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The YWCA of Western Mass in 2007
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by Mary Reardon Johnson
Very few businesses last 140 years and even fewer not-for-profit organizations remain relevant and nimble enough to survive for nearly a century and a half. Yet, the local YWCA shows the agility, vision, and relevance needed to carry it successfully into a third century of service.
A legacy of caring
Established in Springfield in 1868, the Young Women's Christian Association of Western Massachusetts Inc. remains focused on its mission of responding to most critical needs of women and girls in our community. This women-led organization began amidst the Industrial Revolution, linking generations of members through the early Suffragettes to the modern day Women's Movement.
A Smith College libraries publication, "Imposing Evidence: A Newsletter of the Sophia Smith Collection," featured the history of the YWCA in the United States. It states in part that, "(The) YWCA is a challenging organization to describe. Since its founding, it has been chameleon-like, adapting its focus, programs and methods to suit the needs of different times and places. Though the relative importance of the "Y" and "C" in its name have waxed and waned over the years, it has always been primarily about Women and the strength derived from working in Association with others (Issue 10, May 2007)."1 The YWCA of Western Massachusetts is among the oldest YWCAs in the United States and pre-dates the creation of both the YWCA of the USA and the World YWCA. Indeed, the local YWCA ranks among the largest and most successful YWCAs in the nation and world.
Leading by example
Continually seeking innovative, responsive and responsible solutions to the myriad issues facing women and girls is the historic legacy of the YWCA. A certified women-owned business, the YWCA of Western Massachusetts has an annual operating budget of over $6 million. It employs a diverse professional staff of more than 100 employees and operates at eight locations throughout the region including YWCA owned property in Northampton, Holyoke, Westfield and Springfield. In 2001, it conducted a $7.7 million capital campaign to build its flagship facility on Clough St. in Springfield. The 50,000 sq. ft. YWCA headquarters houses a 48-bed battered women's shelter which registers several "Massachusetts Firsts" including the first to actually be designed and built as a battered women's shelter; the first to receive state funding for construction, the first to publish its address and the first to offer daycare services within the shelter.
In the spring of 2008, the YWCA take on the challenge of "building green" with construction of the region's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified supportive housing project.
Using assets wisely
The YWCA of Western Massachusetts is the state's largest provider of services to both battered women and their children and pregnant and parenting teens. It is a member of two United Ways achieving the second largest allocation from the Community United Way for the past decade. The YWCA of Western Massachusetts consistently ranks among the top agencies in funding from the Community Foundation and other area grant makers. The YWCA's Youth Build Program exemplifies the agency's commitment to continual adaptation and learning. The Youth Build program model responds to out-of-school youth, offering them structured stipend opportunities to work on a GED, build a house, volunteer and obtain leadership training. Though it has traditionally served inner city youth who were 90 percent male, the YWCA insisted that 51 percent of its participants be female. In 2005, the then- Director of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts' YouthBuild Program was voted YouthBuild USA Director of the Year. 2
The YWCA operates around the clock. It logs more than 9,000 hotline, information and referral calls per year. It shelters hundreds of families, serves thousands of meals and provides individual and group counseling to women and girls on myriad issues in three counties. "It quite simply saved and changed my life" said one shelter resident.
The past of this women's organization is inspirational and its current performance record is impressive. The future of the YWCA of Western Massachusetts aliens itself with its mission, legacy of cutting edge service and calculated risk taking to meet the challenges of remaining a vital resource for women and girls.
Mary Reardon Johnson is the Executive Director of the YWCA. She can be contacted at mrj@ywworks.org.
1. Smith Publication is "Imposing Evidence, a Newsletter of the Sophia Smith Collection, Where You Can Belong YWCA", Gems from the Stacks Y.W.C.A. Edition, Issue 10, May 2007.
2. National YouthBuild recognition Former YouthBuild Director was voted in 2005; YWCAYouthBuild Program is a certified YouthBuild USA program (national oversight agency).
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