YWCA Central Carolinas

YWCA celebrates Black Philanthropy Day! This day is dedicated to recognizing the incredible contributions of Black donors who make a difference in our communities. You can honor their generosity by supporting Black-led and benefiting nonprofits that are driving change and advancing equity: https://bit.ly/4e0yjRc

🎉 What a summer it’s been! YWCA's Youth Programs wrapped up an incredible summer of programming with a bang last Monday at our block party, celebrating a season filled with literacy, creativity, and fun for the kids. 📚🎨 A huge thank you to Food Lion for sponsoring YWCA's Youth Programs and our incredible partners, including Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries and The Arts Empowerment Project, for making the day unforgettable. And let’s not forget our amazing volunteers—your energy truly made the event special for everyone! Here’s to a fantastic summer and many more to come!

Mark your calendars! On September 19th, YWCA is hosting a screening and community discussion of Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbothered at the Allegra Westbrooks Public Library at 6:00pm. This powerful documentary chronicles the groundbreaking political career of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, and her historic campaign to become the first female Democratic nominee for president. Save your spot now! https://bit.ly/YWevents

August is Black Philanthropy Month! To celebrate, we're inviting Black donors to share why they support YWCA. We'd love to celebrate your incredible generosity by featuring your quotes on our social media platforms. Submissions have the option to remain anonymous. Fill out the survey here: https://bit.ly/3YC8qlZ

YWCA's Youth Programs are ERUPTING with joy this summer!

Students at YWCA's Park Road Youth Learning Center are traveling the world this summer—no passport required! 🌎 From El Salvador to India, they're exploring diverse cultures, trying new foods, and gaining a global perspective. They've learned about El Salvador's dynamic geography, and even had the opportunity to create their own volcanoes! Kudos to our amazing staff for creating these enriching experiences! 🗺️

Special thanks to Food Lion for their generous support of YWCA’s Youth Programs.

Eliminating racism.
Empowering women.

With a powerful mission that centers the well-being of women and girls of color, YWCAs across the country deeply mourn the death of Sonya Massey, murdered by an officer she had called to protect her from an intruder. We grieve her stolen life.

Make no mistake: the body cameras worn by the shooter's fellow officer capture the brutal truth. The camera footage leaves no room to "spin" the narrative. She was following police instructions and was killed anyway. The video demands accountability. An arrest and indictment happened. But justice?

True justice would mean Sonya Massey lives, unharmed, and is not another Black woman killed by police in her own home.
Like Breonna Taylor.
Like Atatiana Jefferson.
How many names must be said?

At YWCA, we encourage all to take an active interest in this election season. Now more than ever, it is important to hold political leaders accountable at the local, state and national levels. We need leaders who advocate for the protection of women like Sonya Massey and who wholeheartedly believe that Black women should feel safe and are valued.

📚🖍️ Looking for a way to support YWCA's students and families? Check out our Amazon wish lists! Your generosity helps provide essential supplies and resources, making a huge difference in their lives. Every item counts! 🧡

Shop here: https://bit.ly/amazonwslst

🏊‍♂️🌞 As the heat persists, water safety is crucial. YWCA's fitness center and pool are highlighted in this important story from WBTV news on keeping children safe around water. We offer swim lessons for everyone, no matter your age or swimming level. All are welcome! Read more: https://bit.ly/ywcaswimssafe Special thank you to WBTV's Alex Giles for covering this important topic!

⚠️ Disclaimer: This story discusses heavy topics including near drownings.

Urgent need! We’re running low on waterproof mattress protectors for our transitional housing housing programs. Your donations help ensure every participant has a clean, safe bed. 🛏️🧡 You can shop YWCA's Women In Transition Amazon Wishlist here: https://bit.ly/shop4wit

Shoutout to our friends at Charlotte Community ToolBank for coming to our aid when YWCA lost power last Thursday due to a local outage! They quickly answered our call for help and supplied battery-powered fans, free of charge, to help keep our housing program participants cool while the power was being restored. We're so thankful to have such an incredible community partner!

Reggie Jackson's honest recounting of his experiences with racism underscores the vital need for teaching our true history and DEI in schools. His story is a powerful reminder that these lessons are essential, not only to understand our past but to shape a more equitable future. Read more here: Charlotte Observer

Opportunistic politicians want to hide the truth Reggie Jackson just told, but they can’t | Opinion Why we should be teach our kids the truths baseball legend Reggie Jackson just told | Opinion

📣Reminder: Only 24 hours left to register for YWCA's June book club! Join YWCA Central Carolinas on Thursday, June 27th at 6 PM for a virtual discussion of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s powerful book, The Undocumented Americans. Dive into Karla's journey as she shares the stories of fellow undocumented immigrants and her own experiences. Don’t miss out!

Register here: https://bit.ly/YWevents

Honoring Juneteenth: a day of freedom, reflection, and progress. At YWCA Central Carolinas, we stand together in the fight to eliminate racism, empower women and uphold justice for all.

In May 2022, Latasha, a strong mother of five, had run out of options. After her relationship with the father of her five children ended, she was in need of a path forward. She had been living in a housing program with her family, but due to the breakup, she and her children, aged 4 through 21, had to move out. With nowhere else to go, she moved her family into her mother’s living room. She knew she needed to find a path forward, but didn’t know where to start.

After doing some research, Latasha learned about YWCA’s Families Together program. Through this program, YWCA provides safe, affordable housing and intensive support services for families with minor children facing homelessness. Immediately, Latasha knew it was a fit. She had her social worker write her a referral, and soon, she and her children were approved. Finally, there was a glimmer of light on their path forward.

You can read the full story on YWCA's blog: https://bit.ly/familiesltogether

There's only a few weeks left to register for YWCA's June book club! Join YWCA Central Carolinas on Thursday, June 27th at 6 PM for a virtual discussion of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s powerful book, The Undocumented Americans. Dive into Karla's journey as she shares the stories of fellow undocumented immigrants and her own experiences. Don’t miss this insightful event!

Register today! https://bit.ly/YWevents 🌟

On a sunny March afternoon in YWCA’s Sunridge Youth Learning Center, students proudly chanted “I am unique, and that’s beautiful,” while designing their own distinctive flowers to be planted in the class’s “diversity garden.” Once complete, the “garden” was full of flowers, all unique in their own individual way. In an effort to celebrate diversity and impart the importance of equity and inclusion, Community Engagement Manager Jamila Green facilitated a class lesson called “The ABC’s of DEI” with Sunridge students.

In order to further YWCA’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, it is critical that we sow the seeds of empathy, respect, and understanding in our next generation. YWCA’s Youth Programs provide free, year-round, out-of-school programming for students from low-income communities in eight Youth Learning Centers across Mecklenburg and Union Counties. In addition to developing their literacy skills, YWCA’s Youth Programs aim to empower our students to think critically about the world around them and to develop a holistic sense of self.

Read the full story on YWCA's blog: https://bit.ly/abcsofdei

📣 Help make this summer unforgettable for students in YWCA’s Youth Programs! We need towel donations to support our full-time summer programming, providing fun and engaging experiences for our students! Your contribution will ensure that our eight Youth Learning Centers across Mecklenburg and Union Counties have the resources needed for an amazing summer. 🏊‍♂️🌞

Donate towels today via YWCA's Amazon wish list: https://amzn.to/3mTJohG

Our celebration continues, and today we celebrate Lori Kahikina, the Executive Director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART). At HART, Ms. Kahikina is responsible for the design and construction of the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, the nation’s first automated commuter rail system.

🌞 Summer is almost here! 🌞 Dive into the season with swim lessons at YWCA Central Carolinas. Our indoor pool offers private and group lessons for all ages and skill levels. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your strokes, our expert instructors are ready to help you make a splash this summer! 🏊‍♂️🌊

Secure your spot today: https://bit.ly/ywcaswims

Last but certainly not least in highlighting our participant advocates is Shawntel!

Shawntel has over 19 years of experience dedicated to helping unhoused individuals and families toward healing and self-sufficiency while emphasizing their personal strengths and milestones. Shawntel joined YWCA's housing team in November 2022. Her journey began in New Jersey, where for nine years she served at Agape House Shelter as a Case Manager. In 2014, Shawntel relocated with her family to Charlotte, where she continued her work at a church in their Missions Department. Shawntel is currently working toward her MSW at Walden University Online.

We're thankful to Emahjae, Estella, Shawntel and YWCA's entire housing team for their hard work in helping our participants reach their goals. You can learn more about the impact of YWCA's Women In Transition transitional housing program here: https://bit.ly/3LemRUf

*NEW DATE* When was the last time you picked up a good book? You can remedy that by reading Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's The Undocumented Americans and joining YWCA for our upcoming book club!

Join us virtually on Thursday, June 27th at 6 PM to explore Karla's powerful journey and the stories of fellow undocumented immigrants. Register now! https://bit.ly/YWevents

Next up introducing YWCA's incredible participant advocates is Estella!

Estella has her Masters in Social Work from the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, NY and a BS in Health Care Studies-Community Health from Daemen College in Amherst, NY. She joined YWCA's housing team in January 2024. Estella has also completed a certification program in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Cornell University. She has over 15 years of experience in Sexual and Reproductive Health, Community Health & Advocacy, Crisis Services, and Social Work. Previously, she served as Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York's Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She relocated to Charlotte, NC a little over a year ago and after serving 12 years with Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.

We're so thankful to have Estella on our housing team!

First up in introducing YWCA's incredible participant advocates is Emahjae!

Emahjae holds a Masters in Social Work from Johnson C. Smith University. She joined YWCA's housing team in October 2023. Her experience includes working as a Team Lead in Community Link's Homeless To Housing Program. She also previously served as a Property Manager and Resident Services Coordinator with Westminster Property Management Company and is adept at balancing the demands of residential housing with enthusiasm and compassion. Additionally, she has worked as a Child Welfare Specialist with Mecklenburg County's Department of Social Services. She is also a yoga fan.

We're so thankful to have Emahjae on our housing team to advocate for our housing participants!

YWCA's housing team is made up of incredible individuals who have dedicated their work to help improve the lives of others. Follow along this week to meet the participant advocates who work with Women In Transition program participants to help them set and meet their goals!

Our Women In Transition (WIT) program provides safe, affordable, transitional housing and intensive support services for adult individuals identifying as female, who are single, unaccompanied and experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Program participants work one-on-one with a participant advocate who helps them establish goals that are realistic, measurable, achievable and time-bound.

Haunani-Kay Trask was a Native Hawaiian activist, educator, author, poet, and a leader of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. She pushed tirelessly for the recognition of Hawaii’s Indigenous people by founding Ka Lahui Hawaii, an organization that promotes self-determination for Native Hawaiians. This , we celebrate and share the greatness of her work.

The YWCA movement prides itself on empowering women to empower all, and today, we celebrate Juliet Choi, a YWCA Board Member and president and CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), a national health justice organization that influences policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of communities.

The first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress, former Rep. Patsy Mink was no stranger to being first. Patsy Mink was an American attorney and politician from Hawaii who served in Congress for 24 years, and today, we are proud to honor her as part of our celebration for her work on legislation advancing women's rights and education.

Have you registered for our June book club yet? Join YWCA Central Carolinas on Thursday, June 6th at 6PM for a virtual discussion of Karla Cornejo Villaviencio’s biography and memoir, "The Undocumented Americans." Register here: https://bit.ly/YWevents

Writer Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to write about being undocumented for the first time using her own name. It was right after the election of 2016, the day she realized the story she’d tried to steer clear of was the only one she wanted to tell. So she wrote her immigration lawyer’s phone number on her hand in Sharpie and embarked on a trip across the country to tell the stories of her fellow undocumented immigrants—and to find the hidden key to her own. Read the full book description here: https://bit.ly/4b09l2Z

Yesterday, YWCA’s incredible community engagement manager, Jamila Green, led staff in our annual Stand + Commit session as part of our Until Justice Just Is racial justice event series. This year’s topic was radical self care, a concept popularized by Audre Lorde. Shoutout to Jamila for leading staff through this powerful discussion of the critical importance of self-care and rest. In the words of Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

Special shoutout to our community partners, including , who took part in Stand + Commit in their respective organizations to help live out our mission to eliminate racism.

Yesterday, YWCA's incredible community engagement manager, Jamila Green, led staff in our annual Stand + Commit session as part of our Until Justice Just Is racial justice event series. This year's topic was radical self care, a concept popularized by Audre Lorde. Shoutout to Jamila for leading staff through this powerful discussion of the critical importance of self-care and rest. In the words of Audre Lorde, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."

Special shoutout to our community partners, including Next Stage who took part in Stand + Commit in their respective organizations to help live out our mission to eliminate racism.