Category Archives: Faces of the YWRC

Volunteers are a key component of our ability to operate successfully. This month we are excited to feature a volunteer who joined us about a year ago to complete a special project: Katie Reichardt. Katie was curious about volunteer opportunities around the community and came across the YWRC. “If I’m honest, it came about in […]

If you’ve been involved with our Young Moms program recently, chances are you know this month’s Staff Spotlight, Jewelz Smith. Jewelz started at the YWRC four years ago in the Spring of 2017 as an intern and was hired in September of 2018 as the Young Moms Program Assistant. “After interning at the YWRC I […]

This month we are excited to celebrate a member of the YWRC community who is empowering youth to recognize the power of their voices, Sara Triplett! Sara started working at Goodrell Middle School as a Behavior Coach three years ago, and is currently a Behavior Strategist. She is also a co-facilitator for our Chrysalis Girls […]

Volunteers play a critical role in the success of our organization. This month, we are excited to feature one of our most steadfast, dedicated and genuinely kind volunteers, Frank Vaia. When asked what his favorite volunteer role has been, Frank said, “Co-chairing Celebrity Servers Night with wonderful partners and the YWRC staff support. We clicked.” […]

Dear friends, I know I am not alone in the anxiousness of anticipating the end of this year and welcoming 2021. However, I have been challenged to find moments of stillness to process and reflect on the lessons 2020 provided. First, I want to deeply thank all of the front-line medical staff, essential workers and anti-racist […]

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 […]