EXCITING NEWS: Largest Private Donation to YWCA NYC!

December 18, 2020

The YWCA of the City of New York is excited to amount that it has received $3 million unrestricted donation from entrepreneur, author, advocate and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. This gift is the largest private donation in the 162-year history of the YWCA NYC and is part of the $4.2 billion given by Ms. Scott in the past four months to 384 organizations that provide support to people suffering the economic affects fo the COVID-19 crisis.

The YWCA NYC CEO, Maureen Friar, stated “We were completely surprised and are incredibly grateful to Ms. Scott. This generous gift will enable the YWCA NYC to not only continue to provide educational programs to children and young women in New York City, but expand into new neighborhoods, encourage more young women to become agents of change, and advocate for racial justice and gender equality.”

The YWCA NYC works in neighborhoods that have been greatly impacted by the COVI-19 pandemic, racial injustice and the economic downturn. the generosity of Ms. Scott and all donors make it possible for the YWCA NYCto provide the support needed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and inequities faced by too many children and families.

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[Message from Girls With Impact | girlswithimpact.org]

YWCA and Girls With Impact Partner to Equip New York Girls as Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs – Made Possible by U.S. Bank Foundation

New York, NY, July 23, 2020  – As New York continues to face the effects from Covid-19, Girls With Impact and YWCA of the City of New York (YWCA NYC) are partnering to equip local girls as tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs through live, virtual learning, thanks to the support of the U.S. Bank Foundation.

Girls With Impact and YWCA NYC are aligned in their mission to support diversity, arm young women with confidence, and develop women leaders of the future.

“YWCA NYC prepares the next generation of change leaders to advocate for themselves and others, creating real change in the communities we serve,” said Maureen Friar, CEO of the YWCA of the City of New York.

“Together with Girls With Impact, we are enhancing the entrepreneurial, business and financial skills our young people need to bring their Non-Profit vision to reality,” she continued.

“Girls With Impact’s two-week Mini-MBA will bring a new level of learning to the participants of our Girls Initiatives program.” 

Girls With Impact will fall under YWCA NYC’s Girls Initiatives program, to ensure that every girl gains the skills, knowledge and confidence to pursue the education, career and life options of their choice.

Diversity has been a hallmark of each program. Over 50 percent of Girls With Impact’s students are of color and the majority are from low-to-moderate income households.  Further, with the help of Girls With Impact partner U.S. Bank Foundation, the program is offered to girls via YWCA NYC at no cost to them. 

Outcomes of the Girls With Impact program include increase in confidence, leadership, public speaking, tech and financial skills, college differentiation, college majors, scholarships and more.  

YWCA NYC will recruit girls ages 12-18 from the NYC area to join Girls With Impact’s Summer intensive starting August 3rd and Fall session starting in September. Each Academy class is capped at 20 students.  Nearly 1,000 girls recently graduated from Girls With Impact’s Spring session.

These girls will undergo a live, instructor-led business training program from home, through which they will develop their own business or nonprofit venture, arming them with critical entrepreneurship, leadership and business skills that give them a huge leg-up for their future. 

About Girls With Impact:  Girls With Impact, a 501c3, is the nation’s only live, online mini-MBA for girls 12-18, designed with leaders from the Harvard Business School’s Career Center.  Offered year-round, the 10-week, after-school Business and Innovation Academy moves girls from ideation to a business plan and venture pitch, driving improvements in confidence, leadership, college readiness and professional skills for success.  Programs offered include virtual camps, workforce readiness workshops and virtual mentoring. Girls With Impact was developed by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jennifer Openshaw to increase the number of diverse women leaders and innovators in today’s workforce. Watch this.

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Contact: Jessica Hinkley

recruit@girlswithimpact.com

(860) 372-6964

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May 29, 2020 | ywca.org

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd, and to the larger Minneapolis and St. Paul community. YWCA continues to be outraged by the violence and deaths of people of color in America due to police brutality.

As facts are still coming to light, and federal, state, and local authorities review the case, we believe that the seriousness of the incident requires additional independent oversight by law enforcement at all levels. We request that federal, state, and local authorities conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the events that led to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, and that we bring those accountable to justice.

YWCA Minneapolis’ Midtown location, located in the heart of the area where George Floyd was murdered and the scene of current protests, alongside YWCA St. Paul have served the Twin Cities community for over 100 years. We stand together with the people that we serve and our community stakeholders to eliminate racism and empower women.  This work and our mission is at the core of what we do, and today we lift our collective voices to demand justice.

“George Floyd was one of ours. He took advantage of a training program offered by YWCA St. Paul and, like many of those we partner with, he was taking steps to build a brighter future. The anger, anguish, and grief we are feeling in this community is real. And yet, we must channel those emotions into positive action that demands justice, drives change, and most importantly honors his memory,” said Gaye Adams Massey, CEO, YWCA St. Paul.

“We condemn the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department officers. We have seen this tragedy before. Unfortunately, George Floyd is just one of countless other black lives lost to police violence, including that of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile, said Michelle Basham, MPA/ESQ YWCA Minneapolis, CEO/President. “We must work toward racial justice. And we must work in partnership with others to hold our elected officials and law enforcement accountable.”

Together with YWCA Minneapolis and YWCA St. Paul, over 200 YWCAs across the country unite to answer the cry for justice, peace, and dignity for all.  YWCA continues to call for dismantling systemic racism and equal protection and opportunity under the law through its public policy and advocacy work.

Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA states, “We are outraged by the callous killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police Department officer – and similarly appalled by the inaction of three other officers who stood by watching as George Floyd endured unspeakable suffering,” Ms. Castillo continued “ But addressing this specific incident alone won’t be enough to prevent future incidents of police violence against Black people, and people of color in America. Our country’s failure to address institutional racism is costing lives. Racism is why coronavirus is killing more people of color than white people. Racism is why police shootings are a leading cause of death for young Black men. Racism is why Black mothers die more frequently in childbirth. Racism has no place in the America we all deserve.”

At YWCA, we demand a world of equity and human decency.  We envision a world of opportunity. We commit ourselves to the work of racial justice. We will get up and continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out, until institutions are transformed, until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.

For more information, contact YWCA:
Yolanda Raine, Director, Marketing and Communications, Email: yraine@ywca.org

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About YWCA St. Paul
For more than 100 years, YWCA St. Paul has been breaking down barriers and building up communities.  We are on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.  We advance our mission through education and advocacy on issues of racial justice and gender equity, and through programs that help women, girls and their families overcome barriers in areas of significant racial & gender disparities – housing, employment,  youth empowerment and wellness.  Learn more at ywcastpaul.org.

About YWCA Minneapolis
YWCA Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. For more than 128 years, we have worked to create opportunities to overcome social injustice, particularly in matters of race and gender. Last year, YWCA Minneapolis served more than 30,000 people in our community through high-quality programs and advocacy focused on racial justice, early learning, youth development and wellness. To learn more, visit ywcampls.org.

About YWCA USA
YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families.

YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for over 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy in order to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls. Learn more at www.ywca.org.

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YW Out-of-School-Time P.S. 90 students presented their painted and written art in celebration of Black History Month on February 28, 2019.

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[Message from YWCA USA]
Together, let’s celebrate the incredible achievements of women, and reaffirm our commitment to fighting for women’s rights, equality, and justice here and around the world, with the acknowledgment to all the fierce women who came before us! 

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