YWCA Receives Grant for New Choices Program

The YW is thrilled to announce that the Women for Women giving circle of the Community Foundation of WNC has awarded our New Choices Program a grant for $50,000! This grant will help women in poverty gain the education and skills necessary to find and keep living wage employment. This award was announced today at “Power of the Purse,” Women for Women’s annual luncheon.

A Century of Empowerment through Employment

For a century the YWCA of Asheville has been at its essence dedicated to improving the economic wellbeing of women. During the 1920s, the Phyllis Wheatley branch acted as an informal employment referral agency for women looking for domestic work, while the Central YW offered classes for unemployed women on how to get a job and keep it. In the 1940s, the Business Girls’ League provided classes in self-improvement, social activities, and leadership opportunities.

A New Name for a New Day

Currently, the New Choices program, through case-management, access to child care, group support, and job-skills building, continues to serve women living below the poverty level who want to achieve economic self-sufficiency. Almost every woman who struggles to emerge from poverty faces compounding issues like lack of education and child care. Women seeking education face a double-bind: in order to receive child care assistance, they have to be a full-time student, but they cannot be a full-time students because they need child care assistance! New Choices breaks that bind.

“The most important thing I gained from attending New Choices is confidence in my skills and applying for a job with my resume.” – Sara

The YW has long understood the economic well-being of women depends on stable employment and reliable, first-rate childcare. Specifically for New Choices participants and for participants from 14 partner agencies, the YW offers the only free drop-in child care in Buncombe County. New Choices also teaches a 14-week empowerment series in collaboration with these partner agencies.

Women Helping Other Women

The Women for Women giving circle of the Community Foundation of WNC brings women together in an engaging and meaningful way. By combining financial resources and working with others, Women for Women makes high-impact grants to improve the lives of women and girls in our region. Since January 2005, Women for Women has given more than a two million dollars to programs helping women and girls in our region. The mission of Women for Women is to improve the lives of women and girls through women’s collective giving. Their vision is to empower women to take action, inspire hope and possibility and strengthen Western North Carolina.

Thank you, Women for Women members, for empowering the women of New Choices and the YWCA of Asheville!

Board President Melissa Williams and Executive Director Beth Maczka at the Women for Women Power of the Purse event today.

 

2013 Stand Against Racism a Great Success!

Once again the YWCA Stand Against Racism was a great success. According to a follow-up survey sent to participating groups, over 5,000 people participated in Stand Against Racism activities this year.

Stand Coalition Co-Chair Kathryn Liss, Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder, Stand Coalition Member James Lee. Dr. Wilder’s talk at the YMI was sponsored by Mission Health.

Here are some of the things people had to say about the 2013 Stand:

“It gets the word out and gives people a platform from which to address this issue.”

“I like the variety of events offered.”

“Energy, enthusiasm, important messages.”

“I loved the conference at UNC Asheville. Hearing from Dr. Livingston and talking with community members about the challenges our community faces regarding creating inclusive cultures was eye opening.”

“Our volunteers were proud to wear the stickers throughout the day and the evening’s performance.”

“It’s something tangible that students can participate in and feel good about.”

“Synergy of the individuals and organizations that participated. Collaboration is how we are going to create critical mass and momentum to make change.”

“Diversity of activities going on.”

“The opportunity to see the support of the City and County.”

“It brings awareness to our community.”

“Thoughtful dialogue about subtle racism.”

“I love that it’s a growing local and national movement – that helped everyone feel part of a bigger whole. Loved the ongoing reminders and increasing amount of support and resources being given to help us conduct our events.”

“I like seeing different organizations put on different events that suit their style /mission / purpose. I like how the events all crossed many lines other than racism, like how the film at the UU church also addressed LGBT and political issues.”

“Knowing that so many in our community were focused and aware of these relevant issues at the same time.”

“Great coalition building.”

“Keeping this important issue in front of the public.”

Welcome Pearl Kyles

From Director of Operations and Human Resources Mary Beth Herman:

The YWCA welcomes Pearl Kyles as our new full time custodian. We are thankful to have Pearl working with us. She is always pleasant and has a smile while working and will tackle any task you ask of her. The locker rooms look beautiful thanks to Pearl’s diligence in keeping them clean. Visitors have been commenting on the cleanliness and great upkeep of our facility.

Thank you Pearl for everything you do to help keep our building and grounds clean, sanitized, and looking great. It is a pleasure working with you!

Club W Open House on Monday May 20th

The public is invited to try out Club W: The YWCA Health & Fitness Center for FREE any time on Monday, May 20th. Take a class, try out our equipment, swim in the YW’s solar-heated pool… If you decide to join, we’ll waive the enrollment fee! Questions? Call 254-7206 x 213.

Graduation!

It’s graduation season, and the YWCA of Asheville has graduates to celebrate.

The first group are the oldest children in our Child Care Center, who will be heading to Kindergarten in the Fall. We hold a Child Care “graduation” every Spring, and it is always an adorable event, with lots of music. This year’s graduation is happening on Friday. Pictured here are last year’s graduates, many of whom are now participants in our After School program.

Another group of graduates we are very proud to celebrate are the eleven teens who have been participating in our MotherLove program who are graduating from high school. Thanks in part to support from MotherLove mentors and staff, these young women have beat the odds. Specifically, nationwide statistics show that only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age (CDC). Over the past ten years, 100% of seniors enrolled in MotherLove have graduated from high school.

We wish all of the graduates the best as they enter their next phase of life!

Julia Ray: Living Treasure

Report by Director of Development Tami Ruckman:

This past Sunday, at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the campus of UNC Asheville, a very special ceremony was held to honor four of Asheville’s “Living Treasures.” Spring 2013 Designees included Thelma Porter, Julia Ray, and John and Hazel Robinson. These four individuals join only 13 other individuals who have been named as Living Treasures.

Julia Ray was nominated by the YWCA because of her involvement with the YWCA of Asheville as the Black and White branches integrated. Julia remembers attending events at the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA from the time she came to Asheville.

In 1954, the election of Lucille Burton—the first Black member of the Central YWCA board of directors—put the YWCA on what proved to be a long path towards integration. Black and White branches of the Asheville YWCA finally merged, moving into the formerly Black facility in 1970. With this merge, the YWCA of Asheville became the first integrated YWCA in the South. Thelma Caldwell, then acting Director, became the first Black YWCA Executive Director in the South, and the second in the nation.

In 1976, determined to carry on the work of Thelma Caldwell, twenty-two Black former YWCA board members including Julia formed the YWCA Booster Club to supplement the current Board’s efforts and in particular to be a support to the first Black board president, Ollie Reynolds. This group supported the work of the YW in myriad ways up until only a few years ago.

Julia Pauline Greenlee Ray was born in Marion, NC in 1914. She graduated from Barber-Scotia College in Concord and later attended the University of Pittsburgh. After graduation and before going to Pittsburgh she came back to Marion. While there she would visit her aunt in Asheville because Marion had “little social opportunity.” Because the South was still segregated at that time blacks “made their own social events”. They able to meet in restaurants or bars so they met at each other’s homes and churches.

Both of Julia’s parents were masters of their crafts. Julia’s father was a well-known ornamental plasterer and her mother was a seamstress and needle worker.  Julia learned her intricate sewing skills from her mother. Julia won numerous awards for her cross-stitch.

Julia met her husband Jesse Ray when his mother showed him a picture of a beautiful young woman in the Pittsburgh Courier, a nationally circulated newspaper for Blacks. Her picture was on the front page. Julia had been accepted to the University of Pittsburgh and was attending college there. He decided to write to her When Julia visited Asheville, she had the chance to meet Jesse at the home of a cousin. Julia decided not to return to Pittsburg, but married Jesse instead. They were married for 59 years until his passing in 1994.

After WWII, the Rays purchased the Asheville Colored Hospital at the corner of Biltmore Avenue and Charlotte Street, and began Jesse Ray Funeral Home. They ran this business successfully for many years. Early on, the lower level served as the funeral home and the upper floor as the family residence.

Julia was the first African-American on the Board of Trustees of Mission Hospital, and served for 8 years as a trustee of UNC Asheville, appointed by the Governor. She served on the first board of the NC Center for Creative Retirement at UNC Asheville. She also served on the Friends of the YMI and helped to establish the Goombay Festival.

YWCA Executive Director Beth Maczka speaking at the Living Treasures event.

In 2003, the YMI rededicated their auditorium to honor Julia and Jesse. In 2007, Julia received the annual Mission/MAHEC Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her pioneering service to the Asheville medical community. In 2012, Julia traveled to Las Vegas to receive than award from the National Funeral Directors Association proclaiming her a Living Legend of Funeral Service for her 74 years of service.

Julia Ray and Holly Jones at the Living Treasures event.

Julia will celebrate her 99th birthday this October. We are immeasurably grateful to her for years of service to the YWCA of Asheville.

MotherLove Volunteer Banquet

As part of Volunteer Appreciation Week, the YWCA MotherLove program held a banquet to celebrate the volunteer mentors who work with teen parents in the program. Each of the participants spoke about what they appreciated about their mentors. The group also was able to hear remarks from singer Kat Williams. She told the story of how her mother was only 14 years old when she was born, and the challenges she had to overcome to become the success she is today. Williams said that the young women in the MotherLove program should be grateful for the support the program provides, and how she wished her mother could have had a program like MotherLove to turn to. She also graced the group with a song.

Project POWER/AmeriCorps volunteer Sarah Coston works with MotherLove, and had this to say about the event:

We are so thankful that so many of our volunteers and program supporters could attend the banquet and allow us to honor them in person. Their contribution to the MotherLove program is truly invaluable.  Their time, donations, and knowledge shared influence each participants future strengthening their safety net and giving them the knowledge they need and the opportunity to succeed. Without each and every one of them the MotherLove program would be at a loss. We would like to thank all of our mentors as well as the following people:

* Kat Williams for singing and speaking at the Banquet.

* Bruce Kennedy for assisting a participant with filming a video for her senior project on teen parenting.

* Tangela Robinson and Rebecca Penland for speaking during the months of March and April at lunch bunch meetings.

* Karen Scarborough and Joe Tarpley for preparing and delivering meals for Enka High School lunch bunch.

* Greg Spray for organizing and hosting a free shopping spree event with clothes, toys, and parenting tools for program participants and their children.

If you would like to find out more about the MotherLove program, contact Tangela Ballard-Bowman at 254-7206 x 116 or email tbowman@ywcaofavl.org. If you’d like to make a donation to the program, click here.