Hope Lloyd is a rising senior at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). She was selected to participate in BSC's Hess Fellows Program - a program that pairs students with nonprofit organizations dedicated to advocacy. Hope was an adviser at Anytown Alabama 2013 and is serving at the YWCA this summer.
Summer vacation is a highly anticipated time of rest, relaxation and recreation for area students each year. Many students travel on family vacations, while others go to camps, join sports leagues and everyone loves spending time in the sun at the local swimming pool. However, if you are a child who lives in an area shelter, like the children we serve in the YWCA’s Summer Enrichment Program, opportunities like these are few and far between. Because for these children, camps and sports are a luxury they cannot afford and most of them do not own a swimsuit of their own.
On Wednesday, Anytown delegates learned about privilege and how it affects lives even when people are unaware of it. The Privilege Walk activity was introduced to delegates to illustrate privilege. To see the Privilege Walk activity in action, check out the video below.
Homelessness, domestic violence and racism are uncomfortable subjects that are often avoided in society, especially in social situations. YWhisper is designed to encourage this “uncomfortable conversation.” The YWCA Central Alabama will hold its second annual YWhisper today – Thursday, June 6th at REV Birmingham’s SocialVenture event space located at 5529 1st Avenue South.
The YWCA Central Alabama has two overarching pieces to its mission: eliminating racism and empowering women. When reflecting on eliminating racism in the digital age, we decided to blog about social justice issues in our community and the ways that our community is responding. This week, we’re kicking off our blog by focusing on a YWCA program.
Resolute Running is hosting a summer youth camp, and thanks to the thoughtfulness of staff members, two lucky girls from YWoodlawn have been provided with scholarships to attend two sessions each.
The camps, led by Joy Braun-Gonzalez and Ann Cade Thomas, will focus on teaching kids how to have fun being active, enjoy overall fitness, train to be a runner and much more! Children will range in age from 8 – 13 years old and sessions will be held in June and July.
The YWCA Central Alabama had the rare privilege to share its AmeriCorps program with former Pennsylvania Senator Harris Wofford and John Gomperts, President and CEO of America’s Promise. Wofford and Gomperts previously served in leadership positions with the AmeriCorps program. Gomperts served as the former AmeriCorps Director, while Wofford was instrumental in the legislation creating AmeriCorps.
Fifteen Members from Pell City United Methodist Church donned their gardening gloves to give the YWCA’s Our Place shelter a “spruce up” just in time for spring. As part of their “Worship Without Walls” community mission, parishioners volunteer to serve in the community rather than attend worship services. Our Place was selected as a service site and volunteers cleaned out flower beds around the shelter and revamped the landscaped areas in the front.
It’s a Mother’s Day tradition at the YWCA to honor mothers by raising funds and awareness for KIDS (Kids in Distress) Korner, the YWCA’s homeless child care center. The tradition continues with the 28th Annual Mother’s Day Flower Sale that will be held on Friday, May 10, 2013.
The YWCA was excited to continue our yearlong 110th birthday celebration at this year’s 14th Annual Purse & Passion Luncheon. Attendees were shown a special video featuring students from the YWCA child care center reflecting on what it is like to be 110 years old, sending the YW birthday wishes and singing “Happy Birthday” to the YWCA.