When TJ, his mom and grandmother came to the YWCA Central Alabama recently, they were hot, tired and frustrated. Several days into their search for childcare for the 2-year-old, they were very discouraged and the grandmother was almost in tears. “I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “They told me, ‘Go to the YWCA, they can help.’ ”
We may be in the middle of a summer heat wave, but it’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas at the YWCA Central Alabama. In an effort to ensure that a growing number of very deserving boys and girls will have a happy holiday season, we are celebrating Christmas in July.
Eight-year-old Morgan read a book about space and got more and more excited with each page. She thinks Saturn might be her favorite planet because of its rings, and she believes she might want to be an astronaut one day. “It just seems like it would be a lot of fun,” she said.
After spending a week at Anytown Alabama, a social justice leadership camp for high school students, the 70 delegates left with one common goal. They want to change the world.
“I am more aware of serious issues in the world and I feel motivated to help stop them,” one student said. “Everyone is important, regardless of their gender, their sexuality, their race, their level of ability and their religion.”
Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney Joe Hicks handles lots of domestic violence cases, and he wants to be able to tell victims exactly what to expect if they must seek emergency shelter in order to stay safe.
That’s why he and about 20 of his colleagues recently visited the Family Violence Center, one of the YWCA’s confidentially-located shelters for women and their children. “It’s nice to see this place and know there are so many folks doing such a good job to make it as comfortable and homey as possible,” he said.
For the first time in a long time, Darmicka felt confident. She and her son had been living in Our Place, the YWCA Central Alabama’s domestic violence shelter in St.
The woman picked up the broken seashell and ran her finger across the ridges and jagged edges. When she turned the shell over to look at the other side, she was struck by how smooth and polished it was. “This side just looks perfect,” she said. “It reminds me of me on the outside. If you look at me, nobody would know about all my cracks or that I feel broken inside.”
Four male Verizon Wireless employees recently rolled up the legs of their pants, slipped their feet into some red high heels and braced themselves for the comments. Their co-workers didn’t disappoint. “It will definitely get people talking,” one person said.
In an effort to help girls enjoy a safe, secure future, the YWCA Central Alabama will focus on the boys.
On Isabella Yaghmai’s 12th birthday, her friends brought baby dolls, trucks, puzzles and preschool books to her party. They weren’t typical gifts for a preteen girl, but they were exactly what Isabella wanted. She told her friends that, instead of bringing gifts for her, she wanted them to bring toys for the children staying with their moms in the YWCA Central Alabama’s domestic violence shelter.