2 0 1 2 A N N U A L R E P O R T

ywca rhode island

for every women

145 years

rhode island

ywcarhode island

board of directors

ChairCathy Brien

1st Vice ChairMarissa Trinque

2nd Vice ChairKim Garneau

Treasurer / SecretarySusan Gershkoff, Esq.

Rosemary BriteAlessandra Borges

Sandra CanoLisa Carcifero

Gail DavisSusan Donahue, DC

Karen GagerJeanne LynchNancy Wilson

PresidentDeborah L. Perry

core staff

CEODeborah L. Perry

COOMeghan Grady

Director of Finance andHuman Resources

Holly Courtemanche

Operations ManagerCentral Falls Campus

Sarah Aneyci

Director of Early Childhood EducationMary Anne Deslauriers

Director of Special Events andCommunity Outreach

Lisa Piscatelli

Youth EnrichmentProgram Coordinator

Nathan Smith

PIP Coordinator / Registered NurseDeborah Smith

ywca rhode island for every woman

Deborah L. Perry, YWCA Rhode Island CEOpictured with Bill Walter, Innovative Solutions

for Non-Profits President in the historic YWCASarah Francis Gardner House for homelesswomen. Innovative Solutions for Non-Profits

provided the financial support and professionalguidance required for the successful June

merger of YWCA Greater Rhode Island andYWCA Northern Rhode Island into single

statewide organization - YWCA Rhode Island.

At 145 years old, YWCA of Greater Rhode Island,also known, as YWCA of Central Falls andPawtucket, is the third oldest YWCA in the country.Its notable history, as detailed in the adjacent time-line, includes founding the organization that now isCrossroads Rhode Island, which serves the home-less population, and the International Institute inProvidence, which provides educational, legal andsocial services to immigrant, refugee and native-born individuals. YWCA of Greater Rhode Island isthe founder of The Rhode Island Rape Crisis Centerand a co-founder of the Blackstone Valley Women’sShelter, as well as an organizer of The Way Out,known as Youth Pride an agency serving theLGBTQQ community. But it had been struggling inrecent years and approached YWCA NorthernRhode Island for advice and financial support.

In June, after months of discussion and evalua-tion of various options to save the faltering organi-zation, the Woonsocket based YWCA NorthernRhode Island merged into Central Falls basedYWCA Greater Rhode Island forming a singlestatewide organization.

The new entity, YWCA Rhode Island, owns justover two acres of land and three buildings at Broadand Hawes streets in Central Falls, at the Pawtucketline. A 10-room Victorian, know as the historicSarah Francis Gardner House, is the residence forhomeless women in transition. A 4,500 square footbuilding is a community and childcare center. Thethird building a former carriage house sits idle.

YWCA Rhode Island also owns just over twoacres of land and an 18,000 square foot building onBlackstone Street in Woonsocket’s North Endneighborhood. Preschool classrooms, a childcarecenter and gymnasium have served the area for gen-erations. The Woonsocket facility is the administra-tive center for the organization as well as the hubfor agency health education, advocacy and outreachservices.

But we’re not done yet. The carriage house inCentral Falls is under construction to becomeRosie’s Clubhouse, named for Rosie the Riveter, thewoman symbolic of World War II female factoryworkers. It will be a place where middle-school agegirls can learn non-traditional skills including car-

pentry. The National Association of Women inConstruction, Rhode Island Chapter, is donatinglabor and materials to make this vision a reality.

YWCA Rhode Island sponsored Sheila “Skip”Nowell Leadership Academy, a public charter highschool named after a former YWCA NorthernRhode Island Executive Director who in the 1970’sadvocated for the right of young mothers to contin-ue their education during pregnancy, has been grant-ed preliminary approval to open in September 2013.The school will ultimately serve 360 at-risk youthincluding parenting and pregnant teens and theirbabies. The school will be the 1st charter school inRhode Island to use a blended on-line curriculumand has the potential to serve as a national model.

And we are exploring additional opportunitiesto increase the breadth and depth of our organiza-tion in order to continue to work toward the elimi-nation racism, and to create opportunities for theeconomic empowerment of women.

On behalf of YWCA members throughoutRhode Island and surrounding Massachusetts com-munities, my sincere thanks and gratitude to thewomen of the former YWCA Greater Rhode Islandboard of directors and President Johanna LeClair aswell as former YWCA Northern Rhode Islandboard of directors and President Cathy Brien fortheir wisdom and foresight to create a bigger,stronger, more viable statewide organization –YWCA Rhode Island.

The merger of these two organizations wouldnot have been possible without the financial supportand professional advice of Innovative Solutions forNon-Profits, Bill Walter; Barbara SokoloffAssociates, Barbara Sokoloff and team; Braver PC,Dave Fontaine CPA and team; and Robinson &Cole LLP, Attorney Joseph B. White and team.

Very truly yours,

DeborahDeborah L. PerryPresident / Chief Executive OfficerYWCA Rhode Island

president’s report

ywca rhode island for every woman

Providence Women's ChristianAssociation was formed.1867

Cottages were opened in Conimicut Parkas a summer resort for working women.1879

Providence Women’s Christian Associationmerged with the Providence EvangelistYoung Women's Christian Association,which added an employment bureau, andjunior and industrial departments.1888

With a greater emphasis on youngerwomen, the organization’s name wasformally changed to the Young Women’sChristian Association.1889

YWCA Founded Traveler's Aid, later tobecome Crossroads, RI.1894

YWCA of Providence founded theInternational Institute of Rhode Island,later to merge with Dorcas Place.1921

YWCA of Woonsocket was formed andbecomes the 1st YWCA in the country toallow membership to all women regardless of religious affiliation.1923

YWCA of Woonsocket opens a preschool.1932

Providence and Pawtucket/Central FallsYWCA’s merged, forming the YWCA ofGreater Rhode Island. Programmingfocus moves from recreational to socialservices and political activity.1965

YWCA Greater Rhode Island foundedthe RI Rape Crisis Center, later tobecome Day One. Program scopeexpanded to include eliminating racism,crime intervention, rape counseling andchild abuse services.1977

YWCA Greater Rhode Island andWomen’s Center founded the BlackstoneShelter for Battered Women.1980

YWCA Northern Rhode Island createsParenting in Progress, a GED programwith wrap around services for teenmothers.1984

YWCA Greater Rhode Island founded"The Way Out" a weekly support groupfor LGBTQQ youth, which later becameYouth Pride Inc.1993

YWCA began offering ENCOREPlus, abreast and cervical education and support program for low-income women.1996

YWCA Northern Rhode Island leads theway bringing The Silent Witness ProjectRhode Island a national initiative thathonors and remembers victims ofdomestic murder.1997

YWCA Greater Rhode Island initiatedHIV outreach and education for at riskwomen.2001

The Sarah Francis Grant Homesteadwas opened, providing housing forhomeless women with disabilities.2004

YWCA Northern Rhode Island createsShe Shines Magazine, a statewide multi-media publication celebrating the aspira-tions and accomplishments of women.2005

YWCA Northern Rhode Island hosts 1stWomen of Achievement Awards.2005

YWCA Northern Rhode Island hosts 1stWomen Holding Office Celebration.2009

YWCA Northern Rhode Island takesleadership role in creating The RhodeIsland Alliance (RIA), a statewide collabo-rative effort dedicated to reducing teenpregnancy and empowering pregnantand parenting teens.2010

YWCA Northern Rhode Island and part-ner organizations, host 1st Race AgainstRacism.2011

YWCA Greater Rhode Island and YWCANorthern Rhode Island merge to form asingle statewide organization - YWCARhode Island.2012

YWCA begins oversight of The Gini Fund,a scholarship fund for female student/ath-letes in memory of East Providence HighSchool teacher and coach Gini Duarte.2012

YWCA Rhode Island sponsored Sheila“Skip” Nowell Leadership Academy, apublic charter high school, is granted preliminary approval by the Rhode IslandDepartment of Education to serve 360at-risk youth.2012

a short look atywca rhode island’s long history

1867 - 2012

look what we’ve done

YWCA arranged for Children ofChildren, Portraits and Stories ofTeenage Parents a multimediatraveling exhibition by photogra-pher Michael Nye to come toRhode Island during the monthof May. Pictured from the exhibitis "Becky". The exhibit is a col-lection of stories of men andwomen ranging in age from 12 to100 whose lives have been cru-cially affected by teenage preg-nancy.

Teen Pregnancy

ywca rhode island for every woman

empowering women

YWCA SUPPORTING YOUNG PARENTS

According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (JCPES), women who complet-ed high school earned 50% more than those who did not and those who completed some col-lege increased their annual earnings by 20-25% more. And those with bachelors or advanceddegrees earned about 50% more than those with some college.

YWCA has a long-standing commitment to providing programs and services for teen parentsand advocating for systems that help them become successful and productive members of ourcommunity.

Sheila “Skip” Nowell Leadership AcademyYWCA Rhode Island received the go-aheadfrom the Rhode Island Department ofEducation (RIDE) for a groundbreaking onlinepublic charter high school designed for at-riskhigh school students. Named after retiredYWCA Northern Rhode Island executive direc-tor, Sheila C. “Skip” Nowell, the LeadershipAcademy will combine online studies withclassroom work and is aimed specifically at360 students whose family responsibilitiesinterfere with their attendance at high school.That includes teenagers who are pregnant oralready parents, who are responsible for takingcare of other family members, and who arevictims of domestic abuse or who lack support.

Parenting In Progress (PIP)YWCA Rhode Island continues to offer PIP, acollaborative program created by the YWCA 28years ago for teen mothers and their familieswhich includes a comprehensive set of servic-es including GED education, case manage-ment, childcare, transportation and access tosocial services.

Rhode Island Alliance (RIA)YWCA Rhode Island serves as the lead sup-port agency for The Rhode Island Alliance. Acollaborative effort of over 60 individuals andorganizations, The Rhode Island Allianceviews teen pregnancy and childbearing as acomplex issue requiring a comprehensiveapproach. In January 2012, RIA completedand launched a statewide comprehensive planto reduce the rates of teen pregnancy andsupport young families. The plan is a road mapdawn up BY the community for the community.

Children of ChildrenYWCA Rhode Island sponsored the Children ofChildren Exhibit at Tsetse Gallery. Openingnight was hosted by RI First Lady Chafee andDOH Director Dr. Michael Fine. Over 600 peo-ple viewed the month long exhibit, a powerfulinstallation of 52 portraits and audio-stories oflives touched by early parenting. It served asan opportunity to engage viewers in a conver-sation about the complexities of teen parenting.

Pictured from left to right:Theresa Moore, producer of thefilm License to Thrive: Title IX at35, with Beverly Wiley, formerYWCA board president and GailDavis, YWCA board membergathered together at YWCARhode Island's Title IX 40thanniversary celebration atCommunity College of RhodeIsland, Knight Campus inWarwick.

Title IX

ywca rhode island for every woman

women’s economic advancement

YWCA CELEBRATING TITLE IX

Forty years ago Congress passed Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to ensureequal opportunity in education for all students, from kindergarten through post-graduate school,regardless of sex. This landmark education states: No person in the United States shall, on thebasis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to dis-crimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.— 20 U.S.C. §1681

YWCA has a long-standing commitment to raise awareness of Title IX and to provide non-tradi-tional educational programs and services which offer equality for girls and women.

Rosie’s GirlsYWCA Rhode Island Rosie’s Girls offers aunique program for adolescent girls (ages 11-13), designed to build self-esteem, persever-ance and leadership through learning andapplying basic skills in the skilled trades (e.g.carpentry, welding, electrical wiring, and autorepair). Through these non-traditional activi-ties, young girls are challenged to develop abroader sense of themselves and their capabil-ities, learn independence, expand their mathand science skills through concrete applica-tions, and consider careers in non-traditionalfields that offer women and girls new opportu-nities for career satisfaction and financial sta-bility.

Gini FundYWCA Rhode Island oversees a scholarshipfund in memory of Gini Duarte, a former EastProvidence High School teacher and coach.Each year an outstanding female student/ath-lete is awarded college scholarship funds inGini’s memory.

Block KidsYWCA Rhode Island participates in TheNational Association for Women inConstruction, RI Chapter Block Kids BuildingProgram. This award-winning program intro-duces children to the construction industry inan effort to create awareness of and to pro-mote an interest in future careers in one of themany facets of the industry.

Title IX Anniversary EventYWCA Rhode Island held an event atCommunity College of Rhode Island, KnightCampus in celebration of the 40th anniversaryof Title IX. The event included a presentationby Theresa Moore producer of the film Licenseto Thrive: Title IX at 35 along with a live tweet-up. GoGirlGo! a program of the Women’sSport Foundation offered at YWCA RhodeIsland was also highlighted.

ASSETS

Cash $388,150

Investments 1,387,728

Accounts Receivable 116,371

Other Current Assets 77,996

Fixed Assets (net) 1,809,566

Total Assets $3,779,811

LIABILITIES

Secured Mortgages $346,663

Accounts Payable 69,407

Accrued Liabilities 73,482

Total Liabilities $489,552

FUND BALANCE

Unrestricted $3,008,333

Temporarily Restricted 74,250

Permanently Restricted 207,676

Total Fund Balance $3,290,259

Total Liabilities and Fund Balance $3,779,811

statement of financial positionfor year ending December 31, 2011

Reflects combined assets ofYWCA Greater Rhode Island and YWCA Northern Rhode Island

prior to June 27, 2012 merger.

ywca rhode island for every woman

budget for fiscal year 20121/1/12 - 12/31/12

Does not include YWCA Greater Rhode Island’s income prior to July 1, 2012.YWCA Greater Rhode Island and YWCA Northern Rhode Island

merged on June 27, 2012.

ywca rhode island for every woman

Women of Achievement Awardsare recognized nationally, andbring attention to the accomplish-ments of women in industry, cul-ture and public service in localcommunities. Selection criteriafocuses on exceptional skills,leadership and mentoring; break-ing new ground or old barriers;and being agents of positivechange and inspiration. 2012YWCA Rhode Island Woman ofAchievement Honoree Alex andAni owner and designer, CarolynRafaelian, right pictured withYWCA Chief Executive OfficerDeborah L. Perry. Other awardwinner included RobertaRichman; Carol O’Donnell;Adeola Oredola; BarbaraSokoloff; Elizabeth “Liz” Chace;Carrie Bridges Feliz; Valerie A.Perry; Hilary Jones; PatriciaMartinez; and Toby Ayers.

Women of Achievement

ywca rhode island for every woman

women’s economic empowerment

YWCA EMPOWERING WOMEN AND GIRLS THROUGH SPORTS AND FITNESS ACTIVITIES

According to a 2002 Oppenheimer Mutual Fund Report, 82% of executive businesswomenplayed organized sports after elementary school.

YWCA has a long-standing commitment to providing fitness and athletic opportunities for girlsand women recognizing that teamwork, discipline, leadership, perseverance, risk taking, winningand losing, time management, and networking are all common elements for success in sports,business, and life.

GoGirlGo!YWCA Rhode Island offers GoGirlGo!, TheWomen’s Sports Foundation landmark educa-tional program launched in 2001 for elemen-tary, middle and high school girls, which worksacross the country to keep girls involved inphysical activity and to improve the health ofsedentary girls.

Healthy Steps for Girls and WomenPromoting fitness and sports as the gateway tohealth, YWCA Rhode Island, in collaborationwith Northern Rhode Island Area HealthEducation Center and funded by Rhode IslandDepartment of Health, is leading an initiative toencourage healthy lifelong behaviors in girlsand women who reside in the rural communi-ties of Burrillville, Foster, Glocester andScituate, Rhode Island.

Gymnastics AcademyRecognizing that gymnastics is fundamental toall sport and essential for acrobatic sports,YWCA Rhode Island offers programs forbeginners to top competitive gymnasts. Leadstaff are USA Gymnastics certified and theYWCA is a member of Rhode Island USAGymnastics.

Adult Fitness and SportsKnowing that fitness is a key to life long health,YWCA Rhode Island offers a variety of adultactivities including volleyball leagues for begin-ner to semi-pro competitor, aerobics, and awomen’s workout room with state of the art fit-ness equipment.

Sports CampYWCA Rhode Island offers summer fitnessand sport activities for children, which build afoundation for the love of sport, engage chil-dren in fun activities, and provide instruction infundamentals.

Chris Hoard of Woonsocket wasthe overall first place winner ofthe 2nd YWCA Rhode IslandRace Against Racism 5K with atime of 21:13.7. He is picturedwith YWCA Chief OperatingOfficer, Meghan Grady.

Race Against Racism

ywca rhode island for every woman

eliminating racism

YWCA ENGAGING COMMUNITY

The fact is that from birth, women and people of color still face obstacles in 2012that were intended to die with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

• A study reports that 70% of Americans believe racism is an issue in the workplace.• Sixty percent of African Americans say that race or ethnic background affects getting routine

medical care.• Of the 43% of minority children attending public schools, more than half are poor and more

than two-thirds fail to reach basic levels on national tests.

YWCA has a long-standing commitment to uniting people of all races, demonstrating communitycommitment to eliminating racism, and celebrating our diversity.

Race Against RacismYWCA Rhode Island sponsored a community5K Race Against Racism in Woonsocket,Rhode Island. Event partners includedAutumnfest, Connecting for Children &Families, CopsWalk, Family ResourcesCommunity Action, Landmark Medical Center,Northern Rhode Island Area Health EducationCenter, NeighborWorks Blackstone RiverValley, RiverzEdge Arts, Thundermist HealthCenter, and Woonsocket Prevention Coalition.

Stand Against RacismYWCA Rhode Island participated in the StandAgainst Racism movement, a large and power-ful demonstration across our country of hun-dreds of thousands of individuals that believein a society free of racism. Over 300,000 peo-ple took a Stand Against Racism in 2012.

Racial Justice DialoguesYWCA Rhode Island initiated racial justice dia-logues in Providence and Woonsocket. YWCAfacilitators created a safe environment for allparticipants to share personal experiences andopinions regarding the topics of race andracism.

Funda FestYWCA Rhode Island is a sponsor of FundaFest. Funda means "to teach and to learn" inZulu and Kiswhahili. Funda offers the best incultural "edu-tainment." This highly visibleevent is the flagship of Rhode Island BlackStorytellers (RIBS) with programming thatreaches statewide audiences of thousands.

ywca rhode island for every woman

eliminating racism

YWCA PROMOTING HEALTH EQUITY

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reports that poor health outcomes for AfricanAmericans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, NativeHawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are apparent when comparing their health indicators againstthose of the rest of the U.S. population.

YWCA has a long-standing commitment to making community health outreach and educationprograms for under-served populations, in particular people of color a priority. To effectivelyimprove the health of the community much of our work has focused on advocacy for policy, sys-tems, and environmental change that result in health equity.

Woonsocket Walks – A City on the MoveYWCA Rhode Island led an initiative to createa pedestrian walking plan for the City ofWoonsocket. The plan, supported with ARRAfunds and developed by the WoonsocketWalks Advisory Group, includes an environ-mental assessment of all city neighborhoods.Site conditions were assessed for barriers andenablers to walkability.

Falls PreventionYWCA Rhode Island offers “A Matter ofBalance: Managing Concerns About Falls”Program. Many older adults experience a fearof falling. People who develop this fear oftenlimit their activities, which can result in physicalweakness, making the risk of falling evengreater. A Matter of Balance is a programdesigned to reduce the fear of falling andincrease activity levels among older adults.

Chronic Disease YWCA Rhode Island offers Stanford School ofMedicine self-management classes throughoutRhode Island for chronic diseases such asth-ma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, andarthritis. The program is supported in part withfunding from Rhode Island Department ofElderly Affairs.

Tobacco AdvocacyYWCA Rhode Island, in collaboration withWoonsocket Prevention Coalition and fundedby Rhode Island Department of Health, provid-ed public education about the dangers oftobacco and unhealthy foods in Cumberland,Lincoln, and Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

Breast and Cervical HealthThrough the generous support from The AvonFoundation, YWCA Rhode Island offersEncoreplus. This program includes communityoutreach, breast and cervical health education,linkage to clinical screening services andassistance in accessing and navigating diag-nostic treatment.

ywca rhode island for every woman

children and youth

YWCA OFFERING QUALITY CHILD & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

National Institute for Early Education Research director W. Steven Barnett, PhD says, “Childrenwho attend high-quality preschool enter kindergarten with better pre-reading skills, richer vocab-ularies, and stronger basic math skills than those who do not.” And research states that childrenand youth who attend afterschool programs do better in school, and are safer and less likely toget into trouble in the hours after the end of the school day.

YWCA has a long-standing commitment to providing quality education and enrichment programswhich build on the strengths and values of children and youth by providing them with a support-ive, safe and culturally diverse environment in which they can develop positive qualities forschool success and a productive future.

ChildcareLicensed by the Rhode Island Department ofChildren, Youth and Families, YWCA offershigh quality care for children 8 weeks to 3 1/2years of age.

PreschoolAligned with Rhode Island Early LearningStandards and one of only nine preschools inthe state to receive preliminary Rhode IslandDepartment of Education licensing approvalunder new state regulations, YWCA RhodeIsland provides developmentally appropriateeducation for children age 3 to 5.

Youth Enrichment Before and After SchoolAge CareLicensed by the Rhode Island Department ofChildren, Youth and Families, YWCA offershigh quality care for children age 6 to 15.

PlaygroupsA variety of interesting and educational par-ent/child playgroups are offered in YWCARhode Island’s indoor gymnasium located inWoonsocket.

Summer Enrichment ProgramsLicensed by the Rhode Island Department ofChildren, Youth and Families and certified byThe American Camp Association, YWCARhode Island offers quality programs for chil-dren of all ages to promote summer learning.

for every woman

rhode island

ywca rhode island514 Blackstone StreetWoonsocket, RI 02895401-769-7450www.ywcari.org