Diabetes Wellness Success

How I began my journey at the YWCA five years ago, to competing in 5k run/walks this year! by Dan Mason

“I enrolled in the YWCA Diabetes Wellness Program in 2005 and began exercising. Since then I have increased the number of days I come to the YWCA to five days a week. Slowly I grew stronger with the help of Rachel, Mark, and Alphie, staff in the YWCA Preventive Health department.

In August, I was walking 7 days a week and had an opportunity to participate in a 5k. My first one was this past September; sponsored by the Asheville Citizen-Times, where I completed in under an hour, better than the time I set to finish in. I completed two more, the Black & Blue Classic in November and the Jingle Bell earlier this month. At the Jingle Bell, I was determined to place. With a time of 43.79, I placed third in my age range (55-59)!

It is from the encouragement of the Diabetes Wellness Program staff and participants this was all possible. I also find walking helps ease anxiety and issues related to stress. I have come off of all of my diabetes medications and am much healthier today than I was when I first started on this journey. With my efforts combined with the team at YWCA cheering me on I have something to look forward to placing first next time around!”

YWCA Diabetes Wellness Program

The goal of the Diabetes Wellness Project is to empower those with diabetes to develop the habit of exercise to better manage their illness. The program includes: a commitment to exercising a minimum of 8 times a month, membership to Club W: The YWCA Health and Fitness Center, peer mentorship, fitness counseling, monthly educational sessions and workout support groups.

For more information on the YWCA Diabetes Wellness Program call Alphie Rodriguez at 254-7206 ext. 212.

Holiday Party

Susan Macdonald and President Jessica Guzman

Last week YWCA employees were treated to a holiday party, generously hosted by the YWCA Board of Directors. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the staff’s loving service to children and families in our community. The party was held at Grove House, which was once the location of the Central YWCA. The owners of Grove House were gracious hosts and the building was full of festive decorations.

The focus was on fun and fellowship, but there were a few presentations as well. Certificates were given out to employees for 5, 10 and 15 year anniversaries. Aquatics Director Jean Coile was honored for 33 years of service to the YWCA! Finally, the “Employee of the Year” was announced – congratulations to YWCA Child Care Director Wanda Harris!

It was a great night.

Ami Worthen and Ray Harrell

Bob Falls & Executive Director Holly Jones

Catherine Peck, Aquatics Director Jean Coile, and Mary Beth Herman

Employee of the Year Wanda Harris, Mary Beth Herman, and Tami Ruckman

Yashika Smith and Zari

5-Year Employee Charlton Owens

Grateful for our Academic Coaches

The YWCA would like to recognize our star Academic Coaches. Academic Coaches volunteer an hour of their time each week to mentor and/or tutor a child in our After-School program.

Pat Bailey, a retired ESL teacher who taught for 35 years, states that “Education is in my blood.“ She seeks out ways to be of service and is enjoying her first experience tutoring at the YWCA. 

Mandi Kilgore, a senior at T.C. Robertson, says that her favorite part of being a coach is helping her student learn new things. She volunteers because it gives her a chance to get involved in the community and prepare for college.

Pat and Mandi are two of the many amazing volunteers who help the YWCA serve the Asheville community. The YWCA welcomes volunteers of all types. Whether you need to complete community service, service hours for class credit or you just want to help out the community, please consider volunteering at the YWCA. We have tasks for all age ranges and skill levels, from clerical assistance, to working with children, to helping to keep our building neat and tidy! To sign-up for a project, contact Katie Graunke, Volunteer Coordinator, volunteer@ywcaofasheville.org, 254-7206 ext. 204.

More about the Academic Coach Program
The Asheville City Schools Foundation recruits, screens and trains volunteer academic coaches (tutor/mentor) for all grade levels. Academic Coaches are trained to support students by assisting them with a variety of tasks that support educational success. They must commit to spend at least one hour of coaching time with their student per week for a school year, although they may join the program at any point during the year. For more information, please visit the Asheville City Schools Foundation website, http://www.acsf.org.

FutureVision Needs Donations for a Project

Happy Holidays!

The YWCA FutureVision afterschool program is holding a special “HOLIDAY SHOPPING” activity for students on December 17th.  FutureVision teenagers will be given a certain amount of pretend money to go shopping for clothes and other items either for themselves or a friend or family member.  The purpose is to help students practice good budgeting skills while gathering items they may need this winter.

We are asking for clothing donations for 6^th-12^th graders (12-18 years old; boys and girls): coats, shirts, pants, shoes, etc.  Other items such as hair dryers, jewelry, curling irons, books, DVDs, CDs, etc. are also greatly appreciated.

We would like to have all donations in by Friday December 11^th so that we can get things sorted. So please help us spread the word and clean out your closets and stop by the YWCA before going to Goodwill this year!

When dropping off donations, please do not leave them at the front desk.  Instead, have a staff member at the front desk page Michelle Barbeau or Rachel Herrick and we will come get the donation from you.

Thank you for your help and have a wonderful Holiday season!

Michelle Barbeau
AmeriCorps Enrichment Specialist

Biodiesel in Our Buses

Mark Strazzer and Mary Beth Herman from the YWCA and Rick Perkins from Biltmore Oil/Eblen Short Stop Stores

Today representatives from the YWCA attended the grand opening of a new biodiesel pump at the Eblen Short Stop Store on Amboy Road. As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, the YWCA will be using biodiesel from this pump in the 4 buses we use to transport children in our programs.

The New Pump

Here is an excerpt from the press release about the grand opening of the new pump: “Blue Ridge Biofuels and Biltmore Oil/Eblen Short Stop Stores are proud to partner with Progress Energy in increasing the availability of alternative fuels in Western North Carolina. This station is funded in part by Progress Energy, the US Department of Energy Southeast Ethanol and Biodiesel Infrastructure Corridor Project, the NC Division of Air Quality Mobile Source Emissions Reduction Project, and the Biofuels Center of North Carolina.”

Martha Thompson of Progress Energy, Susan Fisher and YWCA Executive Director Holly Jones

“Biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable alternative to petroleum diesel fuel. It can be used in any diesel engine, including on road vehicles, off road equipment, and #2 home heating oil furnaces. No modifications are necessary to use biodiesel, which is often sold blended with petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is better for the environment because it has lower green house gas emissions than coventional petroleum diesel. It also provides superior mechanical benefits for most applications due to its higher lubricity and deposit solvent properties when compared to petroleum based diesel.”
(From the Blue Ridge Biofuels website.) 

It was a nice event despite the rain and we are glad to show our support for alternative fuels.

Holiday Camp Coming Up

YWCA Holiday Camp for grades K-6 will be December 21, 22, 28-31 at the YWCA, 185 S. French Broad Ave. Hours will be 7:30 am until 6:00 pm. The cost is $30/ day or $150 for the entire camp. Breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack will be provided. Attendees will enjoy arts & crafts, swimming, field trips, and other enriching recreation.

YWCA After-School emphasizes respect for diversity, community involvement, and academics. This 5-Star licensed program is open to children in grades K-6 and offers homework help, tutoring, swimming lessons, gardening, arts & crafts, field trips and nutritious snacks.

For more information call School-Age Director CiCi Weston at 254-7206 x 111 or go to www.ywcaofasheville.org.

Kind Words from Pollinate Asheville

This blog entry is cross-posted from Pollinate Asheville. Thanks, Suzanne, for your kind words!

Pollinator: Get Fit. Go Green. Give to Others.

Can I just tell you how much I love the YWCA?  We are so fortunate to have a strong YWCA in Asheville, thanks to the amazing leadership, staff, and community support of their programming.

A Bit of History

Back in the day, like most other institutions, the YWCA was racially segregated.  The Asheville YWCA was the first in the South to integrate AND, the building that it currently occupies was originally the YWCA for African Americans, which is unusual.  In talking with Holly Jones, Executive Director, integration typically took place in the YWCAs for white folks, likely because the facilities were in better condition.

Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women

I started going to the YWCA to utilize their fitness equipment and classes, and quickly realized that it is much more than an exercise facility.  Even upon filling out the membership form, I had to sign on a line that I agree to show respect for others and myself while I am in the facility.  And, coming from the Pittsburgh-area, I find it odd that it is so difficult for me to meet friends with racial backgrounds different than my own.  Not only have I encountered rich diversity at the YWCA, but I notice that the staff is multi-racial—a rarity in Asheville.

“Our diverse staff helps us better serve our diverse community,” says Holly Jones.

5 Reasons to Support the YWCA

1. Their Mission: Eliminating Racism, Empowering Women

2. Efforts to Go Green and Lessen their Carbon Footprint: Solar Hot Water

3. Amazing Fitness Facility and Classes and a Pool.

4. Diverse, Friendly and Knowledgeable Staff

5. Community Programs, including support for teen mothers, diabetes support and prevention, child care, and more.

5 Ways to Support the YWCA

1. Become a Member

• Stop by the YWCA on South French Broad Ave. to learn more.  It’s affordable and worth it.

2. Make a Donation to help reach $100K this year

3. Volunteer, Share your talents.

• Contact Catherine Peck, Programs Director – 828-254-7206 ext. 215

4. Sponsor a Program, custom-designed sponsorships available.

• Contact Catherine Peck, Programs Director – 828-254-7206 ext. 215

5. Talk about the YWCA.  Take a look at the programs they offer and tell your friends.

Also…the YWCA’s Tribute to Women of Influence (TWIN) award nominations are being taken now.  Find the link to the nomination form on the homepage of their website.

Go to the YWCA Website for more information.

Go to the YWCA Blog for news and updates.

Know a “Woman of Influence”?

The YWCA is now accepting nominations for the 19th Annual YWCA Tribute to Women of Influence (TWIN) Awards Banquet which will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at the Renassiance Asheville Hotel.

TWIN honors the professional achievements of women and companies who support the advancement of women. That evening, the YWCA will celebrate all of the TWIN 2010 Honorees. In addition, one woman will receive special recognition as “Honoree of the Year.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the YWCA’s many programs dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women.

The YWCA TWIN nomination form can be downloaded from the YWCA website, www.ywcaofasheville.org, or can be requested by calling 254-7206 x 206. Nominations are due by January 8, 2010.

Photo of Maria Roloff, TWIN 2009 Honoree of the Year, by Jason Sandford.

MotherLove Featured in Citizen-Times

This story was in the Asheville Citizen-Times on Monday, November 16.

Giving Tree at YWCA to help MotherLove
by Sandra V. Rodriguez

For Tangela Ballard-Bowman’s girls, the joy of Christmas relies on the Giving Tree.

“Giving Tree is a special time of year for us,” said Ballard-Bowman, director of the YWCA’s MotherLove program for pregnant teens and teen mothers. “It’s a chance where our community can … make someone’s Christmas very, very special.”

Each year, Ballard-Bowman will have the young women fill out a card with their “wish list,” a series of questions such as that “special one thing” they want for Christmas, along with clothing sizes for them and their babies. Their wish list will then be written on the back of a star available for those participating in the Giving Tree program.

This year’s tree went up last week at the YWCA of Asheville, 185 S. French Broad Ave.

And that is just one aspect of the program Ballard-Bowman refers to as “my baby,” a program she has poured her energy into making the girls feel they are not alone. “These girls are trying their best to have a chance in life and sometimes they need a little push or a little help,” Ballard-Bowman said.

The MotherLove program has helped hundreds of girls as young as 12 since the program started about 20 years ago by pairing pregnant or young mothers with mentors, who provide support during a difficult time for the girls. Mentors volunteer for eight hours a month or more, with at least two hours in by phone or in person, with the girls.

“We have one (mentor) that’s had the same girl for I think it’s going on four years, and they are an awesome team. We love to see those kinds of mentor matches, but I am afraid a lot of times, when we have great mentor matches, when that participant goes out of the program, that mentor is leaving with that participant.”

That’s a role Ballard-Bowman is familiar with, too. She has lost count of the number of calls she’s received in the middle of the night in the last eight years. But all the dedication and support the soft-spoken woman pours into each of her girls paid off.

“Every one of them has a purpose and destiny,” she said, “and that’s the part that I play to make sure that they can identify within themselves that they are strong women and that they can overcome any obstacle in their lives, including being a teenage mom and still stay in school and still go to college and get a degree.”

And that’s exactly what Jane Lytle, 18, a senior at Owen High School in Swannanoa, is on track to do. She will be graduating early in January. She wants to enroll at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and earn a nursing degree.

“It’s something that I’ve wanted to do,” Lytle said. “But now that I have a baby, I have to do this; I have to do better for her.”

Lytle has been in the program for about three years. She and her 1-year-old girl, Lyric Greene, were at a recent Lunch Bunch at Owen High. Lunch Bunch is a gathering open to any pregnant teen or teen mother and is held once a month at Asheville, Erwin, Owen and Community high schools.

Another success story is Chelsea Finley, a freshman at Western Carolina University.

Finley came into the program in the ninth or 10th grade, Ballard-Bowman said. She became Finley’s mentor; she did things like drive Finley to the doctor when her mother wasn’t able to do it and check up on her and make sure she was on task. Finley earned the Dell Scholarship for $20,000.

“It makes me feel really good that the MotherLove had a part of that. I tell my girls to … keep you’re head up, keep going forward, reach you’re goal in life, and that’s what the girls do.”

Additional Facts

Want to help?

• MotherLove’s annual Giving Tree is on display in the lobby of the YWCA, 185 S. French Broad Ave., and people can now pick up a star, each bearing wishes from a teen mother. The donated presents can be returned to the YWCA and will be given to the teen mother at the annual holiday party.

• To learn more about mentoring opportunities or the Giving Tree, call MotherLove Director Tangela Ballard-Bowman at 254-7206, ext. 116.

Photo caption: YWCA Mother Love director Tangela Ballard-Bowman stands holds a star for the agency’s Giving Tree, which have written on them Christmas wish lists for area teen moms and moms-to-be who participate in the program. Those interested in donating can pick up a star, shop for the teen and drop the gifts off at the YWCA. (John Coutlakis/jcoutlakis@citizen-times.com)

Fun Day in the Sun

You are invited to join us for “Winter’s Fun Day in the Sun”.

WHEN: Sat., November 21st
TIME: 9:00-12:00 am
WHERE: Aston Park, S. French Broad Ave. 
WHAT: One or two mile walk, and free activities for kids. We are asking attendees to wear orange.
WHO: Everyone is welcome.
SPONSORED BY: Ingles Markets, UNC-Asheville Health & Wellness students
and the YWCA of Asheville’s Childhood Obsesity Prevention Program
 
Please note: The event will be canceled in the event of rain or snow.

To volunteer or get involved email wintersfundayinthesun@yahoo.com