YWCA Glendale is delighted to announce that our 24th Annual Heart & Excellence Awards will take place virtually on April 14, 2021 from 12PM-1PM. This year’s event theme is Rise to Recovery and will recognize women from Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena who have demonstrated tremendous leadership in navigating the many challenges of COVID-19 and have answered the urgent calls for racial, gender, and social justice. 
 
Public Service Award
Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County Board Supervisor, 5th District
 
Business & Industry Award
Alicia Procello, President, Avery Dennison Foundation & Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Avery Dennison
 
Education Award 
Dr. Vivian Ekchian, Superintendent, Glendale Unified School District
 
Healthcare Award
Rev. Cassie McCarty, Director of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care Services, Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital
 
Social Justice Award
Elen Asatryan, Founder and CEO, The Stark Group
 
Young Woman Award
Gabrielle Scott, Student and Organizer of Glendale's March for Black Lives 
 
Trailblazer Award
Marie Y. Lemelle, Founder and CEO, Platinum Star PR
 
Community Service Award
Gloria Salas, Area 3 Director for Zonta International District 9, Immediate Past President, Zonta Club of Burbank
YWCA GLENDALE IS LEADING FOR IMPACT
YWCA Glendale's Executive Team wrapped up their year one project as part of The Bridgespan Group's Leading for Impact - Los Angeles cohort. The team developed a strategic plan dashboard to effectively track progress against metrics and milestones tied to YWCA Glendale's 2018-2023 strategic plan goals. With the organization's growing reach and impact, this invaluable tool will support data driven strategies to effectively assess opportunities, make strategic investments, and foster partnerships that will lift up our work to eliminate racism and empower women.
RECKONING: RACISM & RESISTANCE IN GLENDALE
On February 1st, Glendale's Reflectspace Gallery launched a groundbreaking virtual exhibit in honor of Black History Month, RECKONING: Racism and Resistance in Glendale, which provides a historical and contemporary narrative to chart Glendale's history of racism and its response to the 2020 nationwide dialogue on race and equity. In September, the City of Glendale took a historic step of reckoning. It became the first city in California and the third in the nation, to pass a sundown town resolution based on a review and report of available historic documents to identify and understand Glendale’s history. The resolution was a historic moment of reckoning for the City of Glendale and this new exhibit explores just how powerful this moment was given the City's history with the KKK, the American Nazi Party, redlining, and race restrictive housing covenants. We are honored to have our CEO, Tara Peterson participate in the exhibit's testimonials and invite you to explore the powerful videos, archives, and images.
As we head into a new year of virtual programming, we are pleased to share new offerings in our Girls' Empowerment Programs. In February, through our partnership with Antaeus Theater, we will offer weekly Performing Arts workshops every Wednesday from 3:30-4:30PM, for girls ages 10-14. The groups will gather virtually to learn from Antaeus' professional actors, actresses, and playwrights.

Our Girls' Circle After School Program is still going strong! We invite back our Fall families and extend an invitation to new families to join us on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30PM. Girls will participate in empowerment activities in addition to hands-on art activities, writing, and dance sessions with our incredible guest instructors.

We're bringing back our most popular TechGYRLS offerings in 2021! Sign up for our Wearable Tech workshop to learn about circuitry and create a custom piece of your own, enroll in our next Google CS first coding session to learn 21st Century skills in a supportive environment, and sign up for 1:1 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics tutoring and mentorship from students at CalTechY. Space is limited; priority given to low income families.
All workshop materials will be free and mailed or available for pick up.

Thank you to Illustrator, Jacqui C. Smith for creating our Girls Empowerment Programs graphic.
We're working to shift these statistics by integrating violence prevention education into our Girls Circle After School Program, Tech GYRLS workshops, and Camp Rosie Summer Camp. Our integrated programs work together to offer girls 21st Century skills and the tools to lead lives of safety and empowerment. We support youth in understanding the dynamics of healthy and unhealthy relationships, build their knowledge of available community resources for survivors, and provide them with examples of how they can offer nonjudgemental support to peers who may be experiencing relationship abuse.
735 East Lexington Drive
Glendale, CA 91206
Phone: 1-(818) 242-4155
Support YWCA Glendale's mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.