20th Annual YWCA Tribute To Women of Influence a Success

Last night we held our 20th Annual Tribute to Women of Influence (TWIN) awards event at Pack Place/Diana Wortham Theatre. The evening was a great success. Over 400 people gathered to celebrate the 2011 Honorees. The food at the reception was by Corner Kitchen. Entertainment was provided by the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra and the Mason Ensemble. The emcee was Lisa Gatewood-McMillan. Remarks were also given by YW Executive Director Holly Jones and YW Board President Nancy Ackermann Cole. 2010 Honoree of the Year Kitty Schaller handed out the awards. The Lead Sponsor was First Citizens Bank. There is a list of 2011 TWIN sponsors on our website.

25 women/groups of women were honored in the categories of Equality, Empowerment and Transformation. Each of the honorees were featured on this blog in the weeks leading up to the event. You can also find a list of the 2011 Honorees here. Each category had an “Honoree of the Year.” The 2011 Honorees of the Year were Yaira Andrea Arias Soto, Women for Women: A Giving Circle of the Community Foundation of WNC, and Lisbeth Riis Cooper. They were presented with custom ceramic awards, created by artist Catharine Brown and underwritten by John Cram and Matt Chambers of New Morning/Bellagio Art to Wear (see photo). Videos by Bourne Media about each Honoree of the Year are posted below.

Proceeds from the event will go to support the YWCA’s programs aimed at bridging gaps in health care, child care, education and earning power.

Congratulations to all of the Honorees!

Day of Caring

These are members of a team from Wachovia who volunteer every year for the Day of Caring, sponsored by United Way. We were lucky to have them with us at the YWCA this year. They worked on our Child Care Center’s Outdoor Environmental playground, which we will finish this year. They built outdoor tables, set up a protective fence, painted, helped put together a storage shed, and generally moved us down the road to finishing this exciting project for our children. Many thanks from the YWCA!

Volunteer Spotlight: Paul Hultberg

Another GREAT YW Volunteer!

Paul Hultberg and his wife Evie are members at the YW.  They enjoy working out regularly in the gym and the pool.  They are also long-time friends of the YW’s Program Director Catherine Peck.

Recently, Paul approached our Director of Development Tami Ruckman, who also oversees the computers and network, and asked her if she needed any help.  “When I realized Paul’s level of skills, I couldn’t believe it!  He has saved us hundreds and hundreds of dollars, and can do things that I don’t begin to know how to do.”

Born in New Jersey into an Armed Services family (his dad was a WWII veteran), Paul went to school at Gettysburg College, then got an MBA from Wake Forest University.  He spent 16 years working for the YMCA, was Operations Manager at a large insurance company, and worked for himself.  He always enjoyed computers, so then went to work for Barium Springs Home for Children in Statesville, where he managed computer systems dozens of times larger than the YWCA’s.

When they retired, Paul and Evie moved to Asheville.  Evie is in the process of becoming a Naturalist at the NC Arboretum, and Paul can be found inside the YW’s server room or under a desk working on a computer a couple of days a week.  Paul and Evie are taking the month of July off to take a 5,000 mile driving trip across the Western United States and Canada.

Tami says “Paul not only knows computers, but knows non-profits, and is helping us get the best from our investments in technology.” 

Thank you Paul for sharing your skills with the YWCA of Asheville!

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.

Volunteer Spotlight

Volunteer Blair Felder at "Work"

Blair Felder has been volunteering her time at the YWCA Child Care Center since the beginning of April.  She moved back to Asheville this year and wanted to continue working in a childcare setting like she had in Greensboro.  Blair finds that she learns something new every day from the children in her group.  She says that she enjoys this volunteer work so much that she has decided to pursue her childcare credentials at A-B Tech. We are very appreciative of the work that Blair does for the YWCA. She approaches her interactions and volunteer work with openness and joy. I am sure there are some two and three year-olds who want to join us in thanking Blair!

Blair is one of the many amazing volunteers who help the YWCA serve the Asheville community.  If you are interested in joining this dedicated group of people please contact me, Heidi Sistare, YWCA Volunteer Coordinator: heidi.sistare@ywcaofasheville.org, 828-254-7206 x204.