Asheville
YWC A IS ON A MISSION
Spring ‘15
SUMMER 2017
S
CELEBRATING OUR 110th ANNIVERSARY
ince 1907 the YWCA of Asheville has been at the forefront of social and racial justice movements in our community. The first location of the YWCA in Asheville was founded to support and house single white women moving into the city to work. A few years later in 1913, a group of black women started to meet and created the Employment Club. And, in 1921, the African American Phyllis Wheatley Branch of the YWCA was opened. Officially integrating in 1967 and merging under one roof on South French Broad Avenue in 1971, the YWCA of Asheville continues to serve women and families in our community, proudly living into our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women every day. To honor our rich history, highlight those currently making a difference, and share a vision for our future, the YWCA held an event in May to celebrate our 110th Anniversary. Thank you to all who came and made the evening so special. Held at UNC Asheville, guests enjoyed a reception to gather, share memories and view many of the newly archived YWCA photos on display. During the program we showcased our partnership with UNC Asheville, which helped us preserve and identify historical images and collect new oral histories from YW members. Presenters from both the YWCA and UNC Asheville shared historical timelines, themes, and stories captured during oral history interviews conducted by university students and from our community picture viewing days for over 400 newly acquired YW photos. Our past board presidents and executive directors wrapped up the evening by sharing their hopes and dreams for the YWCA to send us off looking ahead into our bright future.
Explore Our YWCA History Visit our website at www.ywcaofasheville.org/history to access archived photos and interviews with links to the following: • Asheville YWCA Oral History Project - UNC Asheville History Department • YWCA of Asheville Archive - Ramsey Library at UNC Asheville Special Collections • Asheville YWCA Digital Photo Collection - North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, NC Collection at UNC Chapel Hill
Beth Maczka, CEO
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lyndia Chiles, President Leslie Fay, 1st Vice President Cameron Raley, 2nd Vice President Marian Arledge, Secretary Nona Workman, Treasurer Cathleen Adams Marcie Ball Jesica Gaskin Veronika Gunter Wendy Haner Coryn Harris Joyce Harrison Kendall Oliver Lauren Akiko Pittman Heidi Reiber Betsey Russell Bobbie Short
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
AvL Technologies Asheville Savings Bank CarePartners Foundation Duke Energy Progress HomeTrust Bank The Biltmore Company Biltmore Oil/Eblen Short Stops Assured Partners NL Webb Investment Services
Lyndia Chiles, YWCA Board President
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orn and raised in Asheville, Lyndia Chiles has served on the YWCA Board of Directors for five years and has served on pretty much every committee we have - sustainability, executive, nominations, finance...you name it, she’s done it! Lyndia has also served as Vice President and is our current Board President. Board and committee members often work behind the scenes, but these volunteers give countless hours and invaluable insight and guidance to our organization. “When I first got involved, I went all in. I was on too many committees, but I did learn a lot about the YW and knew I wanted to be a part of it,” said Lyndia. “Volunteering is how you really get to know what’s going on on the inside. There’s a lot more to 185 S. French Broad than what you see from the outside.” Lyndia suggests that anyone considering a board or committee position should get involved. “Come on an Empower Hour Tour*,” said Lyndia. “Something we do has to resonate with you.” Building relationships is important to Lyndia and throughout her time on the board this has been at the heart of her efforts. Lyndia truly believes “you can’t just be a part of the big picture and not get to know the people doing the work.” Lyndia never passes up an opportunity to thank the staff for what they do and spend time with them throughout the building. As Vice President she also initiated mentoring for new board members from seasoned members to welcome them and help get them up to speed. By encouraging members to be involved with each other outside of the board room, real friendships formed and strong leadership was built. Reflecting on her service and the impact that the YWCA has in our Asheville community, Lyndia is proud of our 110 year legacy. “The YW has long been a part of this community, touched so many lives and we need to keep building on this foundation,” said Lyndia. “I love the YW because of our rich history and that I’m a part of the next chapter.”
*Join us for an Empower Hour Tour. Visit www.ywcaofasheville.org/empowerhour to learn more.
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MOTHERLOVE SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
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otherLove is happy to announce that we have 10 seniors who graduated high school this year AND who all plan to attend college in the fall! We congratulate each of our hardworking teen parents for their accomplishments this past school year. Their commitment and tenacity in the face of adversity is amazing. We would like to highlight two of the young women in our program who exemplify this success. Danielle has been part of the MotherLove program since 2015. She gave birth to her son during her junior year of high school. Not only did Danielle stay in school while raising her son, she managed to continue cheerleading for her school’s varsity squad and maintained a part time job. Danielle was accepted into Western Carolina University for the fall of 2017. She plans to study art and hopes to one day have a career working for Disney. Danielle was able to secure enough senior scholarships to cover almost her first full year at WCU! Ikia has been with MotherLove since 2014 and gave birth to her daughter during her sophomore year of high school. Through lots of hard work Ikia was able to finish her senior year an entire semester early and has been working full time since finishing her course work in January. After receiving her diploma along with her classmates this June, Ikia starts Certified Nursing Assistant classes this summer at A-B tech and later plans to become a Registered Nurse. We are so very excited for Danielle and Ikia, their children, and the bright futures ahead of them!
BOLD MISSION, BRIGHT FUTURE
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elegates from our YW in Asheville recently attended the YWCA National Conference in Washington D.C. where we convened with fellow leaders from associations across the country to share, discuss, advocate, and collaborate together. The energy was high and the intention clear. From workshops to powerhouse keynote speakers the YWCA held up the significance of embracing the intersectionality of our work throughout social justice movements and the imperative to uplift the leadership of young women and women of color. We turned Capitol Hill persimmon as hundreds of YWCA delegates met with their respective representatives in Washington to advocate for our mission, programs, and communities. Thank you to everyone who signed our petition and wrote postcards about potential Federal Budget cuts. YWCA of Asheville proudly delivered over 560 signatures to the offices of Congressmen McHenry and Meadows and Senators Burr and Tillis. Our message was to highlight the importance of federal funds in programs that serve women, children and families and what a great job we do in leveraging additional funding to provide high quality services to our community. The petition and post cards were well received. The general response from legislative staff is that the budget will be significantly re-written before it is finalized and that we should continue to stay in touch during the process - so stay tuned for more advocacy opportunities. Also during the conference, YWCA of Asheville was recognized as one of three finalists for the YWCA Association of Excellence Award for Racial Justice. We were nominated - out of more than 220 associations nationwide - for the development of our racial justice workshops, our robust Stand Against Racism campaign, and our leadership with our local Racial Justice Coalition. Although we did not win, we congratulate our friends at YWCA of Rochester for their exceptional achievement and are inspired to work even harder for racial justice. Page 3
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ASHEVILLE NC PERMIT #73
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ASHEVILLE NC PERMIT #73
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 Marsha Davis, Deputy Director BM: Tell me a little about your background.
MD: I went to Harvard and got a degree in molecular and cellular biology, but I am mostly interested in social justice work and how we empower communities that are marginalized. [In college] I used to run a theatre group for black students to highlight black playwrights and I worked at this organization called Project Health which [through hospitals and doctors linked] low-income patients to all these neighborhood social services. Although I got my degree in science, instead of becoming a doctor, it was really more important for me to work with underserved populations. BM: What brought you to the YW? MD: The mission, hands down. I love being able to say that I work at an organization that eliminates racism and empowers women - knowing that it is going to be the underpinnings of all of the work that we do. BM: What do you like best about being Deputy Director?
MD: I have had the kind of career where I have gotten to explore a lot of things and this position is the first that I have had that allows me to take all of my skills and apply them in the same place. I get to use my science mind and I get to use my public health mind when we talk about the diabetes program. I get to use my affinity for numbers when we look at budgets. I even get to use my teaching and coaching skills when working with the folks I supervise. Everything that I have done before really positioned me well to be here. And, the YW’s Stand Against Racism Women of Color Leading Change panel was my favorite thing that I have done so far. BM: What is your approach and vision for the YW? MD: To be as clear and vibrant with our mission internally as we are externally. I’d really love for everyone who works for the YW to have a clear sense of how their work is related to the mission.
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The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.