Blogs

This month we are excited to share about our partnership with Iowa State University Extension & Outreach’s Kids in the Kitchen and Teen Cuisine programs. The partnership began when YWRC team members Sy’Anne and Berenice met and spoke with Youth Nutrition Associate Educator Rebecca at a community tabling event about their fantastic program, Kids in […]

WE’RE STILL HERE. The six-week abortion ban went into effect in Iowa today. This legislation may negatively impact the youth we serve – we’ll share more about the ban, why it matters, and the complexities of what it means for the future of youth another day. For now, hear us when we say that we at […]

Happy New Year’s Eve! Thank you for joining us in solidarity with local girls and young women for another year. Here’s to celebrating the close of 2023 and looking forward to new beginnings in 2024!  At the YWRC, we have had a whirlwind of a year, which has given us the opportunity to refocus, reframe, and […]

This Mental Health Awareness Month, we are spotlighting not only how we support participants’ mental health, but also that of our staff. It’s extremely important for both youth and adults to have access to the resources and skills needed to maintain positive mental health. By now, many of you may be familiar with the scary-but-true […]

April is Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness month – two areas of trauma that affect participants we serve locally and youth across the country. While we can’t always prevent all abuse from happening, we can provide necessary skills to recognize warning signs, interrupt generational trauma, and empower healthy relationships. As we address how […]

This month we are celebrating one of our wonderful childcare volunteers, Sally Hazen. Since joining us in August, Sally has become a weekly presence and familiar face for our Young Moms participants and their children. “Before moving, I worked in a pediatrician’s office and I missed working with kids every day. When I moved to Des […]

This December we are pleased to celebrate one of our team members, Mackenzie Carlson. Mackenzie is our Development Manager and responsible for several aspects of our fundraising. She first learned about the YWRC through a friend and local historian when they were discussing the amazing work of women philanthropists in Central Iowa – one of […]

With such a busy fall underway, we wanted to share with you a few updates of completed projects, as well as information for upcoming ways to get involved, all in one place. THANK YOU for being a supporter of the YWRC. YOU are making a difference in the lives of local girls and young women. […]

This month we are pleased to introduce you to our Interim Executive Director, Rachel Woodhouse (she/her). Rachel has spent more than a decade of her career in philanthropy, supporting a variety of non-profit organizations in Central Iowa and beyond. She comes to the YWRC after more than six years as a Program Manager at Principal® […]

We are excited to celebrate Empowerment Program Specialist Sy’Anne Dysart in this month’s staff spotlight. Sy’Anne has been a member of the team for just shy of three years but her involvement with us started when she attended one of our summer groups. She was also familiar with us through the involvement of her grandparents […]