Congratulations to our very own Comedienne Joy for winning second place in the YWCA USA's YWomen Start It Up Pitch Competition! Selected as one of six entrepreneurs from across the nation, she competed with five other women last Wednesday, July 21, pitching her company to a panel of judges for a chance to win money from the $25,000 pool of funds. Cassandra will receive $7,000 from the Coca-Cola Foundation for second place.
Comedienne Joy (Cassandra King) will represent Alabama as the state’s only small businesswoman to vie for $25,000 in the Wednesday, July 21 YWomen Start It Up Pitch Competition. Register to tune in and cheer on the owner of Eat. Drink. Ride Food Tours, one of six entrepreneurs chosen across the nation. They present to a panel of judges from 2-4 p.m. (CDT) on Zoom. Log in to see if she wins $25,000 in cash prizes!
Just in time to commemorate its 10th anniversary as a staple in Birmingham’s historic Woodlawn community, YWCA Central Alabama’s Family Resource Center will host a back-to-school Family Reunion Block Party. The big community event will be at 1 55th Place South in Woodlawn on July 31 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (in the space that usually hosts Woodlawn Street Market). Enjoy free meals from Travis’s Chicago Style Food Truck or Eugene’s Hot Chicken, Lillie’s Cup, Coca-Cola Bottling United, Bryce and Bray’s Bakery, Frito Lay, and more.
Millions of families across America will receive tax credits or payments beginning July 15 to help cover the costs of raising children. Instead of waiting until the end of the year, parents will be able to collect up to $300/month per child, and they get to choose how they spend it. This could mean $900 a month for low-income moms with three children.
BUT… some families will only receive these funds if they file a tax return for last year – whether or not they owe taxes.
YWCA Central Alabama will recognize the Building Communities, Bettering Lives (BCBL) AmeriCorps end of year and program by hosting a Virtual End of the Program celebration at 11:00 a.m. and an in-person End of the Year celebration from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both events will be held on July 15, 2021. The virtual celebration welcomes AmeriCorps members, supervisors, alums, and past stakeholders to honor the 12-year legacy of the program.
Evicted: Poverty &Profit in the American City (2017)
by Matthew Desmond
Housing and economic disparities plague communities across the nation. Matthew Desmond chronicles the lived experiences of eight Milwaukee families forced out of their homes. Evicted takes a hard look at the ills of capitalism, exploitation, and poverty.
Today’s Derek Chauvin sentencing motivates YWCA Central Alabama to continue bringing awareness to the pervasiveness of systemic and institutional racism and to end it once and for all.
Let’s be clear, Derek Chauvin, trusted to protect and serve, senselessly ended George Floyd’s life, forcing America to face an issue that has long plagued families of color and reigniting the cry for racial justice.
Although no number of years will bring Mr. Floyd back, this case marks an inflection point in the arc of the moral universe.
Join YWCA Central Alabama for the inaugural Family Reunion: Block Party Edition on Saturday, July 31 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. We're giving away free food, door prizes, and back-to-school supplies. The registration deadline is Tuesday, July 20. We are also looking for volunteers and door prize donations. For more information, contact 205.949.5550 or frc@ywcabham.org.
Strangulation has been identified as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence. This powerful form of abuse is sometimes compelling reinforcement to the victim that their abuser decides their fate.
On March 17, the House of Representatives passed the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 (“the VOCA Fix Act”) with overwhelming bipartisan support. This critical legislation will prevent devastating cuts to federal funding for victim service programs through the Victims of Crime Act (“VOCA”). However, we have yet to see movement on the Senate companion bill, S.611.
