YWCA Orange County

Social Justice Film Series

2008-04-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 7th marked the first of the YWCA Orange County's Social Justice Series of films shown in partnership with the Downing Film Center in Newburgh. "Banished" shows how American towns in the early part of the 1900's cleansed their population of Blacks. It was disheartening to see film of rocks being thrown at people participating in a peaceful march as late as 1987 because blacks were not welcome in that town. Director Marco Williams also brought up the concept of reparations - should ancestors of blacks who were forced off their land in angry racist rages be financially compensated? What will bring closure? How do we start? The group that stayed to discuss these issues had an intimate, lively, sometimes emotional, conversation. We started....
Further discussion points can be found at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/banished/getinvolved.html
We'd like to hear from you. Let's talk about opening the wounds of history. What will help these communities heal? Is reconciliation possible? Or reparations? Or both?

Maria Silverman YWCA Volunteer Honored by United Way

2008-03-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Maria Silverman, a long-time volunteer fundraiser for the YWCA Orange County will be honored as the 2008 Marion S. Murphy Neighbors Helping Neighbors Award winner by the United Way of Orange County at a dinner to be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at Anthony's Pier 9. Maria's countless hours of service to the YWCA helps us keep our programs running to serve the population of Orange County. The Board of Directors and staff of the YWCA Orange County extends it's gratitude and congratulations to Maria Silverman!

More help for the uninsured

2008-03-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Colorectal Cancer develops in the colon or rectum. It is the second leading cancer killer in the United States. If everyone age 50 and older had regular colorectal cancer screening tests, more that one third of deaths could be avoided.
The Healthy Women Partnership of Orange County can now provide information on screening for colorectal cancer. If you have no insurance, are 50 years or older, you need to be screened, and we can help you. Contact the Partnership at 845-561-8050 for eligibility requirements.

Women of Color Conference

2007-11-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

The YWCA Orange County was proud to be a partnering organization in the 3rd Annual Conference for Women of Color on November 17, 2007 in Newburgh, NY. The conference goals were identified as 1) to create an intergenerational forum for discussing our health and wellbeing as women of color; 2) to identify and discuss resources that exist to promote health and wellness among women of color; and 3) to strengthen grassroots organizing among women of color in the Hudson Valley. The Keynote Speaker was Felicia Hodges, founder and editor of Tri-County Women magazine. Her topic was, "Getting THERE from HERE," addressing the need for women to begin NOW to plan for their future. There were many workshops available; to name a few: Creating Social Change: What is My Role?, Stress Reduction to Sustain Our Work and Families, and Creative Art in Movement.
Myya Valentine, the Administrative Assistant at the YWCA Orange County, attended and she reports:
"What inspired me was all ethnic races in one room respecting one another. We were able to listen and understand each other whether we agreed or disagreed. This conference helped me believe in myself and speak up on what I thought without feeling shy. We learned ways to become a strong individual within our homes and workplaces. I also realized that a leader is not always just one person, but often a team. Many young people attended the meeting. I think the main point was to get the message out that you can always go higher at any time of your life because learning expands the mind at any age. Getting to your goal is not always the finish line, but is just the beginning."

Membership

2007-11-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

The YWCA Orange County, the premier women's membership movement in Orange County, New York, invites you to join us as we work to fulfill YWCAUSA's mission of "eliminating racism and empowering women" in our community, the U.S., and around the globe. You will find us on the web at http://www.ywca-orangecty.org/.
We will post information and coming events on this blog, in addition to keeping you abreast of our growing list programs.