July – August 2022
July Birthdays
1 Heather Martin
6 Whitney Garrett
9 Millard Wombles
10 Deborah Locklear-Oglesby
11 Alacia Bagley
11 Sierra Derenburger
14 Adara Herring
15 Julie Gay
17 Beverly Norris
24 Demonet Oliphant
27 Jaden Taylor
28 Helen Widman
August Birthdays
1 Candice Moore
2 Mary Lemrick
3 Joyce Stewart
6 Harley Howell
9 Ellen Roberts
10 Janice Tunstall
12 Amy Brake
20 Regina Clemons
21 Kristy Hylton
22 Kim Williams
24 Jerry Cobbs
29 Lu Kramer
July Anniversaries
1 YEAR
Ashley Gillam
Ashley Gordon
Michael Nicholson
2 YEARS
Kate Croteau
4 YEARS
Nakita Wilson
6 YEARS
Amos Li
10 YEARS
Millard Wombles
14 YEARS
Jessica Wichtman-Will
18 YEARS
Vuanita Hill
August Anniversaries
1 YEAR
Mariah Cox
Shelby Gayer
Stephen Hiller
Donovan Hines
LaShanta Lewis
David Lubin
Marie Lundy
Pierre Pipkin
Demonet Oliphant
Jaden Taylor
Helen Tewolde
Deborah Tooson
Meagan Ward
Evelyn Williams
2 YEARS
Alaina Marie Rutter
3 YEARS
Breona Cunningham
Mariah Davis
Jacqueline Johnson
Marilyn Muniz
Caroline Woliver
Kia Woodward
4 YEARS
Patricia Hunley
Kimberly Trimmer
5 YEARS
Regina McCoy
Jamez Murray-Earliwine
Anita Rastogi
8 YEARS
Candice Moore
Joyce Stewart
10 YEARS
Anne Cronin
Laura Miller
Deborah Schipper
11 YEARS
Mary Rogers
16 YEARS
Michelle Chapman
Beverly Norris
19 YEARS
Kristy Hylton
21 YEARS
Sally Ristucci
22 YEARS
Joan Ward
26 YEARS
Christine Hickernell
28 YEARS
Jennifer Hannah
30 YEARS
Clyde Watson
Mariama Ba
Project Specialist
Joshua Marshall
Front Desk Associate
Molly Ryan Kowaleski
Director of Marketing and Communications
Lailah Carrion
Program Assistant
Allison Crouse
Program Assistant
London Durr
Program Assistant
Deja Geddings
Program Assistant
Harley Howell
Program Assistant
Rhiannon Howell
Program Assistant
Marylyen Ximena Jimenez-Ayala
Program Assistant
Davin Lee
Program Assistant
Travis Marshall
Kitchen Product Assistant
Caitlin Miville
Program Assistant
Aliya Myers
Program Assistant
Sabrina Philippe
Program Assistant
Breanna Ridgeway
Program Assistant
Carmen Rivera
Program Assistant
Hope Selah Kerr
Program Assistant
Michayla Latrice Long
Assistant Toddler Teacher
Adara Herring
Family Support Specialist
Shardel Suber
Family Support Specialist
YWCA Columbus Advancement Team would like to welcome Molly Kowaleski. Molly joined YWCA Columbus on May 16 as director of marketing and communications. Molly brings nearly 10 years of marketing, communications, and public relations expertise to the YWCA. Molly formerly served as an account manager with Geben Communication, where she honed her skills by leading internal and external partners through numerous campaign strategies and projects. Molly can be found on the G Level of the Griswold Building. We welcome you, Molly! We are so grateful that you joined us.
The Advancement Team also welcomed Mariama Ba on June 1. Mariama joins us as project specialist, a role that supports the Advancement and Leadership and Social Justice teams. Mariama comes to us with a strong background in government relations after serving the Ohio Senate for four years. We are excited for her to use her expertise and passion to advance the mission of YWCA Columbus! Welcome, Mariama!
Justice, Equity and Belonging Program Manager Spencer Stultz departed in June, and Belen de Leon, Leadership & Social Justice program coordinator, will be leaving YWCA Columbus at the end of July after being awarded a full ride to U.C. Berkley Law School. Navya Nalla will be joining the team soon as a Leadership & Social Justice program coordinator.
Team Announcements + Updates
Fundraising Updates
March – May 2022 has been a busy time for the YWCA Advancement Team. In addition to raising nearly $600,000 during Women of Achievement, we are beginning to see numerous gifts close from our partners and donors. Some gifts/grants that we would like to mention include:
- Albert J. and Eve G. Pfeiffer Fund ($25,000) to support YWCA Family Center
- Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund on behalf of Discover and New Albany Operation Center ($25,000) to support the YWCA Family Center Meal Program
- Champion Cares Foundation ($25,000) matching support for Women of Achievement
- Bread (formerly known as Alliance Data) ($25,000) DEI & Activists and Agitators
- CoverMyMeds ($50,000) Activists and Agitators, WOA 22 and DEI Trainings
- Bank of America ($40,000) to support YWCA Family Center
- Nationwide Foundation ($500,000/$20,000) FC Project/Bright Futures Program
- Groundwork Ohio ($55,000) Youth Development and Early Childhood Education Campaign
- American Electric Power Foundation ($250,000) Year Two Investment into the AEP Foundation Center for Racial Equity at YWCA Columbus
We are excited about how our community partners continue to support the essential and transformative work of YWCA Columbus with more than $1.6 million in contributions. We will continue to share this great news with you as we work together to execute the essential work of YWCA Columbus in 2022. Thank you to all of the directors for your continued support of these submissions.
YWCA Kids Place
For the Westerville Kids Place Department, Mandi Buchwald and Rene Call have done an amazing job kicking off Summer Camp! In addition to some exciting new field trips and presenters this year, we are participating in an agricultural education program thanks to a grant received by the Ohio Afterschool Network (OAN). OSU agricultural students are helping our Explorers take on a pitch contest while they do STEM activities with our younger campers around chick hatching. We’re even incubating chicken eggs as part of this summer’s learning lab sessions!
We are in our second year of operating a Summer Wraparound program to support the Westerville City Schools Summer Intervention session. We’ve had some exciting speakers this summer, including CATCO, Boxland Media, Pin-Up Pythons, and the Genoa Township Fire Department. Our enrollment has more than tripled since last summer!
Take Action Against HB616 and HB454!
YWCA Columbus recently attended a rally against HB616, otherwise known as the “Don’t Say Gay, Don’t Mention Race” bill, in support of Honesty for Ohio Education. At the rally, Dan Heintz recommended folks take three action steps against HB616 by following a simple equation: 6 + 1 + 6. Register 6 of your friends to vote + write 1 op-ed or letter to the editor + contact 6 elected officials to tell them about your opposition to this deeply harmful proposed legislation. To learn more about HB616 and HB454 and how to contact your elected officials, click here to access our advocacy packet!
Save the date for the Non-Police Crisis Response Forum on July 27 at 5 p.m., which YWCA Columbus is supporting. More details to come!
Upcoming Employee Engagement Opportunities
Wealth Building and Financial Wellness Workshop
Thursday, July 28th | 5:00-6:30pm
Many of us know that women, especially women of color, earn less than men on average, but the gap widens exponentially when we assess wealth disparities. According to the WFCO Wealth Gap Report, the Gender & Racial Wealth Gap refers to how structural racism and sexism compound and contribute to the wealth gap, which in turn further exacerbates political, economic, and social disadvantages on the basis of gender and race.
Join Chase financial education managers as they share the basics of how to move beyond basic budgeting and focus on more holistic financial health, long-term planning, and wealth building. Click here to register for the workshop.
Staff & Alumni Book Club
Thursday, August 25th | 5:00pm
“A Burst of Light and Other Essays” by Audre Lorde is an award-winning, path-breaking collection of essays that is a clarion call to build communities that nurture our spirits. Lorde announced the need for radical politics of intersectionality, while struggling to maintain her own faith as she wages a battle against liver cancer.
From reflections on her struggle with the disease to thoughts on lesbian sexuality and African-American identity in a straight white man’s world, Lorde’s voice remains enduringly relevant in today’s political landscape. Sign up here.
Employee Summer Picnic
Sunday, August 28th | 12:00-3:00pm
Location: Wolfe Park Shelter House (across from St. Charles High School on E. Broad St.) More details to come!
YWCA Columbus News
10TV uplifts a short video from Christie Angel on why AAPI heritage month is important. (May 2022)
We got to thank Congresswoman Joyce Beatty in person for the $850,000 support for our YWCA Family Center. (May 2022)
In June, we celebrated Pride and celebrated Juneteenth out loud on social media. We shared the real history of each, and thanks to our creative lead, we interviewed community members about what Juneteenth means to them. (June 2022)
Christie Angel recently penned a letter to the editor at The Columbus Dispatch, encouraging policymakers and regulators to end the sale of flavored tobacco products. (June 2022)
View YWCA Columbus’ 2021 Annual Report here on our website.