Author Archives: ywrc

As we round out the calendar year, we are taking a moment to spotlight our current Board of Directors President, Lora McCollom. Lora had been a supporter of the YWRC for a long time when former board member Bruce Buchanan asked about her interest to join during the 2016 gala event. Her very strong belief […]

This month we are honoring the 28 community members who made up our 2020 Celebrity Servers Night: Home Edition team. These individuals volunteered to rally their networks in support of our participants and virtually host guests as part of our online celebration. Special shout out goes to our event co-chairs, Diane Rasmussen and Frank Vaia, […]

Tera Hamann is a vital part of the our community and we are excited to celebrate her this month! Tera has been with Broadlawns Medical Center for three years as an OB floor nurse and lactation consultant. Her plan when she was hired was to build a much needed lactation program to help increase access […]

Irma, Empowerment Specialist, shares what it’s been like to participate in two of our Summer Program Clubs: Mind + Movement and Mariposa. This spring, the YWRC Empowerment Team moved quickly to adapt our traditional Summer Programs into interest-based virtual clubs so participants could continue to learn, connect and build community. With several weeks of Summer […]

Dear Friends, What a time this has been. What a time. I find myself repeating that phrase often. On one end it is greeted with a breath of air that means, “Finally. Finally we are coming together to speak out against inequality and racial injustice.” However, it is followed by heartache to know that we […]

This month we are pleased to highlight one of our steadfast supporters, Variety – the Children’s Charity. With the support of funding from Variety – the Children’s Charity, the Young Women’s Resource Center (YWRC) Empowerment Program has been able to provide tools for local girls and young women to continue building their resilience at home […]

Empowering clients to self-advocate is a key part of being a YWRC doula. Working on birth plans, providing information about their rights during birth, and talking through options with clients are ways we help them prepare for conversations with healthcare providers. As part of Black Maternal Health Week, our doulas wanted to share a few […]

This month we are spotlighting a supporter who has been involved with the YWRC in a variety of ways for the past four years: Rachael Jackson! Rachael is the Community Access Education Manager at the Des Moines Art Center and has helped connect our participants with truly unique experiences. One example was a create-your-own-superhero activity […]

This month, we are excited to feature staff member Jessica Kincaid in our spotlight! Jessica has been with the YWRC full time for three years, but her time with us began earlier with internships in the summer of 2015 and winter of 2016.   “The opportunity to intern here was sent to me by a […]

Alyssa Zipperer has been a dedicated childcare volunteer for more than three years with the Young Women’s Resource Center. Her consistency and warm personality has provided a sense of comfort and security for the moms and children she serves. Alyssa learned about the YWRC after she graduated college and was looking for a way to […]