In 2013, the YWCA Central Alabama provided over 13,000 days of child care to 114 children of homeless and low-income families, 9,393 clothing items to 770 people at no cost and supplied legal and court advocacy services for 3,952 victims of domestic abuse. But it isn’t just the numbers that make the YWCA Central Alabama a leading nonprofit, it’s the immeasurable amount of support we receive from thousands of volunteers. That’s why the YWCA Central Alabama honors Volunteer Appreciation Week in order to extend our gratitude to each and every volunteer that walks through our doors. It’s with your help that we can continue to provide for our neighbors in need.
At the YWCA we depend on you – our supporters and volunteers! Without your support we wouldn’t be able to provide quality care to children through programs like Santa’s Workshop, our annual event where hundreds of families in need get in the holiday spirit as children create crafts for their loved ones and parents shop for free gifts for their children. Our downtown building becomes a winter wonderland and it takes the work of hundreds of volunteers to make that happen.
Without your support it would be impossible to provide an extensive array of child care services such as KIDS (Kids in Distress) Korner, a nationally accredited (National Association for the Education of Young Children) child care program for homeless families. Because of your help, we are able to provide a birthday party, an event that is often overlooked when families are experiencing homelessness, for each child in the program. Our After-School Enrichment Program (ASEP) succeeds because of volunteers who spend hours tutoring children so that they become better and brighter students. We thank you for being our Reading Buddies and helping children in need get on track to becoming better readers.
It takes volunteers like you to make our social justice programs like Heritage Panel and Anytown Alabama a remarkable opportunity for high school students to become strong inclusive leaders in their schools and communities. We thank our AmeriCorps members for the hours they dedicate at volunteer-driven events like Project Homeless Connect, Girls on the Run and their National Days of Service. In one year, over 30 YWCA AmeriCorps members will contribute over 51,000 hours of service to the Greater Birmingham area.
We are thankful for the volunteers who donate clothes, sheets and other goods to our residents and to My Sister’s Closet. Because of you, we are able to sell affordable clothing through My Sister’s Closet so that women trying to find their way back into the workplace can purchase professional designer clothing at very little cost. Thank you for providing thousands of prom dresses so girls who cannot afford expensive dresses can still afford to look and feel beautiful on their prom night.
We also thank all of those who have donated dollars over the years to our events Purse & Passion, KIDS Korner, our past flower sales and our newest event, Walk-A-Mile In Her Shoes®. It is because of you that many women, children and families do not go hungry, have a safe place to sleep and have more opportunities for a happy future.
Our award-winning, nationally accredited programs don’t function without help from volunteers like you. We thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for your countless hours.
 
If you would like to become a volunteer for the YWCA or learn more about how you can donate to one of our programs, click here.