July – August 2025
July Birthdays
1 Lana Hejazin
1 Madison Bogdan
2 Alaysha Canady
8 N'Jai Davis
9 Lee Wombles
10 LaTasha Thompson
10 Deborah Locklear-Oglesby
11 Alacia Bagley
11 Sierra Derenburger
16 TaVonna Wilson
21 Veronica Bridges
21 Veronica Sanders
23 William Kennedy
24 Alissa Clouse
24 Demonet Oliphant
27 Anna Moore
28 Helen Widman
August Birthdays
1 Bryan Rankins
3 Joyce Stewart
3 Tamika Pierce
3 Daejah Dower
6 Harley Howell
8 Emani Anthony
9 Ellen Roberts
9 Annie Bowen
14 Stephanie Parrish-wilkes
16 Rosalind Rumph
16 Marquitta Minniefield
17 Ivelisse Cupid
21 Kristy Hylton
23 Shelley McClary
24 Jerry Cobbs
24 Jalil Bridges
26 Molly Porter
29 Jhanel McCray
31 Deja Onyedumekwu
July Anniversaries
1 YEAR
QuaTauna Bostic
Latrice Townsell
2 YEARS
Nathaniel Adjei
Bianca Barton
Juliet Lewis
Stephanie Parrish-wilkes
Beulah Robinson
3 YEARS
Joslynn Bridges
Navya Nalla
Sydney Wilson
4 YEARS
Ashley Love
9 YEARS
Amos Li
13 YEARS
Lee Wombles
August Anniversaries
1 YEAR
Nyja Allen
Gianna Deanley
Tamara Howard
Jonesha McClain
Ericka McFarland
Molly Porter
Stephen Quattlebaum
Brieanna White
2 YEARS
Makale Bangoura
Lanai Cason-Hines
Jhanel McCray
Danielle Mitial
Joanna Poindexter
Tina Ricks
3 YEARS
Ashely Boylan
Tameka Donaldson
Amber Lind
Connor Madden
4 YEARS
Mariah Cox
Shelby Gayer
Marie Lundy
Demonet Oliphant
5 YEARS
Alaina Rutter
6 YEARS
Jacqueline Johnson
Caroline Woliver
Kia Woodward
7 YEARS
Patricia Hunley
Kimberly Trimmer
8 YEARS
Jamez Murray-Earliwine
Anita Rastogi
11 YEARS
Joyce Stewart
12 YEARS
Nancy Evans-Freed
13 YEARS
Anne Cronin
Laura Miller
14 YEARS
Mary Rogers
19 YEARS
Michelle Chapman
22 YEARS
Kristy Hylton
24 YEARS
Sally Ristucci
25 YEARS
Joan Ward
31 YEARS
Jenn Hannah
32 YEARS
Clyde Watson
Welcome to the following teammates who joined the YWCA family in May and June:
Christine Burns – Program Assistant
Micah Dupler – Family Advocate
Makayla Jordan – Program Assistant
Regina McCoy – Front Desk/Engagement Specialist
Tierra Lee – Front Desk/Engagement Specialist Coordinator
Bryan Rankins – Program Assistant
Rosalind Rumph – Program Assistant
Veronica Sanders – Assistant Teacher
Team Announcements + Updates
-
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated to supporting local summer learning and afterschool programs, like YWCA Columbus’ Kids Place charter school programs. And, like many other essential programs, its funding is at risk.
These funds are not only beneficial – they are vital to the well-being, development, and success of YWCA’s students, families, and communities. YWCA Kids Place provides a safe and supportive environment for students who may otherwise lack access to academic help, social-emotional development opportunities, meals, and caring adult relationships. All 21st CCLC programs strengthen school-family-community partnerships, promote equity, and support working families. Please join YWCA Columbus in calling for the release of these funds here.
-
The Education Department has finalized training dates for First Aid/CPR classes (below)! Please use the appropriate link below to register for the class of your choice. Keep in mind that registration is first come, first serve, and there are only 25 spots available per session. Each class will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the ballroom at our downtown office.
All registrants will be given access to online trainings via ADP 1-2 weeks before the in-person training. These MUST be completed prior to attending your in-person class or you will not be able to be certified. The First Aid/CPR classes are combined and cannot be taken separately. As a reminder, these classes are free for all YWCA employees!
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Loren Beckett or Tamika Pierce!
Friday, Aug. 8: CPR/First Aid Class: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PCHM82B
Friday, Dec. 12: CPR/First Aid Classes: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3RZDR67
-
We’re still in the midst of our Racial Justice Challenge — and we want you to join us! Our local challenge runs through July 25, with a new topic introduced every two weeks. We've streamlined the content to just one piece per weekday, so there's still plenty of time to participate!
Also, be sure to mark your calendars and RSVP here for our culminating roundtable event on July 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., which will be a great opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned and collaborate with fellow advocates.
Noticed a teammate going above and beyond? Submit your shout-outs for the next YWConnect newsletter to Molly Kowaleski (mkowaleski@ywcacolumbus.org).
YWCA Columbus in the News
Danae King wrote about emergency shelters’ need for funding – and shelter providers’ disappointment with the state budget in The Columbus Dispatch.
YWCA Columbus hosted an urgent community call in May to inform our supporters of the shelter funding gap and ways to help. Catch the recording here and download our toolkit.
YWCA Columbus' Leadership & Social Justice team and LSC alumni gathered for an evening of connection, action, and advocacy. Director of Advocacy Tamara Howard shared the fundamentals of local advocacy, then the alumni wrote testimony, letters, and more on issues like education, housing, and state budgets.
YWCA staff attended Groundwork Ohio’s Rally for Working Families on June 17, calling for Ohio representatives to put families first.
In June, YWCA responded to Ohio Republicans’ introduction of a bill that would ban abortions and treat them as homicide, which flies in the face of Ohio voters’ move to enshrine reproductive healthcare in the state's constitution in 2023. YWCA Columbus also issued a statement regarding the state’s abysmal budget bill.
Being in community to celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride with Stonewall Columbus and showing up for one another was a beautiful reminder of the power of collective care. We also uplifted LGBTQ+ Equal Pay Awareness Day (on June 17), which marks the approximate date in 2025 LGBTQ+ workers need to work to in order to earn the equivalent of what a non-queer, cisgendered person earned in 2024.
YWCA Columbus remembered the 61st anniversary of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, honoring those who risked everything for justice.
Looking for the last issue of YWConnect? Read YWConnect May - June 2025 here.