Provider Of Hope Finds New Hope

The YWCA offers a haven for people experiencing the problems most of us would rather not think about. Scary problems.

At the YWCA, women beaten up by partners find shelter. Homeless children find education. People with disabilities find warm-water exercises. Abused and neglected children find therapeutic day care. And heart attack survivors find there a safe place to heal.

The workers at the YWCA know they are helping to mend broken bodies and broken souls. This is satisfying work. But many of the staffers have endured years of frustration as directors came and exited, as the physical facility crumbled, as money, always tight, grew tighter.

But hope has walked into the YWCA’s front doors. Hope in the guise of Monica Walters, a veteran of Spokane social service agencies. She was named executive director in November and has since assembled what some are calling a “dream team.” The team includes Angela Sheffield, a former Los Angeles County executive with expertise in money management. And the team includes several women - and men - who have stuck with the YWCA through the lean years.

“We’ve been in transition since 1992. It’s like we were trying on shoes and we finally found a wonderful set,” said Joanne Shiosaki, community relations director.

The team’s goal is to raise some much needed money, salvage and refurbish the leaky building, and figure out how the YWCA can best pursue the key part of its mission: The empowerment of women and the elimination of racism.

But the dream team, YWCA staffers and board members cannot do it all alone. They need community support, and several opportunities exist to show some support.

The YWCA needs computers, for instance. So before you give or throw away that 386 or 486 model, consider giving it to the YWCA. The YWCA’s water fitness program has been named the top program in the state six years in a row; yet the fitness director, Cheryl Weixel, toted her computer from home to run the program.

Or you can buy a ticket to the YWCA’s annual Benefit Breakfast. The March 27 fund-raiser will feature Sheryl Swoopes-Jackson, the great woman basketball player. She is also a motivational speaker who talks of the setbacks in her own life and how overcoming them led to great success.

Swoopes-Jackson’s message comes at a fitting time. The YWCA’s dream team is in place. The setbacks are being overcome. The future looks like one big success story, if the community joins the team.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi For the editorial board