HomeYWConnect Employee Newsletter – Sept/Oct 2022
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SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2022

September Birthdays

3 Alex Von Der Embse
5 Monika Davis
5 Otto Edwards
6 Elaine Colna
7 Carla Horger
8 Judy Peterson
10 Kaitlyn Conkel
11 Lenice Aiken
12 Brande Michael
12 Joan Ward
13 Regina McCoy
14 Tamika Brown
14 Kia Woodward
16 Jose Torres
17 Diana Johnson
18 Jerome Burger
19 Lisa Buie-Collard
20 Ashley Gordon 

October Birthdays

8 Portia Li
12 Jeanne Ballard
13 Linda Damron
13 Jennifer Hannah
16 Jamez Murray-Earliwine
16 Jennifer Roundtree
25 Arthurline Elious
29 Joslynn Bridges

 

September Anniversaries

1 YEAR
Haley Bingham
Joseph Glandorf

2 YEARS
Ashley Li

3 YEARS
Kaitlyn Conkel
Lu Kramer

5 YEARS
Deborah Huth
Ontayya Zachary

6 YEARS
Patricia Murray

7 YEARS
Betty Rickabaugh

9 YEARS
Sierra Derenburger
Vanessa Green

10 YEARS
Frances Call
Diana Johnson

31 YEARS
Kathleen Athey

October Anniversaries

1 YEAR
Alacia Bagley
Jeanne Ballard
William Benson
Julie Gay
Heather Martin
Alex Von Der Embse
Cornelius Washington II
Diana Yates

3 YEARS
Lenice Aiken
Lisa Skelly

8 YEARS
Monica Harris
Milita Lee
Christina Loveless

9 YEARS
Linda Cox
Brian Rogers

14 YEARS
Betsy Kile

16 YEARS
Michelle Chieffo

19 YEARS
Portia Li

31 YEARS
Dwayne Meadows

 

 

 

Many folks started in September – welcome to the YWCA Columbus family!

  • Camryn Belcher, Program Assistant
  • Janine Blackwell, Program Assistant
  • Aidon Chaffins, Program Assistant
  • Alisa Wimberly, Program Assistant
  • Adiel Cathey, Site director
  • Bianca Lopez, Family Support Specialist
  • Justin Morrow, District Program Administrator for the United School Network

 

Welcome to Makyla Zimmerman, human resource generalist, who joined our team on Aug. 1, 2022.

Carla Horger was hired as the new Accounting Specialist on the finance team in August. She comes to us with several years of accounting experience at CVS – stop by and welcome her to the YWCA!

Ashley Li was recently promoted to Kids Place Site Director at the newly opened Minerva France Elementary School.

Congratulations to Brian Rogers on his promotion to volunteer & donations manager! 

Mariah Cox was promoted from program assistant to assistant teacher at Safe & Sound, effective Sept. 1, 2022. She’s invaluable to the infant classroom and is a great teammate!

LSJ’s new intern Clovis Westlund joins us from the Ohio Government Internship Program (OGIP) through our partnership with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs. Clovis is a second-year studying public affairs and sociology, interested in education policy and influencing policy through a nonprofit orientation. Clovis will be on-site on G floor from 1-5 p.m. on Wednesdays until mid-December. Welcome, Clovis! 

The advancement team also welcomed an intern in August, Olivia Gilkey, a senior at OSU, studying strategic communications and professional writing. She chose to complete her capstone project with YWCA because she is passionate about social justice and, specifically, anti-racist work. She’ll be on the G floor 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesdays until mid-December. 

 

Team Announcements + Updates

Fundraising Updates

June 2022 – August 2022 continued to be a busy time for YWCA Advancement. We are gearing up for Activists and Agitators – see info below to get your ticket! – and end-of-year giving. 

YWCA remains appreciative of our donors and their investments in YWCA programming. Some recent gifts/grants that we would like to mention include: 

  • American Electric Power Foundation ($50,000) to support our Academic Support Specialist at Family Center 
  • Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. ($50,000) to support the Leadership and Social Justice Program 
  • PNC Bank Foundation ($10,000) to support the Bright Futures Program 
  • Installed Building Products ($70,000) to support the YWCA Family Center Landscaping Project 
  • Cardinal Health Foundation ($50,000) to support Women of Achievement Academy 
  • Richard H. and Ann Shafer Fund ($50,000) in support of the Leadership and Social Justice Program 
  • Enterprise Holdings Foundation ($5,000) in support of general operating 
  • Groundwork Ohio ($40,000) in support of youth education and the More for Moms Campaign 
  • United Midwest Savings Bank ($2,500) to support the YWCA Family Center general fund 
  • Ingram-White Castle Foundation ($30,000) to support YWCA Family Center general fund and Women’s Residency 
  • Zora’s House ($50,000) in support of EquityxDesign Training 

Thank you to all the staff and directors who continue to support our efforts to submit timely grant requests and who take the time to meet with donors. 

Advocacy Updates

YWCA Columbus supported Honesty for Ohio Education in planning and hosting a rally at the statehouse concerning Get Out the Vote efforts in conjunction with community support to fight the attacks on honest education. 

Hilliard City Schools passed the resolution to allow Lifeline, a private religious entity, to come into public schools and allow students to leave campus during school hours for religious education. Currently, YWCA Columbus is supporting Honesty for Ohio Education in the mobilization and organization of parent groups to combat any such policy from being implemented in other schools. 

YWCA Columbus’ Voter Resource Guide is crafted to support you as you navigate the upcoming voting season. This guide will help you learn how to register to vote, become informed on what is on your ballot, assist in crafting your voting plan, and how you can amplify your impact by getting others involved. The guide will be updated consistently with new ballot issues, and resources to help you become a well-informed voter! The last day to register to vote is Oct. 11, 2022. 

 

Save the Date

Voter Trivia Night

Thursday, October 6  |  5:30-7:30 pm

Join YWCA Columbus and the League of Women Voters on Oct. 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for a fun night of Voting Trivia at Zaftig Brewing (119 E 5th Ave., Columbus, OH 43201). Come as an individual or a group of up to 6 people. The night will feature great drinks, food, and a focus on getting to know your local issues and candidates! Winners will receive a prize. Also, while there you will be able to update your voter registration and/or register to vote. We look forward to seeing you there!

Activists and Agitators

Thursday, October 13  |  6:00 pm

Entitled “Confronting our Past, Constructing our Future,” our annual event will be on Oct. 13, 2022 at Columbus State Community College Mitchell Hall. Learn more at ywcacolumbus.org/aanda. If your schedule allows, please plan on joining us! 

**Look out for an all-staff email soon for a free registration link!

Leadership for Social Change Applications

Application live: Thursday, October 13

It is almost that time of year again: Applications for Leadership for Social Change open on Oct. 13 during Activists and Agitators. If you or 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, send them a link to the application on Oct. 13!

Active Shooter Training

Thursday, October 17 & October 19

YWCA Columbus has partnered with IMPACT Safety to provide two 3-hour active shooter sessions for our employees. The trainings will be held on Oct. 17, 2022 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Griswold Building and on Oct. 19, 2022 at the Family Center from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.?Each session has seating for 20 participants; please RSVP to Deborah Locklear-Oglesby by Oct. 10. 

 

 

Before kids headed back to their classrooms this year, the team at the YWCA Family Center, specifically Brian, Shelly, Clyde, Jose, Otto, Valerie, Vaunita, Ro, and Krystal, coordinated back-to-school haircuts for about 50 students and provided residents with hair care products to ensure the children started their year feeling confident and ready to learn. The families were very appreciative and staff worked hard to ensure this event went off flawlessly. We also celebrated Labor Day with a successful turn out.
The Family Center currently has openings in Maintenance, Security, Family Support, Kitchen and Advocacy, and we have found, with all these vacant slots, that teamwork really is the only way to succeed. I want to shout-out the entire Family Center staff for their dedication and fortitude; our team exudes commitment to the mission of the YWCA.
Valerie Henthorn worked with the auditors to finalize a “clean” audit opinion with no findings, while simultaneously filling in for a staff vacancy and now training a new team staff member. Her superwoman efforts were definitely noticed … her mask and cape should arrive any day now! Many thanks for going above and beyond.
And, thanks to Cheryl Glenn for being the amazing glue holding all of our special projects together as we license new sites, apply for and manage new grants, roll out new tech equipment, and survey sites for compliance! She is a Jill of many trades.?
A special thanks to Anne Cronin, Rene Call, Mandi Buchwald, Michelle Chapman, and Ontayya Zachary for taking some of our newer site directors under their wing to mentor them as they began a new school-year of paperwork and logistics!
Many thanks to Kaleena Wiseman, Christina Walls, and others in the education department who contributed to the More for Moms, Better for Families educational campaign, which went live the week of Sept. 12. Your expertise was much appreciated!
Lee Wombles put together picnic tables at the Griswold building, which has added valuable and safe communal space for our YW-fam. Thanks so much!
Shout out to our Women’s Residency staff re: the engagement and community building they have been doing with residents over the past month. It’s been noticeable and beautiful!
Diana Yates – shout out for keeping our social media poppin’!
Phyl Flanagan has been doing an amazing job facilitating our Justice, Equity, & Belonging trainings, maintaining excellent service even while short-staffed. Phyl also was instrumental in securing a large contract with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners to provide 12 trainings to County Commissioners over the next year.

YWCA Columbus News

The YWCA Columbus team showed up to support the African American Male Wellness Walk on Aug. 13.

J.P. Morgan Chase recently announced a $1.5 million systems-change investment to fund an equity design institute for women of color. YWCA Columbus will be participating in the institute, along with the Affordable Housing Trust, CCAD, The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, Zora’s House, the Columbus Urban League, and the Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity. Read more about what this means:

In honor of Black Philanthropy Month, The Columbus Dispatch featured 13 Black philanthropists in our community, many of whom share a connection with YWCA Columbus. Notably, Alex and Renée Shumate co-chaired a significant capital campaign for YWCA, and the receiving balcony in our ballroom is named in their honor. Renée is a former board chair of YWCA Columbus. Current board chair Janelle Coleman and her husband were also highlighted for their philanthropic work.

As Columbus continues to grow, there will continue to be an increasing need to help our unhoused residents, which was a point YWCA Columbus and others in the homelessness service sector advocated around last year. Read president and CEO Christie Angel’s latest column in The Columbus Dispatch around housing justice for all.