It’s a new year and it’s a big one for YWCA Boulder County as we’re celebrating our 100th anniversary! For 100 years, YWCA Boulder County has worked to eliminate racism and empower women in Boulder County and helped women and children of all ages and backgrounds thrive. Our work is critical and important, and we love serving our community now as we have for the past 100 years.

This year has also been off to a difficult start for our community. Our thoughts continue to be with our friends and community members who were impacted by the Marshall and Middle Fork fires in Boulder County as well as the victims and families of the Lakewood mass shooting that took place shortly before the fires. The strength and resiliency of our community has been tested to say the least and we stand together during this difficult time.

Our YWCA community is solid, and we are prepared to support those most impacted by recent events and help them to recover from the heartbreak and loss they’re experiencing. We were grateful to be able to partner with Xcel Energy Colorado and use our offices as a distribution center to give out electric heaters to the community while Xcel restored natural gas to customers after the fires. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who showed up in the frigid cold and snow to help us distribute the heaters!

I’m proud of the many ways YWCA Boulder County shows up and as we face another test of our collective resiliency, we’ll be here to support our community as we further our mission to eliminate racism and empower women. You can count on us continue to show up and serve our community for the next 100 years…and beyond.

With gratitude,

Debbie

Debbie Pope, CEO, YWCA Boulder County

In Spring 2021, YWCA provided two virtual Incredible Years (IY) classes, at no charge, for 24 participants, one in English (15 participants) and one in Spanish (9 participants). An additional IY class was held this fall with 13 participants.

Class participants reported:

We are proud to offer the Incredible Years parenting class to caregivers in our community and look forward to another great class starting later this month.

Our next class series will be offered virtually via Zoom on Mondays, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., Jan. 24 through May 9 (no class on Feb. 21 or March 21).

Benefits include:

Classes are free, but registration is required. If you have questions or are interested in registering, please visit: https://www.ywcaboulder.org/family-services/ and fill out our interest form.

We'll be celebrating our 100th anniversary with a hybrid Gala: live and in-person at the Boulder Embassy Suites and streaming online, everywhere.

Become a Gala sponsor and join YWCA Boulder County in celebrating 100 years of impact in Boulder County! We have a variety of flexible annual corporate sponsorship opportunities that can help your business support one of the oldest nonprofits in Boulder County while also achieving your employee engagement and community marketing goals.

Contact Robyn Hazlitt at rhazlitt@ywcaboulder.org today to confirm your sponsorship.

In this hour, two more people in Colorado will become survivors of violent sexual assault. Sexual assault is on the rise across Boulder County with 64% more ER visits for sexual violence-related injuries for 10- to 17-year-olds. Young women between ages 16-23 are four times more likely to face sexual violence than the general population.

This is not a new issue or conversation, but activists in our community are forcing action to ensure a safe, healthy and equitable community free of gender-based violence. Join YWCA Boulder County and a panel of experts and advocates at the front of this fight for a virtual event on February 17 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. We’ll have a powerful discussion about this community issue and how each of us need to take action to change the culture and climate surrounding sexual violence.

The event is free and donations to YWCA Boulder County are appreciated.

This two-session, three-hour-total training series is focused on understanding individual and interpersonal racism, intended to stimulate personal reflection and discovery. The second session will provide training to understand institutional and structural racism and better recognize how systems and structures perpetuate racism.

*New lower price* - The $25 registration fee covers the cost for both sessions of the training.

After you register, you will receive a Zoom link and instructions one week prior to the training.

This two-session, three-hour-total training series is designed for individuals who are ready to work for racial justice. Participants will gain greater understanding of their role as accomplices in creating an anti-racist community, and they will identify tangible actions toward changing systems and structures that continue to perpetuate racism.

This course builds upon the knowledge gained through the How to be Anti-racist: Introduction course. Visit our Racial Justice & Equity Education webpage for information about this introductory course.

The $40 registration fee covers the cost for both sessions of the Taking Action training.

After you register, you will receive a Zoom link and instructions one week prior to the training.

As proud partners of the Women's Collaborative of Boulder County, we are sharing a recording of their December webinar event "A Celebration of Women in Local Office". Featuring a variety of incredible women who are newly elected to office or were involved in the November 2021 elections, this webinar was a celebration and discussion of our community's newly elected women officials. It was also a year of major milestones, including the election of the first black woman to the Longmont City Council, (our very own) Shiquita Yarbrough. Moderated by Dr. Nicole Speer (Boulder City Council), Meosha Brooks (SVVSD School Board), Shiquita Yarbrough (Longmont City Council), and Mission Launch owner and campaign manager, Nia Wassink.

Did you know that you can donate your IRA distribution? If you are at least 70.5 years old and have a traditional IRA, you can donate directly from your traditional IRA to a qualified charity (like YWCA Boulder County) up to $100,000 without it being considered a taxable distribution.

Thank you to Blue Spruce Construction for being one of our first 2022 Annual Sponsors, including sponsoring our Gala! Blue Spruce Construction has been a steadfast sponsor of YWCA Boulder County events for many years. Thank you for your dedication to our mission and work in Boulder County!