Support YWCA Greenwich on Giving Tuesday
For more than 100 years, YWCA Greenwich has been at the heart of this community, providing critical programs and fulfilling our mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
You have generously supported our work by donating to YWCA Greenwich and we are deeply grateful.
Your past contributions have helped launch the Harmony Project and led them to have a successful first year adding sexual violence services to the full menu of free services supporting victims and their children; provided for a variety of free educational and family programs: and offered financial aid for our neighbors in need across a variety of programs such as our NAEYC-accredited preschool, our vital afterschool and vacation day programs, and our ACA-accredited summer Camp TAYITO.
Last year, your donation helped us to:
We are energized by the impact that we are making and the potential for even greater impact in 2025. With your help we are looking to provide:
Financial Aid for our Neighbors in Need including the 25% of households in Greenwich that are at or below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold – working families who struggle to afford the basics. YWCA Greenwich makes participation in summer camp, afterschool programs, preschool and learn to swim programs accessible to all. In addition, we collaborate with community partners on free programs for bilingual or vulnerable populations.
Free Community Programs at our beautiful, centrally located campus. We welcome all ages, from babies to seniors to our vibrant community center to gather and enjoy free educational and wellness programs including our Family Fun Fair, Candlelight Vigil, Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Annual Conversation and Movie Nights in our pool.
Childcare and Camps that are essential for supporting families. We provide critical day care, preschool, afterschool and summer camp programming for children from 15 months through 12 years—meeting the community need for excellent care that is both licensed and accredited. Quality care with highly trained staff and rigorous program standards is central to our approach.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Services including our 24/7 hotline, crisis intervention, counseling for adults and children, violence prevention education throughout the community and sustainability services. These services are all free and confidential for victims and their children. We are able to offer these programs through a mix of individual philanthropy, proceeds from fundraising events and government grants.
However, I want to share with you a looming crisis that is deeply worrying to those of us who provide services to victims of crimes like domestic and sexual violence and has been called the “VOCA funding cliff.”
In 1984 the Victims of Violent Crimes Act (VOCA) was signed into law, providing resources for local agencies to provide services to people suffering physical, emotional and financial harm as a result of crimes including domestic and sexual violence. In the years since its inception, YWCA Greenwich has come to rely on this important federal funding. Since 2018, however, federal funding for VOCA has decreased annually due to a number of factors. In Connecticut, this funding gap was partially closed with COVID-19 related American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds which have now been exhausted.
In the coming year, we will be facing a dramatic decrease in VOCA funding which could mean reductions in staffing and services that we provide to victims in the Harmony Project. This year, your donation is even more vital as we face these challenging times.
Once again, thank you for supporting YWCA Greenwich. We are grateful for your partnership with us, and we hope that you will consider making a donation to YWCA Greenwich to help us serve the community for the coming year.