YW
Winter ‘15
matters
The E. Thelma Caldwell Legacy Society The YWCA of Asheville is honored to announce the creation of the E. Thelma Caldwell Legacy Society to recognize those individuals who include this organization in their estate planning.
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helma Caldwell was a brave and visionary woman who in 1965 became the first African-American YWCA Executive Director in the South, and only the second in the United States. We are grateful to Ms. Caldwell for her leadership, and proud to honor her by naming our Legacy Society in her memory.
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This Legacy Society is dedicated to the members of the YWCA Booster Club, a courageous group of friends, both African-American and White, who came together in 1976 to supplement the efforts of the Board of Directors. They also worked to support the first African-American Board President of the recently integrated YWCA, Ollie Reynolds. We thank them for their dedication, their inspiration, and their years of hard work. Because you are already a supporter of the YWCA of Asheville, we hope you have already made or would consider making a planned gift to the YW in your estate— through a bequest, a trust or other life income gift, retirement plan, or life insurance policy.
Planned gifts allow the YWCA leadership to plan for the organization’s future. These gifts - large and small - will allow us to continue working to eliminate racism and empower women for generations to come. “I made a legacy gift because I want what I have achieved in this lifetime to enhance my community, and I want to know that what I leave behind will assist someone in some way to achieve a dream, to succeed, to reach a goal or have a better life. I think we all want to leave a fragment or a memory of ourselves, and what better way to do that than to help women achieve and to improve our community.” -Andrea Stolz We would love to hear from you if you have already included the YWCA in your estate planning, or if you would like more information about the E. Thelma Caldwell Legacy Society. Please contact Pam King, Director of Advancement, 828-254-7206 ext. 206 or pam.king@ywcaofasheville.org.
Thank you to the following members of the E. Thelma Caldwell Legacy Society. They believe in our future, and their planned gifts will allow us to build on the YWCA’s rich legacy in Asheville. Barbara Benisch Emily S. Boyce Theresa Chalfant Erna and Norman Earle Judy Futch and Paul Smith Janirve Foundation Leah R. Karpen Pamela C. King Martha June Lamb
Marjorie Myles Locke Sue Lomenzo Beth Maczka Liz Preyer Mary Ruth Ritter Carolyn Shorkey and Milton Warden Andrea L. Stolz 2 Anonymous Donors
SAVE THE DATE!
Participant Spotlight: Francine Young
10th ANNUAL Black & White Gala
y name is Francine, and I’m a participant in the YWCA’s Diabetes M Wellness & Prevention program. Let me tell you a little bit about myself – I’ve lived in Asheville all of my life, and I have a 26 year-old
Thursday MAY 7th
2015
CREST C ENTE R PAVILION
7:00-10:30pm
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AVL Technologies Asheville Savings Bank CarePartners Foundation Duke Energy Progress HomeTrust Bank First Citizens 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
POP QUIZ
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In 1965 _________became the first African-American YWCA Executive Director in the South, and only the second in the United States. The first person to post the correct response on our Facebook page will win a free YW t-shirt! Page 2
son. I’ve been a bus driver with Asheville Regional Transit for 16 years.
My doctor had been telling me for some time that being overweight and having high blood pressure was putting me at risk for diabetes, but I never exercised. Then my friend Robin told me about the YWCA’s program, and I thought – that sounds like something I want and need to do. Since I was accepted into the program in August I’ve made huge changes to my lifestyle. I go to diabetes classes at the YW every Thursday, as well as support group meetings every week. I exercise three times per week – I take Zumba on Mondays and Tuesdays, and have personal training with Sean, who’s not afraid to challenge me. He’ll come over when I’m on the elliptical and say- “You wanna pump it up a little?” In the group classes I’ve learned quite a bit. For example, I now check out the labels on my food – if I can’t say the name of the ingredient it’s not supposed to be in there! Everyone is friendly at the YW, and everyone is helpful – whether they’re staff, other participants, or gym members. A barrier I always felt about exercising at other gyms is having the feeling of: “I don’t fit in here.” I didn’t feel comfortable exercising on my own in those situations. But I’ve realized I can’t wait on anybody – and at the YW, I don’t have to. As soon as I walk in the front door I know that people are happy to see me, and they care about my health. I had a physical a few weeks ago, and although I haven’t lost much weight yet, my blood pressure has gone down. My doctor told me: “I’m proud of you.” That felt good. My goals for the rest of my time in the program are to continue lowering my blood pressure – it would be nice to be off all, or at least some, of my meds. Another goal of mine is to try a water aerobics class. This may not seem like a huge deal, but I don’t know how to swim. I am so scared. But when I get into that water aerobics class I’ll know for sure that nothing can stop me. I’ve always been terrified of swimming… but you know what? I ordered myself a swimsuit.
Volunteer Spotlight: Selena Thomas
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elena Thomasbegan volunteering with the YW in the beginning of October, through Liberty Corner Enterprises – an organization that offers an array of services to support individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.
Selena volunteers -- with employment support provided by Marquisa Collington and Cayanne Ramuten -- every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. She assists with a number of tasks, such as: making copies, stuffing envelopes, entering data into a spreadsheet, and various other clerical work.
“I enjoy doing all the different tasks - they challenge me.” And she always does it with a huge smile on her face. When reflecting upon her own personal growth volunteering with the YWCA, Selena says: “It’s taught me to persevere. Using computers has taught me a whole lot that I didn’t know before. Because I’ve got a lot of challenges, I’ve always been told I’m not supposed to do a lot of things. Despite what I’ve been told, I don’t want to see myself as different. Being disabled is just a label, and I want to be the same as everyone else. I’m full of determination, and I always do my best. I’ve never been one to let my disability stop me.” It is through her unwavering determination and empowerment, that Selena has found a home here at the YWCA. “I feel equal to everyone else here.” When describing some of her favorite moments at the YW, she continues, “I enjoy listening to the kids talking and playing when they go outside. They’re adorable. I really enjoy getting to see all the kids.” Selena has also found success outside of the YW. She recently got a job at Arby’s as a Dining Assistant. Even with a new job, she still continues to volunteer with the YWCA. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music and sitting in the sunshine. Selena has become an asset, an ambassador and a dear friend to everyone at the YW. She is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you, Selena!
VOLUNTEER WITH THE YWCA Volunteers are critical to the YWCA’s mission, and we simply couldn’t do our work without your help and support! Whether you’re looking to tutor kids in our After School Program, assist with clerical duties, or help with special events, we work to match volunteers’ interests and talents with available programs. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Gerry Leonard at gleonard@ywcaofasheville.org or 828-254-7206 x 219 for more information. Page 3
185 S. French Broad Ave. Asheville, NC 28801
Dear YW Community, Welcome to our new quarterly print newsletter, YW Matters! At the YW we are incredibly proud of our history, our stories, our members, our participants, and all of our supporters. We love sharing news about the people and events – as well as the success and challenges – that make us who we are, as well as who we have been for the past 107 years. We know that everyone wants to hear from us in different ways; some people are happy to retweet our successes or share them on Facebook, while others want to come in and volunteer so that they can be a first-hand witness. Any and every point of interaction and engagement is valuable to us.
That is why we wanted to launch this print newsletter. For many of us, receiving news and stories and being able to hold them in our hands – maybe even post them on our refrigerator – will always be our first choice. I know for me, I love scrolling through updates on Facebook – but nothing will ever come close to curling up on my sofa with my favorite novel!
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Whether it’s been years since you’ve been to the YW, or whether you’re familiar with just one of our programs, I hope you’ll come visit us soon on one of our Empower Hour tours. This free one-hour program and tour takes place twice a month at 185 S. French Broad Avenue, and includes lunch. To make a reservation, please contact Alison Gooding at (828) 254-7206 ext. 207 or agooding@ywcaofasheville.org. We hope that you’ll enjoy and share this quarterly newsletter. And please, let us know if you have feedback or ideas for future issues. Thank you for your support! Beth Maczka CEO
MISSION
The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. @ywcaofavl www.facebook.com/ywcaofasheville
185 S. French Broad Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 828-254-7206 | www.ywcaofasheville.org