Are you ready for some football?

WVU football fanatics from near and far are looking forward to Saturday's WVU season-opening football game. Here in Charleston, one particular group of guys is looking forward to football season - but for a different reason.

On Thursday, September 18, they will join together with scores of other WVU fans to watch the game at the 3rd annual Guys Night Out. The best part about it? All proceeds raised will help homeless women and families at the YWCA Sojourner's Shelter.

We are truly grateful for this dedicated group of men, headed by Jeff Sandridge and Paul Buechler, who stand behind our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. With their help, YWCA Sojourner's will continue to empower individuals to become self-sufficient through emergency services, case management, supportive counseling, education, and much more.

Want to join us? Go to the Guys Night Out event page to learn more. After all, what could be better than watching WVU football on the big-screen while drinking your favorite brew with your buddies? The knowledge that you're helping homeless women and families while you do it, of course!

Education = Empowerment

An important tool to empower women is providing educational opportunities for women. The YWCA places a strong emphasis on education in every stage of life and in each of our programs. We understand the importance that early childhood education plays in determining the future path of a child's educational career. That's why we focus on school readiness at the YWCA Child Enrichment Center.

"Investing in early childhood development -- programs like Head Start, prekindergarten, preschools, family child care homes and child care centers -- is probably more important than any other current economic development effort," according to a 2005 study funded by the Benedum Foundation.

By providing affordable quality child care, the YWCA is supporting single mothers as they pursue educational opportunities so that they can increase their earning potential and create a more stable home environment.

Through the YWCA Sojourners Job Readiness Center, any homeless person can study to earn his or her GED; apply for college; and learn job training and computer skills. In the last fiscal year, more than 500 people participated in the educational programs at the Sojourners Job Readiness Center.

Education doesn't end once you've earned a GED or college degree. Through Sojourners, Resolve and McCormick Homes programs at the YWCA, our participants learn important life skills -- like balancing a budget; understanding lease agreements; and how to earn and maintain gainful employment.

Learning is a life-long process and that's what we support here at the YWCA, because education is the cornerstone of women's empowerment.

Beauty at Any Cost

It's sad, but true that in today's society women are judged -- and often judge each other -- based on appearance.

The obsession that America has with beauty has taken a toll on women (especially young ladies), both emotionally and financially. Earlier this week, the YWCA USA released a report that contains alarming information and statistics about how women and girls will work to achieve "beauty at any cost."

Here are some highlights:

• In 2007, the top five surgical cosmetic procedures for women in the United States (by numbers of procedures performed) were: breast augmentation, lipoplasty, eyelid surgery, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and breast reduction. Together, expenditures for these procedures totaled $5.3 billion.


• One analysis found that workers with “below average” looks tended to earn about 9% less money than workers who were “above average” in appearance, and that those who were
  “above average” in appearance tended to make about 5% more money than those who were “average looking.”


• Over 1/2 of teenage girls use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.

YWCA USA plans to use the information found in this report to further our mission of empowering women. And an empowered woman is a true model of beauty.

You can read the full report at YWCA USA.

A true testament of empowerment

"He started hitting her just a few months into their marriage, while she was pregnant with their only child. Cyndi Birthisel, 47, stayed with her now ex-husband for 23 years, largely because she thought her son deserved a mother and a father and a steady income. In retrospect, she wishes she'd found the courage to leave sooner."

Read the rest of the Gazette's feature story on how Cyndi moved beyond an abusive relationship and regained her confidence, strength and happiness.

For over a year now, Cyndi has attended the YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program's weekly support groups, where she's made some close friends and helped other domestic violence victims regain control of their lives.

Cyndi will be the featured speaker at Girls Night Out - "Hollywood on the Hill" tonight from 6-11 at the Sunrise Mansion offices of Farmer Cline & Campbell. This event benefits Hope House, the YWCA Resolve shelter for domestic violence victims and their children. Tickets are still available for $100 at the door, online or by calling (304) 340-3573.

Making the world a better place

Avery is 2 ½ years old. Like most young children, he loves to play outdoors – climb on jungle gyms, play games, and have picnics with his family while they enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Sadly, like many of the children currently residing at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women and Families, Avery has never had a yard to call his own - until now. Thanks to the West Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association (WVNLA), children like Avery now have their very own backyard – a newly-created green space and recreation area at the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter on Charleston’s East End.

In January, the 100-member statewide association voted to donate an “extreme makeover” landscaping project to a deserving group, in lieu of its annual summer meeting. In just 10 short weeks (ground was broken on June 2), WVNLA and its partners transformed the YWCA Sojourner’s property from a barren lot with a portable basketball hoop, minimal playground equipment, a large unusable pile of dirt and concrete, and dumpsters that were quite the eyesore, to a landscaping and architectural masterpiece.

The shelter now boasts a welcoming entrance with seating areas; a center courtyard with a planting area; an outdoor dining plaza located off the cafeteria with access through new doors; a game court complete with a basketball hoop, hopscotch and foursquare; a playground for younger children; a gathering space for parents to socialize while watching their children play; and greenery to screen the walls and dumpster areas.

WVNLA chose the YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter over several other charitable projects because of the significant impact a newly-renovated space would have on the children who reside in the shelter. YWCA Sojourner’s is home to an average of 65 individuals at any given time – approximately 25 of which are children. All funding, design, materials, and labor for the project were donated by WVNLA – estimated at approximately $100,000. The completed project includes every aspect of the original plan, as well as additional features such as two new awnings and security gates and fences to help ensure residents’ safety.

The YWCA and all the residents at YWCA Sojourner's are truly inspired by WVNLA's generosity and dedication and are grateful beyond words for this gift. We hope that WVNLA's project inspires other organizations to follow their example and give back to the communities in which they live - to enhance and improve the lives of others and, simply, to make the world a better place.

Stop the Hate

It is with great pleasure and excitement, and as a mother, wife, and YWCA Board member, that I write to you about the beginning of a very powerful series of community events that will address critical issues of equality in the Charleston area. The Communities United Against Hate: Not in Our Town forums will kick off this evening, August 5th, from 6-8 p.m. at the Charleston Marriott Town Center. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Many of the important decisions a parent makes are related to the question of where to raise their children. Many a parent, myself included, has asked themselves questions such as: are the schools good, are the neighborhoods safe, who will my children’s peers be? As a mother of two young daughters, I have struggled with these issues.

West Virginia offers a positive environment in which to raise children, but we could be much better.

Tonight’s speaker, Tom "TJ" Leyden, spent more than 15 years of his life as a neo-Nazi white supremacist organizer and recruiter. In 1997, Leyden experienced a profound change of heart, turned his back on the racist movement, and now spends his time helping state and local governments, communities, and organizations understand what creates a culture of hate and what you can do to counteract it. T.J.s transformation was triggered by a concern that any parent can relate to: his children’s future. He realized one day that his children were going to grow up to be just like him, and he wanted something better for them.

There will be a public forum following the presentation and area residents are invited to come together with religious, community, government and business leaders to voice their ideas and raise issues and concerns regarding how we can create a city that embraces and profits from the contributions of all of its citizens.

This evening’s event will allow our community the opportunity to learn from each other and begin a significant dialogue on these issues over the coming months. We know that racism and other types of discrimination exist in our community - this forum allows us to talk about it and address it – get it out in the open and develop an action plan. The YWCA wants to put its passion and resources regarding equality efforts into action for the Charleston area and this forum, future forums, and cooperation with a multitude of area organizations allows for significant inroads towards this end.

Please join this unprecedented collection of individuals, agencies and institutions, including: The YWCA of Charleston, the Charleston Human Rights Commission, the Charleston Area Alliance, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District for West Virginia, West Virginia Free, Create West Virginia, Covenant House, The West Virginia Hate Crimes Task Force, the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Division, and The West Virginia Chapter of the NAACP, in addressing discrimination in our community.

This is an important opportunity for improving our community for our children, our schools, our businesses, our organizations, and ourselves. Don’t encourage racism and hate by being silent. I want a better environment to raise my children in . . . what motivates you? Find out and come out to the forum. The Charleston community can build inclusiveness and address issues of intolerance – be apart of this event and that process!

Hallie Chillag Dunlap is the third guest blogger for the YWCA. She is a mother of two beautiful girls, wife, and a devoted YWCA Board member. She serves as the chair of the YWCA's Eliminating Racism Committee.