March is Women’s History Month – 31 days dedicated to highlighting the contributions of women to historical events and contemporary society.
At Easton, we celebrate our March and April Change for Charity beneficiary, YWCA Columbus – an important organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Through its programs and initiatives, YWCA Columbus defies the status quo that puts women, people of color, and the underprivileged on uneven footing.
BRIGHT FUTURES
Bright Futures is a neighborhood-based leadership program for girls in middle school in the Hilltop and Southside neighborhoods. The program provides confidence building and empowerment training focused on social justice concepts.
LEADERSHIP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
This program engages young women at the beginning of their careers, helping them understand how discriminatory practices, policies, and beliefs produce various forms of inequity. Armed with insight, the program participants are better prepared to speak up and act out on behalf of themselves and others.
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
Each year since 1986, the YWCA’s Women of Achievement event honors those women who motivate with their examples of determination, generosity, and courage.
“In the early years, the stage was filled with women who were the first of their kind – the first female engineer, scientist, or law partner,” said YWCA Columbus’ Director of Engagement, Jessica Wichtman-Will. “The event is inspirational and educational but is also a celebration of the strong hammer that continues to chip away at glass ceilings so that the next generation of women can rise above our imaginations.”
Virtual tickets are available for the June 23 event and can be purchased by clicking here.
SUPPORTING THOSE IN NEED
The YWCA offers support to families and women in the community who are experiencing crisis. The recently-renovated Women’s Residency Program provides long-term subsidized housing, employment, education resources, and healthcare to women recovering from addiction, weathering disability or mental illness, or navigating job loss and low incomes.
The YWCA Family Center is a 50-room emergency shelter that offers families safety and support, a place where they can get three healthy meals per day, and a warm, secure place to sleep. Families at the YWCA Family Center have felt the unique and challenging experience of navigating the COVID-19 crisis while staying in a shelter.
YWCA Columbus will use funds raised from Easton’s Change for Charity program to fund continued efforts to create a more equitable Franklin County and serve as the safety net for people who are vulnerable, marginalized, or experiencing crisis.
The funds will also help the organization respond to the needs of the homeless families in Franklin County by creating additional support for children, teens, and adults that will enable families to live with dignity and greater stability.
To learn more about and support the YWCA, visit ywcacolumbus.org.
