March 2026 

March Birthdays

1 Shelby Gayer 
1 Mary Rogers 
2 Sarah Moore 
3 Ryan Kennedy 
6 Mariah Cox 
8 Fathi Mohamed 
9 Danielle Boyd 
10 Yvonne McBroom 
11 Jacqueline Johnson 
13 Marlon Goolsby 
14 Sparkil Alli 
15 Michelle Chapman 
16 Doran Allen 
18 Joanna Poindexter 
19 Riley McHale 
19 Teresa Woods 
20 Juliet Lewis 
20 Sydney Wilson 
21 Anita Rastogi 
24 Dontae Taylor 
26 Ashley Li 
30 Carrie Hacker 
31 Roberta Romito

1 YEAR
Alaysha Brunner  
Alaysha Canady  
Marlon Goolsby 
Denice Nelson   

2 YEARS
Nasia Bailey  
Jeanne Ballard 
Alissa Clouse 
Sue Darby 
Michelle Hameed  
Ynobe McCrae    

4 YEARS
Craig Hylton 
Pamela Wilson 

March Anniversaries

5 YEARS
Phyl Flanagan 
Rachelle Harvey 

6 YEARS 
Montavious Cowart 

12 YEARS
Kenneth Yahnke

18 YEARS
Elaine Colna

  • Sarah Leckwatch – Program Assistant 

  • Sarah Moore – Program Assistant 

  • Mallory Munnerlyn – Program Assistant 

  • Ruth Orloski – Data Manager 

  • Michele Schafhausen – Program Assistant 

  • Nariya Stone – Program Assistant 

  • Zion Tubbs – Program Assistant 

  • Aleiha Washington – Assistant Teacher 

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

Team Announcements + Updates

Save the Date

Thank you to all staff at the Family Center and in Women’s Residency/Griswold who assisted with video shoots on March 5-6! You tolerated our disruption to your spaces and schedules so beautifully. I greatly appreciate your flexibility as we navigated delays and weather challenges. I can’t wait for you to see the finished product in April! - Molly Kowaleski 

The Employee Engagement Committee would also like to give a special shout-out to the other nominees for Q1 Employee of the Quarter. Your fellow teammates nominated you for a job well done, and we are grateful for all you do! 

  • Tierra Lee 

  • Sydney Wilson 

  • Mariah Martinez 

  • Mandy Leyland 

  • Aliyah Hiram 

  • Christine Loveless 

  • Carrie Hacker 

  • Patricia Robinson 

YWCA Columbus in the News

The 2026 Kathy Duffy Espy Leadership for Social Change cohort officially launched with an opening retreat on February 6 and 7. We are excited to engage this year’s brilliant group of changemakers!  

YWCA Columbus is a 2026 Easton Community Foundation partner and recently joined Petals That Inspire to host a Galentines Flower Bar that supported our Bright Futures program. We’re grateful and honored to help spread the word about the work we’re doing to empower women, eliminate racism, and promote equity across Columbus.  

NBC4 and 10TV joined YWCA at the ribbon-cutting of its new South Side childcare center, Safe & Sound – Jenkins! 

YWCA Columbus applauded the Ohio House of Representatives for its passage of House Bill 472, a vital step forward in supporting children, families, and communities across our state, which would waive fees for IDs, birth certificates, and other vital documents for residents experiencing homelessness. We also support HB 658, which would create a specialty license plate dedicated to shelters or related services, similar to custom plates for sports teams, wildlife funds, and other causes. It's currently awaiting action with the House Transportation Committee, but the custom plates would cost an extra fee on top of regular registration (usually $25–$35 annually).   

YWCA Columbus President & CEO Elizabeth Brown testified in favor of legislation proposed by Columbus City Council that would restrict federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers operating in the city.  

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