Author Archives: ywrc

Wearing many hats is something Kahara Hunafa, Empowerment Program Specialist, thrives on. Over the last three and a half years, Kahara has become an integral part of the YWRC team. “I, along with three other Empowerment staff and two Empowerment Assistants, go into Greater Des Moines schools to facilitate small, six-week Empowerment Groups. These groups […]

We are excited to celebrate Ellen Converse this month as our Volunteer Spotlight! Ellen first learned about the YWRC through one of our former Volunteer Spotlights, Erin Haberman. “I kept hearing her talk about how much she loved the organization and volunteering for it that I got curious and started looking into it! After I […]

We are excited to celebrate Anne M. Howsare Boyens, who has been serving on our Board of Directors since June of 2015. Her energy, work ethic and commitment to our girls and young women are a true asset. We would also like to celebrate Anne being named as the Provost at the DMACC Urban Campus […]

We are excited to share with you two new tools we’ve developed in the past year to better serve our girls and young women: the Youth Experiences Survey (YES) and the YWRC Resiliency Survey. We are proud to be a leading agency in youth-specific trauma and resiliency research and look forward to sharing these tools […]

We are excited to honor Terry Hernandez in our Supporter Spotlight. Terry has been leading the Chrysalis Foundation as the Executive Director since 1997. Chrysalis is a foundation that partners with the Greater Des Moines community, including the Young Women’s Resource Center (YWRC), to provide Iowa women and girls leadership skills, educational and economic opportunities, […]

      The Young Women’s Resource Center is excited to highlight Sammons Financial Group in this month’s spotlight feature. Sammons has supported the girls and young women of the YWRC through sponsorship of our Sit On It! event for the past three years and we are proud to have them as Presenting Sponsor again […]

This month, we are pleased to put the spotlight on one of our most active supporters, Megan West. Though Megan had volunteered for several organizations, she was looking for a more consistent commitment when she sought opportunities with the YWRC. Since she joined the Sit On It! event committee three years ago, Megan has grown […]

by Maeve Morrow (Maeve is an active member of the YWRC’s Sheroes group. Sheroes is a group for high school young women interested in philanthropy and community building.) When I first heard about plans for a march on Washington, driven by people who wanted to speak up about women’s rights, some of my hope for our […]

Sarah Mowitz is often the first impression new visitors and clients have of the YWRC. Her warm smile and genuine welcome help all to feel at ease. We’re excited to feature her in this month’s Staff Spotlight, and to share a little more about her. Sarah has been with the YWRC as the Volunteer and […]

Volunteers continue to be a crucial component of the YWRC’s success. We are grateful for the time and talent these community members give. This month, we are excited to celebrate one of our most consistent volunteers, Erin Haberman. Though Erin’s involvement with the YWRC began as a way to fulfill a volunteer requirement, it quickly […]