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October has been a whirlwind month at YWCA with October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and our YWCA team, along with our community partners, have been busy! To begin, we are grateful for Fort Wayne Mayor, Tom Henry, for signing a proclamation declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in our fine city. We also led the community in events such as Flowers on the River and Chalk it Up, which assisted in raising awareness and giving domestic violence survivors a platform to use their voice to help others.
Additionally, our 27th annual Circle fundraising event took place on October 19th. We were excited to have 400 people register for this event! This full house heard inspirational stories from four survivors of domestic violence and learned about the various types of domestic violence and its effects on children from Caryn Burton with the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. We were very excited to announce two winners of our Peggy Hobbs award, which was the first time in the history of the Peggy Hobbs award to have two people tied for first place. Dottie Davis and Kimberly Koczan received the same number of top votes. Congrats, ladies, for a very deserving win! For those of you who missed this event and would still like to donate to be among our Circle supporters, please do so here. Your support helps us provide life-saving domestic violence services. Learn more about our domestic violence programming below in our Program Spotlight.
In addition to our domestic violence programming, YWCA Northeast Indiana also provides addiction recovery residential treatment for women, sexual violence programming, housing coordination services, community education for adults and youth, and stands behind our mission of eliminating racism. As part of our racial justice efforts, below is a link to another article, written by our Racial Justice Coordinator, Heather Essex Guy, as part of our Are you an AllY? blog series. Please check this out below. Also, our last Diversity Dialogue in 2023 is scheduled for November 9th. You won't want to miss Thankfulness & Diversity. Learn more below.
Speaking of events not to miss, our last Coffee & Conversations event of 2023 is scheduled for December 13th at Ash Brokerage. Be a Flamingo in a World of Chameleons: Branding the Uniqueness of You will present Britney Breidenstein, who will guide you on a journey of creating a compelling personal brand that centers your unapologetic and authentic self! Register today for this free event!
You may be wondering what is the latest with the renovations on our building, The Hefner Center. Our contractor, Shawnee Construction, has been very busy. We are in the midst of putting up an 8 foot fence that will surround our building. Safety is extremely important to us, and Shawnee fully understands the assignment.
Lastly, in every newsletter, we take time to recognize the work anniversaries of our YWCA staff, and this month yours truly celebrates my fourth year! I have thoroughly enjoyed working with so many passionate people, including all of you who have generously given of your time, talents, and treasure. We simply could not do what we do without you!
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As DVAM comes to a close, we want to thank every single one of you who helped raise awareness in our community. Find a recap of the month below. | |
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YWCA staff wear purple on Fridays to raise awareness of domestic violence and show support to end it. There is one more Friday this month, so make sure to wear purple and tag us on social media!
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Thank you to everyone who attended Flowers on the River on October 3rd as we honored those whose lives have been affected by domestic violence. It was an amazing event with powerful messages from strong survivors. We are thankful to all of you who have joined us all month long in finding ways to help raise awareness about domestic violence.
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Thank you to our community partners for coming out and sharing resources (Fort Wayne Center for Nonviolence and Amani Family Services, Inc.)!
Thank you to the band, Intrepid Cat, for providing live music at the event (Sai Ramani, Liam Campbell-Carpenter, Colin Butler, and Ethan Walker).
Thank you to Fort Wayne Dance Collective for lending the talents of your dancers (Annalise Highley and Naomi Dees).
Thank you to Moring's Flowers & Gifts Inc. for donating the beautiful flowers for the event.
Find photos of the event on our Facebook page.
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Thank you to everyone who stopped by Pint & Slice on October 11th and helped us turn the sidewalks into billboards to raise awareness of domestic violence. View event photos on our Facebook page.
Find tips to plan your own Chalk it Up event at your school, church, place of employment, local park, etc., by downloading this flyer.
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Our 27th Circle event, "Seasons of Abuse," took place on October 19th at Ceruti's. Inspiring a full room, four domestic violence survivors shared their stories in hopes of helping others. Caryn Burton with the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence brought home the impact of the survivors' stories by sharing intense statistics and information about many types of domestic violence and its effects on children. Terra Brantley wowed the audience with her survivor story of healing and forgiveness and shared a powerful song. We are very close to reaching the event's $195,000 goal that will help support our domestic violence programming, providing life-saving services to individuals and their children. If you attended and pledged your support, but have yet to donate, please do so now. If you were unable to attend this year, but would still like to be a part of our circle of support, we would appreciate your contribution to our domestic violence program.
Find a recap of the event on our website and photos on our Facebook page.
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Mayoral Proclamation Signing | |
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Mayor Tom Henry signed a proclamation on October 20th declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Fort Wayne.
Pictured: Jennifer Rohlf (Director of Empowerment), Mayor Tom Henry (Allen County), Ella Keen (Education Coordinator), and Carla Kilgore (Director of Mission Advancement)
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Domestic Violence Services | |
YWCA Northeast Indiana helps adults and children experiencing domestic violence to understand the dynamics of domestic violence so that they are empowered to live a life free from abuse. YWCA offers comprehensive services for people experiencing domestic violence that includes a 24/7 emergency shelter and hotline, one-on-one advocacy services for those living in the community or at our shelter, after-shelter housing coordination, and more. To learn more about our domestic violence programming, visit our website. | |
You can also learn more about our services from listening to Paula Hughes-Schuh on United Way of Allen County's recent podcast episode. YWCA Northeast Indiana CEO joined United Way of Allen County on their Boldly Engage Podcast to speak on Domestic Violence Awareness Month and emergency shelter services. Listen here. | |
Finding affordable housing is one of our clients' most needed services, and our team strives to stay updated on how they can assist! YWCA's housing services staff recently attended the 2023 Indiana Housing Conference in Indianapolis where they joined top affordable housing developers, service providers, agency representatives, and advocates from around the state. We strive to help, support, and empower our clients by staying educated and engaged in our community. | |
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Learn more about our domestic violence services by visiting our website. | |
Changing the World, One Message at a Time. | |
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We are excited to begin providing our Don't Say / Do Say posts in Spanish to help reach a wider audience. Thank you to our volunteers who have translated and made this possible!
La agresión o violencia sexual no tiene nada que ver con las acciones de la víctima. La culpa recae únicamente en el agresor. Por tanto, los comentarios que inciten a la víctima a pensar que ha hecho algo malo solo le atribuyen la culpa y contribuye a que sea más difícil para la víctima recibir la asistencia que necesita.
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YWCA Northeast Indiana's 24/7 Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Crisis Line is free and confidential: 800.441.4073
To see all of our Don't Say/Do Say messages, please visit our website.
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Join us at the Allen County Public Library, Main Branch Meeting Rooms A&B or via livestream on November 9th from 12-1:30pm. Our topic is Thankfulness & Diversity. We will explore the history of cultural diversity in our community. Our celebration will include artistic expressions provided by a group of creators from diverse cultural backgrounds. | |
We look forward to announcing additional guest speakers soon. Follow us on social media to be the first to know! | |
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YWCA Northeast Indiana celebrates a community that embraces the inherent dignity of all people. To encourage awareness and acceptance of diversity, YWCA Northeast Indiana’s Level Up Council hosts Diversity Dialogues, where we bring in panelists and guest speakers to help lead the community in compelling conversations on interesting topics important to our community. We do our best to ensure a variety of perspectives and topics that provoke deep thought.
Find more details about the event by visiting our website.
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Coffee & Conversations
Be a Forrest Gump: Refusing to Let Your Fears Stop You!
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Coffee & Conversations is an opportunity for women in the community to discuss pertinent topics about how to be successful in the business sphere, public square, or in personal growth and development. YWCA Northeast Indiana invites women to come together in conversation for this free quarterly series. | |
Join us for an engaging and interactive workshop designed to help you explore, define, and amplify your authenticity. We will learn how self-exploration, brand building, digital presence, network, and feedback provide insight to create a compelling personal brand that centers your unapologetic and authentic self! | |
Britney Breidenstein is the founding principal of BeMarie Group where she works with businesses on strategic leadership development, branding strategies, and creating spaces of belonging with strategic implementation. Britney is also the Principal Growth Strategist for upLinked LLC where she provides strategic direction to the founder and businesses on branding development using LinkedIn. Britney has worked with both corporate partners and non-profits throughout the Midwest region and believes in the power of mentorship and leadership development as tools for organizational transformation.
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Find more details about the event and learn more about about our guest speaker by visiting our website. | |
What is Persimmon Pride? Persimmon is the orange pantone color of our YWCA brand. Internally, #PersimmonPride is more than a hashtag or mantra. It is a belief in the impact the YWCA team is having in our community. It's more than a saying. It is who we are and what we believe in. | |
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"I am proud to work at YWCA Northeast Indiana. We have such a great group of folks working to make a tremendous impact in the lives of others. When we take a look at domestic abuse stats, 1 in 4 women nationally will experience domestic abuse, but when we look locally, the stat increases to 1 in 3 women. Our services are in great demand! Additionally, our residential addiction recovery program is greatly needed, and we look forward to being able to increase our bed availability when we move into our new home, The Hefner Center, in 2024. The work we are doing for those struggling with sexual abuse is also remarkable, and our passion for equality is very present in our racial justice offerings. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this team!"
-Kristina (Chief Revenue Officer)
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The passion from our staff, in addition to the unending support from our community, is what makes our work possible. Thank you to our staff and the northeast Indiana community for your support! | |
"The Scoop" will keep you up to date on the latest happenings as we renovate our new building. After construction, the former Hall’s Guesthouse Hotel at 1313 W. Washington Center Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana will become YWCA’s new home: The Hefner Center. Stay tuned for updates! | |
Our security fence is going up! Security is a top priority at YWCA Northeast Indiana. Individuals and their children are fleeing from unsafe environments, whether that is due to domestic violence or from an environment that does not offer a healthy space to recover from addiction. Our clients rely on us to provide a safe place for them and their children to heal, and this 8 foot tall fence which surrounds our building is just one of the ways we ensure their safety. | |
Facing Discomfort: A Welcomed Necessity in Addressing Racial Injustice | |
My late grandmother, Betty, lived with us for a time. I vividly remember her smoking cigarettes and ironing towels while watching soap operas. Grandma Betty was ambidextrous, but she was born left-handed. She shared stories of getting her left hand slapped by teachers until she was retrained to be ambidextrous. Her left-hand preference never lessened, she just learned how to adapt and perform with her right hand as well. The punishment, and more importantly the belief that punishment was needed, was perplexing to a kid born in the eighties. According to some experts, a little over 10% of the world population is left-handed. I encourage you to find a left handed person in your life and ask them about the ways in which being a “lefty” has impacted some of their experiences. The act of asking a left-handed person about their experiences should not invalidate or devalue yours. Nor should this type of difference threaten your sense of identity and well-being. | |
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Keeping in mind the comparison of left-handedness, and our ease of being able to talk to people about that subject, let us ponder as to why we find ourselves grappling to acknowledge the implications of differing experiences and perspectives addressing racial and cultural differences.
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Where do we stand on being sympathetic in that understanding? What are the forces that encourage us to either stand up, or step aside, in the face of individual discrimination or systemic racism? This is where our society gets stuck when it comes to progressing conversations of race. Find the full blog on our website to read more. | |
Find past posts from our "Are You an AllY?" blog series here. | |
Dottie Davis and Kimberly Koczan | |
Congratulations to Dottie and Kimberly for being the 2023 recipients of our annual Peggy Hobbs Service Award! | |
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The Peggy Hobbs Service Award began in 1977 with the intent to honor a woman of outstanding personal development, achievement, and dedication as a volunteer. YWCA Northeast Indiana continues Peggy’s legacy by presenting the Peggy Hobbs Service Award to a woman who embodies the passion, commitment, and dedication of Peggy Hobbs at YWCA’s annual Circle event.
Find a full list of past Peggy Hobbs recipients here.
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Pictured: Dottie Davis, Kimberly Koczan, and Paula Hughes-Schuh (CEO, YWCA Northeast Indiana) | |
There is value in the past. Our history at YWCA Northeast Indiana is full of experiences, experiences that have helped develop us into the life-saving agency we are today. We are not able to serve the growing demand for our services in our current, limited space. And, while there is beauty in the patina, our old keys won’t open new doors. Now, we begin a journey of opening new doors. Will you join us? | |
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The time has come when the past is no longer enough.
The time has come to look, not at what could be, but what will be.
It’s time to unlock new doors.
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Learn more about our capital campaign and how you can get involved and support YWCA Northeast Indiana by visiting our website. | |
Goldstein Family Scholarship Program | |
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The goal of the Goldstein Family Scholarship Program is to help female survivors of domestic violence improve their self-sufficiency and quality of life by completing higher education. The scholarship fund provides financial support for tuition, books, rent, utilities, and childcare. Learn more here.
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We have recently updated our Amazon Wish List with current needs, including needs for clients and operations needs. Your purchases can be sent directly to our location.
If you would like to financially support YWCA Northeast Indiana, you can access our donation page by following the link below:
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