April 2026 

April Birthdays

1 Michelle Chieffo 
2 Maame Owusu-Yeboah  
3 Betty Rickabaugh 
8 Cheryl Glenn
11 Rhiannon Howell
21 Christina Walls
23 Frances Rene Call
28 Marylyen Jimenez-Ayala

1 YEAR
Carrie Derr 
Abigail Griffin   

2 YEARS
Madison Bogdan  
Elonda Duncan 
Sonia Hassan  
Shakayla Hill  
Darrell Wilkins 

3 YEARS
Manuel Baeza 
Tamara Jamison 
Makiva L. McIntosh 
Tamika Pierce 
Shakira Womack 

April Anniversaries

4 YEARS
Gabriella Caroselli 

14 YEARS 
Nancy Conkel 

23 YEARS
Beverly Gyure

  • Cherece Angel – Program Assistant

  •  Octavia Crawley – Front Desk/Engagement Specialist 

  • Tamela Dailey – Assistant Teacher 

  • Sophia Dubler – Program Assistant 

  • Carolyn Harrison – Payroll & Benefits Manager 

  • Jane Ivy – Program Assistant 

  • Malyia Maye – Program Assistant 

  • Taylor Murray – Event Assistant 

  • Mary Piatt – Program Assistant 

  • Julie Wagar – Clinical Director, Women’s Residency 

  • Courtney Watkins – Custodial Maintenance Technician 

Welcome to the following program assistants who joined the YWCA family in March:

  • This year, the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge will look a little different! This year’s theme is Democracy in Progress: Voting Rights at 250 and will focus exclusively on voting rights. Beginning April 6, the Racial Justice Challenge will offer a streamlined experience: only one carefully curated piece of content each day – an article, video, podcast, or action step – through May 4. The Challenge is designed to deepen participants’ understanding of voting rights and inspire meaningful engagement –  

    HOW TO REGISTER: 

    Visit the Challenge website & review the Challenge overview here. 

    Fill out the "Sign up and Join UJJI" form halfway down the page (being sure to select "YWCA Columbus" as the association with whom you are affiliated!) and submit the form to confirm participation. 

    Reminder: YWCA employees who register with their ywcacolumbus.org email address will be entered into a raffle for one day of PTO! Questions? Contact Aliyah Hiram (ahiram@ywcacolumbus.org).

  • The Employee Engagement Committee’s next round of its “Quarterly Employee Nomination Program” (Employee of the Quarter) starts soon! Don’t miss your chance to recognize your teammates who demonstrate outstanding performance and reflect our mission, values, and culture through their actions and results. Nominations for Q2 are due May 29. Winners will be announced in June!   

    Eligible nominees include full-time or part-time employees in good standing who have completed their probationary period (example: 90 days). Please submit nominations via this form and be prepared to include specific examples of how the employee you're nominating is succeeding in any of the following areas: Going Above & Beyond, Teamwork & Collaboration, Leadership & Initiative, Innovation/Problem Solving, Mission/Values Champion, and Exceptional Service.  

    Nominations will be reviewed by the Employee Engagement Committee using consistent criteria (values/mission, impact, performance, and teamwork). Winners will be recognized quarterly (certificate/award, staff meeting/newsletter recognition, small gift, and optional lunch with an Executive Team Member) and announced via staff communications.  

    Please submit your completed nomination to the Employee Engagement Committee (eec@ywcacolumbus.org). 

Team Announcements + Updates

Save the Date

  • This year, the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge will look a little different! This year’s theme is Democracy in Progress: Voting Rights at 250 and will focus exclusively on voting rights. Beginning April 6, the Racial Justice Challenge will offer a streamlined experience: only one carefully curated piece of content each day – an article, video, podcast, or action step – through May 4. The Challenge is designed to deepen participants’ understanding of voting rights and inspire meaningful engagement – which is especially relevant amid the current legislative threats to voting rights at the federal level.  

  • Come support the YKP kids and their talents in the gym at Gahanna's Chapelfield Elementary on Friday, April 24, at 4 p.m. There will be a concession stand available and all proceeds go toward the site’s end of year party! 

  • This year’s event will honor Janelle N. Coleman, Dr. Deepa Halaharvi, Tauana McDonald, Letha Pugh, Molly Rampe Thomas, and Catherine Strauss. Reach out to Carmen Chukes if you’d like to attend or volunteer. 

  • The next Third Thursday will happen May 21! Stay tuned for updates, including next quarter’s theme, here and from the Employee Engagement Committee. 

Thank you to everyone who assisted with Authors + Appetizers on Friday, March 27! We had dozens of families and the Columbus Blue Jackets team – including Stinger! – stop by to connect and celebrate another successful Junior Writers Club initiative. 

Thank you, Miss Makayla, AKA Miss MK, for helping make sure Miss Joi’s infant room at Safe & Sound was springy and using her unique talents (being tall) to brighten everyone’s morning. Also, thank you to Jose for serving as the Easter Bunny again for the Safe & Sound kiddos! 🐰 

YWCA Columbus in the News

YWCA Kids Place – Mifflin hosted a Black History Month celebration overflowing with compassion, grace, and wisdom. Check out the photos here. A Tribe for Jazz also joined the Black History Month celebration hosted by the YWCA Family Center and Safe & Sound. We are grateful for all our community partners! 

Alexa Molitor, YWCA’s annual giving manager, spoke with The Columbus Dispatch about our long-standing partnership and past events with Seeds of Caring, and with 10TV about our recent partnership and donation drive with Ballet Met. 

YWCA Columbus is one of Columbus Foundation’s 5 Nonprofits to Watch this year, along with Dress for Success Columbus, Festa, Home for Families, and Opera Columbus. “5 Nonprofits to Watch” is an annual program that honors innovative and impactful organizations working to strengthen and improve the community.  

YWCA hosted a social for the Women of Achievement Academy this month, including this year’s current Women of Achievement honorees, to network, share ideas, and celebrate this year’s amazing class. Academy members individually put forth meaningful gifts to compose a presenting sponsorship and are now serving as this year's Women of Achievement Presenting Sponsor! We are grateful for their continued support and this thoughtful philanthropy that drives our mission and work forward. 

Together with Caroline Inspires, LLC, YWCA’s Leadership & Social Justice team has been collaborating to design and implement a leadership development experience for The Commission on Black Girls. 

Following testimony provided by YWCA President & CEO Elizabeth Brown at a recent City Council hearing pertaining to immigration enforcement, The Columbus Dispatch followed up on the realities of Franklin County jail policies and procedures. 

YWCA Columbus co-hosted a fireside chat during Ignite the Capitol, a powerful day of advocacy and community-building with Rep. Munira Abdullahi as the keynote speaker. 

Looking for the last issue of YWConnect? Read YWConnect March 2026 here.