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.