Alton YWCA seats new board, launches awareness campaign
From Illinois Business Journal news services
ALTON – The YWCA USA is on a mission to rebrand itself.
The Alton YWCA, alongside the national organization, which includes more than 220 nonprofits around the country, launched a brand awareness campaign on Monday.
The launch is meant to reintroduce the organization and invite people to join its mission to empower women and eliminate racism.
“We have been building momentum for change within our YWCA over the past few years and are so excited to join this national effort to bring new awareness to our brand and mission,” said Alton YWCA director Andrea Lamer.
For more than 150 years, YWCA has been at the forefront of critical social movements — from voting rights and civil rights, to affordable housing and pay equity, to violence prevention and health-care reform. The rebranding is intended to help people better understand the size, impact and relevance of YWCA.
Today, YWCA is one of the top 25 largest charities in the U.S., according to NonProfit Times, with total revenues of more than $775 million. YWCA helps more than 2 million women and children each year in the U.S., and worldwide, YWCA serves 25 million women and girls in 120 countries.
At Alton YWCA, the agency:
▪ Provides safe, affordable and transformational afterschool programming for school-aged children in the school districts of Alton, Wood River and Roxana.
▪ Assists women to acquire professional skills and advance their career and family goals through community service and development.
▪ Builds local engagement and capacity in women’s empowerment and racial justice.
The Alton YWCA celebrated the launch by welcoming new board members and officers and renewed commitments with standing officers.
The board and officers are charged with the goal of developing new programming and reviving our historical home for the community.
“I am awed by the amount of enthusiasm and talent our members bring to this board,” Gail Donnelly-Bader, the newly elected board president, said. “The Alton YWCA is on a mission to serve all women and girls in our area and to promote social justice. We have so many new ideas for carrying out our mission and I cannot wait to get started on them.”
New members in 2016 include Lisa Brown and Julie Schranck. They join fellow board members, Debbie Sheary, Virginia Ilch, Margaret Freer, Georgia Bratton, Barbara Morrissey McGrew, Britta Haggard, Cynthia Ellis, Gail Donnelly Bader, Erica Bratton and Sue McPike Bayer.
Newly elected YWCA officers for 2016 include,
• Gail Donnelly Bader, president
• Cynthia M. Ellis, president-elect
• Georgia Bratton, treasurer
• Barbara Morrissey McGrew, secretary
Visit www.altonywca.org or www.ywca.org or follow it on Facebook.
