central principles of the YWCA mission, along with the empowerment of women. The YWCA’s ongoing challenge is to ensure that our programmatic and advocacy work reflects the needs of all the women, men, and children we serve. We do this in several ways through our many programs. We tackle the achievement gap through our Child Care and School Age programs, and we work against health disparities through our Diabetes Wellness & Prevention program, and by making healthy eating and swimming components of our children’s programming. We confront institutional racism through our advocacy around get-out-thevote efforts and addressing racial profiling, and by increasing diversity and leadership among the YWCA staff and Board. And we respond to a need for continued dialogue and naming of racism through our mission and strategic plan, through honoring our history, by striving to break down racial and economic barriers throughout our building and in our programs, and through our participation in the Stand Against Racism initiative. The YWCA’s Stand Against Racism brings people together to raise awareness that racism still exists and can no longer be ignored or tolerated. This April is the 7th year we’ve held the Stand in Asheville, and we’re proud that Buncombe County was one of the most active sites, hosting a 75 public and private events throughout the community! James Lee, with Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, held the kick-off Stand Against Racism event with more than 200 attendees, says: “A-B Tech wants to bring people of all races, classes, and states of employment together — the unemployed, under-employed and employed, as well as decision-makers who can offer employment opportunities. The activities were designed to help participants understand how racism impacts employment and have discussions about solutions and best-practices.” Lucia Daugherty with Asheville Buncombe Community Relations Council says: “When working to address discrimination on a community level, it is imperative that community members collectively work towards resolving issues. We see the Stand Against Racism initiative as an opportunity for Asheville and Buncombe County to clearly and publicly state our commitment to ending racism, through participation in concrete, collaborative action.” A full list of sites in our community is on our website at www.ywcaofasheville.org/stand. Visit our Facebook page to view photos from the events.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AVL Technologies Asheville Citizen-Times Asheville Savings Bank CarePartners Foundation Duke Energy Progress First Citizens Bank HomeTrust Bank
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sue Lomenzo, President Maria Roloff, Vice President Lyndia Chiles, Second Vice President Alida Woods, Secretary Barbara Benisch, Treasurer Marian Arledge Leslie Fay Amanda Greene Carla Henry Linda Iovacchini Dolly Jenkins-Mullen Sabrina Rockoff Georgia M. Shannon Muriel Singer Laurie Stradley Cindy Weeks Lu Young
Thank you to our Black and White Gala sponsors and guests! Page 2
Participant Spotlight: Tiffany iffany, a high school student and mother, was referred to the YWCA’s T Drop-In Child Care program by a Buncombe County Health and Human Services case worker after she lost her regular babysitter. Tiffany’s case
worker had helped her get on the child care voucher waitlist, but there were more than 500 people on the list in front of her. a place to care for her one year-old son, Javier, while she attended school. Tiffany desperately needed a place to care for her one year-old son, Javier, while she attended school. After some research, YWCA staff realized that Tiffany’s child care voucher should have been prioritized considering her status as a high school student. Staff called the County and advocated for her to be moved up on the waitlist. In the mean time, Tiffany was provided with free emergency child care though the YW’s Drop-In Child Care program. Eventually, Tiffany received her child care vouchers, and Javier received a slot in a certified child care center. Tiffany successfully continued her education, graduated from high school, and is now a student at A-B Tech. She recently reached out to us with an update and a thank you: “I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for all of your help. I finally received my certificate for being on the Dean’s List last semester at A-B Tech. I cannot tell you how good this made me feel. I know that there is no way that I would have been able to achieve this without the YWCA’s Drop In Child Care. Thanks again!” The YWCA provides up to 12 hours of free Drop-In Child Care per week for parents who are in transition, continuing their education, or looking for employment. Free Drop-In Child Care is made possible in part by support from Women for Women, Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation, YWCA donors and the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. For more information about Drop-In call 254-7206 x 113.
Children in the YWCA’s Drop-In Child Care.
Volunteer Spotlight: Rediet Amare ediet Amare, a junior at Warren Wilson College, has been volunteering with our School Age After School program R since September, and has been instrumental in her role as a 1-on-1 Academic Coach. She volunteers twice a week, typically with one student, or a group of students who need help in a particular area. Rediet provides assistance with homework, tutors in spelling, math, reading, and writing, and engages students in conversation.
The relationships formed through conversation have been one of the most rewarding aspects of volunteering in the After School program. Rediet says, “We talk about a wide range of things – what they like to do and the people they live with. They ask me about college, and what it was like in Ethiopia. They also like to ask me how old I am – they’re always really surprised by my age.” The opportunity for dialogue is not only beneficial for the students, but it also allows Rediet to share her unique story. She was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and chose at 17 to follow in her sister’s footsteps and study abroad. As you can imagine, it was quite a culture shock for her coming to Warren Wilson. As Rediet puts it, “I have never been out of the capital city. It was the first time I had lived near the mountains, the rivers, or was even exposed to certain wild and domestic animals. Everything was different – the people, the food, the culture.” Reflecting on some her favorite moments volunteering, Rediet says: Rediet Amare participating in the MLK March with a YW School Age student.
“Getting to know the children. Hearing more about their life and interacting with them. I feel like they know so much, that I learn from them every day.”
SUMMER CAMP IS COMING! The theme of this year’s Summer Camp is “Around the World” and “Mind & Body Olympics.” Dates: June 22 to August 14, 7:30am to 5:00pm Ages: 6 to 12 Lunch and snack provided “My daughters both learned to swim this summer. They just moved here, but were helped to fit right in. They made lots of friends.” -Chasidy, Parent Registration is May 7-15. More information and online registration at: www.ywcaofasheville.org/summercamp2015.
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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 Katie Christie, the YWCA’s new School Age Director. BM: Tell me a little bit about your background. KC: I moved to Asheville from Miami. When I was a senior in high school in 1988 I traveled for a month to the then Soviet Union as part of an arts exchange program. That’s when I realized that I could take my art and do something valuable in the world. I founded a nonprofit called Voices United, and did that work for the past 25 years. BM: What made you interested in working at the YWCA? KC: I love the idea that YWCAs around the world are working towards eliminating racism and empowering women. It’s important to me to feel that I’m working at a place where change is happening, and change is happening right here in this building. I love working with young people – I’ve been doing it my whole life. It helps me feel hopeful about the world.
BM: What do you think makes the School Age program unique? KC: There’s a great mix of kids in our program, which is really important and directly supports our mission. We also have a great team of people working with the kids who are enriching the lives of the kids and finding innovative ways of doing that. All that goes into the YW is also trickling down into the School Age program and that sets it apart. Because all this other work is going on around them the program then strives to meet the goals of the mission. Read the full interview (with videos!) on our blog at www.ywcaofasheville.wordpress.com.
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MISSION : The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.