Press release from the YWCA of Asheville and WNC:
Asheville, N.C. — Today, YWCA of Asheville, alongside YWCA USA and more than 220 other YWCAs around the country, launched a brand awareness campaign meant to reintroduce YWCA, share its life-changing work, and invite people to join us on our mission to empower women and eliminate racism.
“Our association is excited to join with YWCAs across the country in making a bold, public statement about our mission and work,” said Beth Maczka, CEO of the YWCA of Asheville.
The message of our mission is being spread nationally through media interviews, print ads, billboards, and digital media. Starting today, a video ad is running in Times Square in New York City.
YWCA Is On A Mission
For over 150 years, YWCA has been at the forefront of the most critical social movements — from voting rights and civil rights, to affordable housing and pay equity, to violence prevention and health care reform. But despite important work being done on the ground by more than 220 local associations across the country, not enough people understood the size, impact, or relevance of YWCA.
Today, YWCA is one of the top 25 largest charities in the U.S., according to NonProfit Times, with total revenues of more than $775 million. YWCA helps more than 2 million women and children each year in the U.S., and worldwide, YWCA serves 25 million women and girls in 120 countries.
Just in the past year at YWCA of Asheville:
Empowering Women
o Thirty-three pregnant and parenting teenagers stayed in school because of the support, advocacy, resources, and mentoring they receive in the MotherLove program.
o Twenty-six women completed our first two cycles of Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ by World, a program focused on identifying the causes of poverty, and how to obtain resources to break the cycle.
Eliminating Racism
o The YWCA of Asheville held 75 Stand events in 2015, comprising 14% of the 553 total Stand events nationwide. The Stand brought widespread community and media attention to the fact that racism still exists and must not be tolerated.
Nurturing Children
o Empowerment Child Care (formerly Drop-In) provided 10,024 hours of free child care to 208 families seeking economic security by pursuing job training, education, and accessing vital social services.
o Primary Enrichment Program (formerly School Age): 282 school-aged children attended the afterschool and/or summer day camp where they received homework assistance and participated in swim lessons, healthy eating, exercise, drama, gardening, dance, and field trips to help them become lifelong learners.
o Early Learning Program (formerly Child Care): Seventy-four children ages 6 weeks through 6 years gained the skills and enrichment they need to get an excellent start on their education, cultural development, and social skills.
Promoting Health
o Club W Health & Fitness members worked toward their health and fitness goals while supporting programs that change the larger community.
o Thirty-three Latino families learned the importance of healthy food choices and physical activities after attending Salsa, Sabor y Salud, an 8 week, culturally-appropriate program focused on healthy lifestyles.
o Seventy-six Diabetes Wellness and Prevention participants increased their level of physical activity, intake of healthy fruits and vegetables, and understanding of diabetes resulting in better control of their health condition.
But there is still unmet need. With this brand awareness campaign, we invite the public to join us on a mission, and help even more women, children, and families. Join us on a free Empower Hour tour, held twice monthly at 185 South French Broad Ave. For more information and to sign up for an Empower Hour tour visit www.ywcaofasheville.org/empowerhour.
YWCA of Asheville is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen our community. YWCA of Asheville is part of an international movement serving over 2 million in the United States and 25 million worldwide. For comprehensive information about this important work, go to: www.ywcaofasheville.org and www.ywca.org.
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