November – December 2022
November Birthdays
2 Amber Jacott
3 Debora Delzell
3 Lalitha Pamidigantam
3 Valerie Henthorn
4 Kenneth Yahnke
4 Janine Blackwell
7 Kimberly Trimmer
15 Dwayne Meadows
16 Betsy Kile
16 Donna Connelly
17 Makyla Zimmerman
18 Deborah Schipper
18 Joyanna Reese
20 Jessica Wichtman-Will
23 Patricia Hunley
23 Caroline Woliver
26 Aidon Chaffins
26 Beverly Gyure
28 Meagan Ward
29 Christian Ward
December Birthdays
2 Breana Huggins
3 Michelle Hameed
4 Rachelle Harvey
5 Frederick Mills
10 Adiel Cathey
14 Tera Sue Carr-Martin
17 Milita Lee
17 Alaina Marie Rutter
17 Ontayya Zachary
20 Craig Hylton
20 Brian Rogers
21 Helen Rogers
21 Breona Cunningham
24 Deborah Tooson
24 Barbara Freeman
26 Imani Lucas
27 Monica G Harris
28 Shardel Suber
30 Stevi Chiles
30 Sherita Smith
31 Clyde D Watson
31 Vanessa Green
November Anniversaries
1 YEAR
Julia Berry
Cheryl Struble
Fatimata Diallo
Tiya Walker
2 YEARS
Sabrina Horton
Lalitha Pamidigantam
Teresa Woods
3 YEARS
Lisa Buie-Collard
4 YEARS
Stacey Hough
6 YEARS
Brian Williams
Dan Hook
17 YEARS
Danyel Brown
19 YEARS
Linda Damron
31 YEARS
Helen Widman
December Anniversaries
4 YEAR
Sonya Todd
5 YEARS
Deborah Locklear-Oglesby
We welcomed Danielle Boyd, Grasha Bannister, Amanda Bausher, Jennifer Hewston, Gabriella Johnson, and Kenyonna Lindsey to the team in October! We’re so thrilled you’re here!
The Women’s Residency team is also welcoming a new director, Cheyenne Lenhart, and a new service coordinator, Nenneh Kamara on Nov. 1.
Congratulations to all of our team members who were recently promoted!
Loren Beckett has been promoted from site director to education administrative assistant.
Stacy McClain has been promoted from assistant director at Safe and Sound to center director and has been doing a fabulous job!
There are exciting things happening in Women’s Residency! A new position, crisis intervention specialist, was created to benefit our residents experiencing a crisis. The role will receive specialized training from ADAM-H and was initiated through the Community Shelter Board. Please congratulate Regina McCoy, who has been promoted from Front Desk/Security Specialist to our new Crisis Intervention Specialist!
Team Announcements + Updates
- An Author in Residence
- Medical Insurance Enrollment
- United Way Campaign
- Activists and Agitators Recap
- Advocacy Work
- Justice, Equity & Belonging Update
- Youth Development & Education Updates
One of our very own residents, Marla Morris, has written four books since August of last year. Read a bit more about her story in her own words below and check out her author page on Amazon here.
My writing grew out of my grieving process. I lost my mother to Covid-19 three days before Christmas 2020. The fictional main character murdered in my first book, “His Dream, Her Nightmare,” was a long-term friend of my mother’s. Pat, who is a staunch advocate for justice in the book, is the portrayal of my mother. The victim was indeed among the first to benefit from forensic facial reconstruction techniques developed at the Smithsonian. However, her killer was never brought to justice.
I originally tried to have a YouTube content creator highlight the real-life case chronicled in my novella on her true crime channel. After forwarding research to no avail, I decided to tell the story myself. It explores a woman who went missing in the mid-70s from the Columbus area, leaving behind her young children, a good job, and her jealous husband, who – coincidently – was a convicted rapist. Because of its brevity, many readers are clamoring to learn more about whether justice is served for the main character, Winnie, which can be ascertained in the sequel, “Her Dream, His Nightmare: The Saga Continues,” released this fall.
My second piece, “Sweet Burial,” is about the murder of an executive administrator at Columbus State. It’s hard to describe my third book, Misplaced Danger. Just know that it has a man with a toe tag as the front cover. Check it out.
I like writing about crimes in the past when gumshoe detective work, rather than high-tech science, was the primary means to solving murder cases. I prefer settings in the 70s to 90s, because it forces the reader to imagine a time when cell phones, closed circuit television, and DNA either weren’t prevalent or, at times, nonexistent. Lastly, I have lived in Columbus all of my life, so there are references to many old restaurants, landmarks, and of course the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Currently, I am a solo operation doing all of the writing, editing, formatting, and marketing of my books. I plan to focus on a series for release next year. Until then, I will put more emphasis on marketing the books that are already available for purchase on Amazon or Audible. Physical copies can also be ordered through Gramercy Books in Bexley.
2023 Medical Insurance Open Enrollment is taking place now (Nov. 1-30) for employees who work an average of 30 hours per week. If you are unsure if you qualify, please reach out to Makyla Zimmerman or Deborah Locklear-Oglesby.
If you are making any changes to your current plan, you must do so no later than Nov. 30, 2022. If you do not take the necessary action to change your plan before the end of the Open Enrollment Period, your current plan will be automatically renewed with your new monthly premium. New coverage will be effective on Jan. 1, 2023.
New 2023 YWCA Columbus Contribution Per Month:
| <29 | 30-34 | 35-39 | 40-44 | 45-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60> | |
| EE Only | $387 | $405 | $425 | $483 | $613 | $795 | $993 | $1,161 |
| EE + Spouse | $774 | $810 | $850 | $965 | $1226 | $1589 | $1,986 | $2,322 |
| EE+ Child(ren) | $697 | $729 | $765 | $869 | $1,103 | $1,430 | 1,787 | $2,090 |
| Family | $1,161 | $1,215 | $1,275 | $1,448 | $1,839 | $2,384 | $2,979 | $3,483 |
**Your amount is based on your enrollment tier and your age as of 1/1/23**
Reach out to the ezICHRA team if you have any questions (question@ezICHRA.com or 888.414.2432).
We had our annual United Way campaign from Sept. 19 through Oct. 14. A huge THANK YOU to everyone that donated! Of those who donated, we did a drawing for the prizes and Mary Beth (Griswold) and Vuanita (Family Center) are our winners! They each received 8 hours of PTO, $60 worth of gift cards, and a YWCA Columbus swag bag. Please make sure to congratulate them!
Mary Beth
Vuanita
On Oct. 13, 2022, YWCA Columbus hosted its 5th annual Activists and Agitators event with 400+ in-person attendees and 300+ virtual attendees. The theme for this year, “Confronting our Past, Constructing our Future,” explored how the history of redlining has affected our city through the Columbus Undesign the Redline exhibit, provided practical ways to provide affordable housing to more Americans from author and expert Jenny Schuetz, and discussed a future with more equitable housing with a panel of housing experts from our community. You can view the full event here.
The 2022 Activists and Agitators event raised a total of $375,550 toward our mission. Congratulations to YWCA Columbus for a successful event!
We are excited to share YWCA’s latest advocacy labor-of-love, the Housing Justice Brief. Written by Lalitha Pamidigantam, in collaboration with Caroline Woliver, Clovis Westlund, Christie Angel, and supported by the Marketing & Communications and Housing & Data teams, this advocacy tool details how we reached this current moment of crisis and outlines how we move forward toward housing justice. This brief will be used alongside our advocacy efforts to equitably resource the shelter system and affordable housing solutions.
We testified at a recent State Board of Education meeting where they opposed a harmful piece of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and succeeded in delaying a vote on the resolution. Lalitha’s testimony was even nationally recognized! The Executive Committee of the Board of Education again delayed a vote on Member Shea’s proposed resolution until Nov. 14. As always, we stand with transgender and queer youth impacted by anti-trans rhetoric and policies, and will remain in lock step with our partners regarding this resolution. Follow our partners at Honesty for Ohio Education for ways you can be involved!
In October, we spoke to Bath and Body Works Women’s Group on the importance of abortion rights, voting, and organizing.
The Coalition to End Tobacco Targeting, of which YWCA Columbus is a part, is hopeful that Columbus City Council will vote on a law to end the sale of flavored tobacco before the end of the year. If you would like to end the sale of flavored tobacco in our community, please consider taking one of the actions below.
- Share the above social media post with your network and tag @ColumbusCouncil and @No_targeting
- Tweet this message to Columbus City Council asking them to end the sale of flavored tobacco products
- Take a 15-second video of yourself urging people to contact Columbus City Council at flavoredtobacco@columbus.gov.
We’ve been engaging our Franklin County Board of Commissioners in the first round of workshops and conversations they have contracted with us for the next year.
New space for our team
The basement renovation has been completed & the education department is enjoying their new space!
Safe & Sound
Safe & Sound celebrated Halloween and more at its Fall Festival on Oct. 27. The children trick-or-treated in the Family Center. Check out some of our adorable infants, toddlers & preschoolers!
Save the Date
Reminder: Election Day is next Tuesday, Nov. 8! YWCA Columbus’ Voter Resource Guide lays out what is on your ballot and will assist you in crafting your voting plan and amplifying your impact by getting others involved.
2023 Medical Insurance Open Enrollment is taking place now (Nov. 1-30). Check out the information above under “HR Updates” to learn more!
Applications for Leadership for Social Change opened on Oct. 13. If someone you know is an emerging leader in their 20s or 30s who desires to be involved in the Columbus community through professional and community service and wants to affect positive social change, please share the application, which is due back by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18.
YWCA Columbus News
Lalitha Pamidigantam, advocacy manager at YWCA Columbus, participated in a panel at the Democracy Promise Unconference on Oct. 18 with The Ohio State University’s College of Social Work, providing insight on democracy, identity, and coalition building.
YWCA Columbus celebrated #LightsOnAfterSchool with Afterschool Alliance and communities across the nation on Oct. 20. Lights On Afterschool is a national day of advocacy that calls attention to the benefits of after-school programs like keeping kids safe, inspiring them to learn, and giving working parents peace of mind. Learn more about YWCA Columbus’ Kids Place after-school programs here.