February 2020
This Month’s Birthday Spotlight: Paula Neal

01 Sally Ristucci
01 Sonya Todd
01 Keith Hall
01 Ericka McFarland
03 Nancy Evans-Freed
03 Connie Matheson
04 Christie Angel


04 Yamuna Dahal
09 Paula Neal
09 Vuanita Hill
11 Walter Stevens
12 Fawn Hill
13 Katherine Taylor
14 Dakia Horsley



17 Linda Cox
21 Stacy McLain
23 Deborah Turner
24 Naomi Merino
26 Rebecca Rice
26 Loren Martin
27 Linda Kieffer
This month’s anniversary spotlight
1 YEAR:
Shellyn Alsup
2 YEARS:
Judy Peterson
Everette Talley
Stephanie Bland
6 YEARS:
Cheryl Glenn
Marquita Solomon-Steele
8 YEARS:
Jerome Burger
Wayne Deal
Goodbye and Good Luck to:
Terri Williams Ifeduba
Griswold Front Desk Associates
Phillip Grissett
Kayla Hayes
YKP Program Assistant
Erika McFarland
Women's Residency Engagement Specialist
Kristyn Manchester
YWCA NEWS
It’s a new decade and you know what that means. The census is right around the corner!
YWCA Columbus has joined the national YWCA’s campaign Y Women Count in order to support the 2020 census. The data collected through the census informs our nations approach to so many factors that contribute to our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women such as; job creation, housing, childcare and education funding, the allocation of federal funds, representation in government and more. These issues play an especially large role in the health and well-being of homeless women and families. That is why we are making an extra effort to ensure that all of the women and families we serve in our supportive housing program and our family shelter and YWCA staff are counted.
It is time for us to make sure everyone in our community is counted and gets the resources they deserve including you! We’re asking all YWCA Staff members to commit to being counted by filling out the census before April 1st National Census Day. Lastly, don’t forget to mark your calendars because we will be celebrating your commitment to count with a special Stand Against Racism themed event for residents and staff on Friday April 24th, 2020.
For more information on the census click here.
SAVE THE DATE

Celebrate International Women’s Day at Wolf’s Ridge Brewery
For the third year in a row, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing is hosting their annual International Women’s Day event to celebrate women in the craft brewing industry. A portion of proceeds from all the sales associated with the event and special beers they brew in celebration of IWD will be donated to YWCA Columbus. This is the third year Wolf’s Ridge has chosen YWCA Columbus to be the benefactor of this fundraiser, and for the first time, they will be canning and disturbing the fan-favorite beer from last year—Protégé. The tapping party will be on Sunday, March 8th from 12-6pm. A group from YWCA is going! We hope to see you there!
2020 Our Voices Ohio Summit
Platform—a political training and lobbying organization for young women and non-binary leaders—is partnering with OSU’s Multicultural Center to put on the 2020 Our Voices Ohio Summit. This event is taking place over two days. On February 23rd, attendees will learn how to channel their stories into lobbying power, get the rundown on state-wide policy issues from the leaders on the ground, gain the tools to register and turn out issue voters, and develop their own policy goals, etc. Then, on February 24th, attendees will head to the State House to meet with their lawmakers to advance their goals. For more information about this two-day event, visit: http://platformwomen.org/.

Congratulations Allyson!
We are pleased to share that Allyson Pitts will now serve as Director of Clinical Services at Women’s Residency. She will be supervising the service coordinator staff and interns of the Women’s Residency program and will bring clinical rigor to the case management of our residents as they strive to meet their individual goals, including mental/behavioral health and recovery support. Allyson has been working as a licensed social worker in Columbus for more than 18 years, and is certified in trauma-informed care. Congrats on your new role, Allyson—we appreciate you and your dedication to dignity!