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Resource Report - 22 YWCA of Olympia · Resource Report

0:20
Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
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share with you important information about local
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nonprofits and resource organizations that support
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the community we share, produced by Pathways
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to Agency. I am your host, Rainmaker. I am thrilled
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to share with you my interview with Allie Ewing,
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the co -executive director of the YWCA of Olympia.
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We sat down together in the Zonta Room within
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the beautiful and historic Kearney House. Here's
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Allie. Allie Ewing. Hello, Allie. How are you
1:07
doing today? I'm great. Thank you so much for
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being here with me. It's a pleasure to be here
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with you. Can you please introduce yourself,
1:16
your position, and how did you come to be here
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at the YWCA? And what does YWCA stand for also?
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That is a great question. So my name is Allie,
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and she and her pronouns, and I've been here
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at the YWCA of Olympia. Since January of 2023,
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I came on as a co -executive director in our
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community engagement. So I have been working
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in more of the external facing role, meeting
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community partners, getting to know what kinds
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of services are available, how to work in collaboration
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with other organizations and other community
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groups and get the word. out about what our programming
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has been and who we are now in 2025, 80 years
2:10
later. So we were founded here in Olympia in
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1945 and celebrated our 80th anniversary this
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summer. And the Kearney House has been here since
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1907. Wow. And what does YWCA stand for? YWCA
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stands for the Young Women's Christian Association.
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Okay. And pretty much the only relevant word
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still from our institutional acronym is association.
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So there's folks of all ages that we serve, all
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genders, and we're not a religious. affiliated
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association even though that was how the ywca
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was originally founded in the 1800s um 1800s
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yes it started i think it was maybe somewhere
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in europe and there were yeah there were prayer
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circles i believe okay yeah but here in olympia
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um they started as a a small group of women who
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had been gathering together. We were founded
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in 1945 and we moved here into the Kearney House
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in 1947. And the Kearney House was built by a
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family who were grocers. Sold the building to
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the first iteration of YWCA in Olympia. And we
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have been here ever since. Wow, that's a really
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strong association with this building. Absolutely.
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I think the organization and the building are
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really synonymous. People drive by and they tell
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me that they've come by here every day for years
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and they never... you know, have come in or introduced
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themselves. And so even in the last couple of
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weeks, people are stopping by to say, Hey, I
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heard about what's going on. And Right on. I
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want to know more about what you're doing, so
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I'm really glad to be able to share. That's awesome.
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So what are the missions and values of the YWCA
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then? So YWCA Olympia, our mission is to eliminate
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racism and empower those impacted by oppression
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so that we may embody as a community our vision
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that all people live free and thrive in a just
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society. So we operate under four main values,
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centering Black and Indigenous women and women
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of color, people over systems, accountability,
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and collective care. I love that. That sounds
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so wonderful. Yeah. It's a great vision. It's
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a great vision. It's a big vision. It is. And
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we're really lucky to be able to actualize it
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in community with other people. There's not one
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right way that that looks and it's evolved over
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the last few years and I'm just hoping that we
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can find a way to continue to live out that mission
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here in our community. We've been a lot of different
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things over the years. Organizations that are
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now operating in the community like Safeplace
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or the Crisis Clinic those started here. New Life
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Baptist Church started in Friendship Hall at a
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time when church communities were segregated
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here and they were the first black Baptist church
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in the area and they just celebrated their 50th
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anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Oh that's so
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cool! Yeah it was really lovely to have Dr Thelma
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back here and looking at Friendship Hall and
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hearing about her experience here during that
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time when new life baptist church was starting
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and other programs that she had been a part of.
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She had been a part of the Work Options for Women's
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program that started in the 70s and 80s, and
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I had no idea, actually, that she was a part
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of that program, but I was showing her some of
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those posters that we found in the attic, and
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she... was telling me about how she had been
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on the board and they were talking about economic
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empowerment for women and she stepped off the
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board to help run that program. And just the
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different ways that different community members
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have been connected here throughout the years
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has been really, really cool to hear about. That's
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wonderful. That's wonderful. Y 'all have a deep,
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interconnected relationship with this community.
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That's so much, so much. That's wonderful to
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hear. And so I would say.. I want to ask about
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your programs because I think it's through your
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programs that you're able to embody those values
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in action. So what are your current programs
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right now that you have operating? So currently
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we have Kathleen's Closet, which is a business
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casual closet for folks to come and shop for
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clothes for an interview or a court hearing or
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a meeting with a caseworker. Community members
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donate clothes and... People can drop in and
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shop Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a .m. to
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2 p .m., and they're welcome to try clothes on.
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They're welcome to come back and get more clothes
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another time. We are really lucky with our generous
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community to have a lot of donations, and we've
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expanded the footprint of the closet in our building.
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At the end of last year, we... Expanded the closet
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into this front office space so that we are able
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to offer more variety of clothes and we can kind
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of turn clothes over more efficiently because
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previously we had all those clothing racks up
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in the attic and it was so challenging to go
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up there and find sizes. So the closet this year
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has served over 200 people already. which is
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in huge increase from the previous years. I think
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word getting out about it, as well as more people
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needing access to basic needs like clothes to
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secure a job or clothes to wear to their job.
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We also have scrubs available that folks can
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shop for in black non -slip shoes, other vocational
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clothes as well that we're hoping to continue.
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to be able to offer to people. As of right now,
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that's the only program service that we have
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available. We recently had to close our youth
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programming as well as our Let's Talk program,
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which were community -based workshops that were
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101 introductions to different topics. Over the
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last year, the topics have included housing crisis,
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how to apologize, anti -Black racism, climate
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justice. I put on our website some of the Let's
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Talks workshops from last year. We had a workshop
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around race and class, race and gender, white
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supremacy culture. healing justice, somatics
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and anti -oppression, and calling in and calling
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out, so different skills around accountability.
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And those workshops were really supportive ways,
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not only for folks to learn about different topics,
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but to network and meet other people who are
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interested in learning about similar things.
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we recognize just the value of bringing people
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together and how important it is for people to
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feel like they belong in a space and they can
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ask questions in these spaces that They may not
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feel comfortable or wouldn't be appropriate to
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ask in other spaces. So having containers for
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some basic questions were really helpful for
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people. Definitely. Definitely. Safe spaces to
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communicate difficult topics are so important.
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But you're not currently having those right now.
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Right. Our last Let's Talk workshop was in August.
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And we have had to close the majority of our
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programming, our Youth Action Circle and our
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Let's Talk programs because of the funding crisis
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that we found ourselves in. Yeah. Talk about
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the rental spaces. You still have those available
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right now, don't you? We do, yes. We have our
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carriage house here at our building, Friendship
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Hall, that is available to rent. There are a
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couple of organizations who are renting it for
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their programming, and they love being here.
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They love having access to a centrally located
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ADA accessible space. That is affordable, but
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also supporting running our operations here.
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There is also this space that we're sitting in
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right now. This is the Zonta Room. So there's
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a dining room table. That's a meeting table that
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fits about eight people, six to eight people.
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fireplace and some built -in benches that are
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all characteristics of this historic home as
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it's listed on the window seats yeah window seats
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a couple little couches couple couches and really
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beautiful exposed for beams and the room had
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been renovated to mimic the original wallpaper
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and fixtures and textiles of the curtains from
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its original style. Oh, wow. That's pretty cool.
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Yeah. Yeah, there's a lovely picture of it on
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your website that I saw. Yeah. And the lower
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level in our building has recently been renovated,
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so there is a lower level here that... has a
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large open room on one side and then some workspaces
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in the center and there's a small office and
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a bathroom down there as well. And that space
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is open and available if folks are able to use
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a space that isn't necessarily ADA accessible,
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but it's available for different meetings or
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even perhaps childcare. And then we have office
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space available upstairs that people can rent.
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So one of the ways that we're hoping to sustain
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our ability to be open is by renting out the
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office spaces upstairs on our second floor. So
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there are a few smaller offices and one larger
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office and we're going to have all of that info
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up on our website really soon. Okay, cool. You
15:07
are listening to Resource Report on KAOS, featuring
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today's guest, Allie Ewing of YWCA of Olympia.
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After a brief message, we will be right back.
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The YWCA of Olympia. Why the Y? Here's why. The
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YWCA of Olympia is a non -profit organization
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serving girls, women, and their families in the
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South Sound since 1945. Throughout the years,
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the YWCA of Olympia has worked to change history
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from civil rights to women's rights, from advocacy
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for women's health care to ending violence against
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women and girls. In fact, local organizations
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such as Safe Place, the Rape Relief Center, the
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Refugee Center, the Crisis Clinic, all began
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as YWCA of Olympia programs. The YWCA is the
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voice for every woman speaking out and taking
15:58
action on behalf of women and girls. The YWCA
16:01
of Olympia, in partnership with over 300 volunteers
16:04
each year, supports the advancement of all women
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in our community. To find out more or to get
16:09
involved, visit ywcaofolympia .org. And that's
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why. Welcome back to Resource Report on KAOS
16:20
Let's return to Allie Ewing, Executive Co -Director
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of YWCA of Olympia. I met with Robert Vanderpool
16:41
from the city council last week. Yeah. He came
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from the City of Olympia City Council. He came
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and met with me here last week, and we were talking
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about similar, like, not consolidation, but,
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like, we have so much space available. And I
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want to talk more about this, too, but we have
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office space available now, and I know that there
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are organizations that are not able to. have
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their own standalone space necessarily but if
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they just need to rent an office or something
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I don't know if it would be an organization or
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if it would be like a small business owner I
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see this as that's a great becoming like a almost
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like a community center type space here because
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right now as it stands there are six or seven
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organizations or grassroots community groups
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that use different spaces in our building to
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run their programs and operations, like Hummingbird
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Studio, for example, in Friendship Hall. They
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are a part of the Armory renovation, but they
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don't have anywhere to operate until that's complete.
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And so they are able to rent out the space in
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Friendship Hall, and it's a great fit for them.
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for the time being while they're, you know, waiting
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for their next space. So being able to have folks
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here in the building that supports their programming
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and what they're offering and also supports our
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revenue and, um, one hand washes the other. That's
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what it's about. Let's all help each other. But
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how the thing that we were talking, I was talking
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about with, uh, city council member, Robert Vanderpool
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last week was Like where could I find even like
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a list of organizations or something to get the
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word out that we have space available? Like I'm
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trying to just tell everybody in every conversation
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when they're like, how's it going over there?
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What are you all up to? I'm like, we have space
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to rent. Do you know anybody who, yeah, wants
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to rent an office or needs a place to have a
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meeting? They can rent this. room here this meeting
19:04
room and we just finished a renovation in the
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lower level of our building with a grant from
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the county. I mean I think to finding organizations
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that have a need or a strength and being able
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to support each other And do you also have the
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space, the Liberation Collective, is that you
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guys? The Liberation Collective is a community
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group that has been around for the last couple
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of years and they sublease out the Friendship
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Hall and then they have supported in renting
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out the space to other community groups. So they
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kind of steward the rental side of Friendship
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Hall, Sunday through Thursdays. And then we,
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as YWCA, rent it out on Fridays and Saturdays.
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So the Friendship Hall is like its own thing.
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It's a little bit of its own thing. So YWCA and
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Liberation Collective, y 'all kind of share the
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management of it. Right. Right. Okay. Can you
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explain that a little bit more clearly again?
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Yeah. So it's interesting because when I first
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moved to Olympia three years ago, I had started
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to connect with some folks who were looking at
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creating kind of a healing space where people
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could offer different classes or workshops or
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have meetings that were not able to access space
20:49
in other. other buildings or other venues here
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in town and so originally it was going to be
20:56
in a different location and that location fell
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through and so I had shown some folks friendship
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hall maybe this could be somewhere you could
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use in the in the meantime while you figure out
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where you want to go or what you need and it
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worked out that that was actually exactly the
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place that they were envisioning having a space
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for particularly folks who needed and wanted
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access to a sliding scale to rent a space. I
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mean, one of the huge barriers to being able
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to offer a class or workshop is the cost of the
21:36
space and it not being ADA accessible. And so
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the Liberation Collective started renting that
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space from us and then other community groups.
21:48
go to the liberation collective to rent out the
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space from them if that makes sense yeah so okay
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we then share communications if somebody reaches
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out to us about renting the space on a Tuesday
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for example I'll direct them to the Liberation
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Collective. I see interesting that's that's a
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really cool symbiotic relationship there. One
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of the things that we have found is really beneficial
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is the more folks that we have in the space
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the more ideas that we have about what the space
22:29
could be and just seeing the variety of people
22:32
that are accessing and using Friendship Hall
22:35
has been really cool to see evolve over the years
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it had been the Other Bank for decades the Other
22:45
Bank was a hygiene bank and folks would come
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to shop for hygiene products shampoo conditioner
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diapers all kinds of items and it was set up
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like a store in there in Friendship Hall in 2019
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the other bank merged with a food bank so that
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it was more of a one -stop shop for people accessing
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basic items like food and hygiene and then when
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Covid hit the Other Bank wasn't there anymore
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we weren't operating in person programming. And
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so when we did start operating in person programming
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again in 2023, we cleared out Friendship Hall
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and the Liberation Collective updated the flooring
23:36
and they painted and they updated all the lighting
23:39
in there. And it's a really warm, welcoming space
23:44
that is multi -purpose now. It is nice. I was
23:49
at the community dinner that POWER had recently
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hosted, and I was in there. It was nice. Yeah.
23:56
Yeah. It's been really... great to have people
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in there. So what are the costs and sliding scale
24:04
rates and whatever, and is that different between
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renting from you guys versus Liberation Collective?
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Can you expand on that, give us some details?
24:15
Yeah, so our pricing structure from YWCA side
24:20
is $25 to $75 an hour. And then if folks are
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wanting to rent the space out for the day, we
24:31
can negotiate like a day rate. And then the Liberation
24:37
Collective operates on a sliding scale as well.
24:42
So their sliding scale is from $10 to $30 an
24:49
hour on the Sunday through Thursday. Okay. Yeah.
24:54
Nice. Good to know. Cool. And how big is the
25:00
Friendship Hall space? It is about 800 square
25:04
feet. It can hold about 70 to 75 people. Okay.
25:10
Okay. Yeah. Tell me about how y 'all provide
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crisis support. So we don't currently provide
25:30
crisis support here. We will often refer folks
25:35
to a community partner organization like the
25:39
Crisis Clinic or Safe Place Family Support Center.
25:45
Also recently we have a new neighbor down the
25:48
street, the Franklin Street Harm Reduction. Yes,
25:51
I've been to their Open House. They're great.
25:54
Yeah. So oftentimes folks will maybe ask for
25:59
a resource or a service or support that we don't
26:03
offer directly here, but we have a resource table
26:08
here in our front entry way and a lot of folks
26:12
who are shopping in Kathleen's Closet are also
26:14
looking for service and resource from other organizations
26:19
and we have a really thorough resource page on
26:24
our website as well um that list it has a domestic
26:28
violence hotline number on it numbers to the
26:31
Safeplace um and there's even your quick escape
26:36
button yeah and a lot of YWCAs are working directly
26:42
in intimate partner violence, providing support
26:47
and shelter. And our association isn't operating
26:51
in that capacity anymore. Each of our individual
26:54
associations are separate organizations. So the
26:58
YWCA in Pierce County, that's all they do, DV
27:01
support and housing. and legal aid and legal
27:05
support. And so each of our associations are
27:08
able to respond to the larger mission of YWCA,
27:12
eliminating racism and empowering women in a
27:16
capacity that's responsive to that specific community.
27:20
Okay, okay. And we have this one here in Olympia.
27:23
And what other locations are there in the surrounding
27:26
region? The other closest YWCA There's one in
27:32
Kitsap. Okay. And Clark County as well. Okay.
27:37
And then the YWCA in Seattle. Oh, wow. Okay.
27:41
Nothing in Lewis County, though. Nothing in Lewis
27:44
County. Yeah, we had started to expand our programming,
27:49
particularly our youth programming, into Mason
27:54
County and some other surrounding counties. And
27:57
that was... really excited and very um we were
28:03
hearing from community that was really supportive
28:05
to have more support for youth particularly um
28:12
and you know all of that has now been been paused
28:17
so I see yeah that's unfortunate Yeah, so but
29:37
speaking of that, you're facing these financial
29:41
difficulties and so you've had to suspend some
29:44
programs. How did that happen? That's a great
29:49
question. There's kind of like a short -term
29:54
answer and a longer -term answer. Yeah. We have
29:58
been operating on a really slim... slash no margin
30:03
for quite some time. Rebuilding after the height
30:09
of the impacts of the COVID pandemic for organizations
30:14
and realities of funding really created challenges
30:23
in accessing sustainable funding. which is like
30:30
multi -year grants or consistent revenue streams
30:34
that we can rely on. And so a lot of that shifted
30:38
and changed in the last three or four years.
30:43
And we have been putting a lot of time and energy
30:50
into reestablishing a successful grants program.
30:56
And we have come to be really reliant on that
30:59
grant funding. And when we lost funding from
31:06
a couple of grants, it was really detrimental
31:11
because they were grants that we had received
31:13
in the past, or one of the grants was one that
31:18
we were really hopeful that we would receive.
31:20
And then with other organizations, who had lost
31:25
federal funding now also seeking the same kind
31:30
of private foundation funding that has been accessible
31:35
for us to receive in the past that private foundation
31:39
funding pool is now not only has the funding
31:45
pool you know downsized but people accessing
31:49
and requesting funding from private foundations
31:53
has increased and so what we were hearing was
31:58
that because our organization is small that there
32:03
was maybe not as much of an impact that like
32:10
in comparison to a larger organization that had
32:13
been receiving federal funding potentially that
32:16
their numbers and their data are much more expansive
32:22
than ours. And so it made us seemingly less competitive
32:28
in that market, so to say. So we had hoped and...
32:37
been receiving some funding for the last couple
32:39
of years that's connected to this season right
32:42
now and when we lost funding from those grants
32:46
we weren't able to cover the costs of operating
32:51
our programming and retaining the staff team
32:54
that we had and so we made the incredibly difficult
32:57
decision to lay our entire team off and retain
33:06
just the one co -director- And that's you- this
33:10
time, that's me -That's you, you are.. you are alone.
33:13
Yeah. Well you have this one wonderful uh senior
33:17
volunteer that I met this morning yes she's hanging
33:20
in there with you. She is. She's here every Tuesday
33:23
with me and the response that we've gotten from
33:28
the community in terms of volunteer support has
33:32
been incredible. We still need more volunteer
33:38
support but being able to have folks supporting
33:43
shoppers in the closet while I'm in a meeting
33:47
or answering emails or writing a grant or you
33:52
know fixing a toilet upstairs like I did last
33:57
week. Volunteers are really like keeping things
34:01
going right now. And in no small part to my mom
34:05
also, who is our volunteer, volunteer coordinator.
34:09
Shout out to mom. Shout out to mom. I am so grateful
34:14
for her support. And she runs a second Saturday
34:19
volunteer day here. Second Saturday of the month
34:23
from 9 to 11. New volunteers can come and go
34:26
through a brief orientation and then get started
34:29
on sorting donations in Kathleen's Closet or
34:33
most recently having volunteer support in organizing
34:39
and cleaning out the offices to get ready to
34:42
rent out has been really, really vital in us
34:46
figuring out this next phase. Wonderful. I want
35:00
to go back and ask more deep about the funding
35:03
situation. So with the new federal administration
35:10
that's come in and created so much upheaval and
35:13
change, I know that a lot of organizations are
35:17
directly impacted by that because of retraction
35:22
of funds and grants and where they are allocated
35:27
to go um would that be one of the reasons is
35:31
that what's going on for you as well we didn't
35:33
have any direct federal funding necessarily okay
35:37
so we weren't directly impacted by federal funding
35:40
cuts okay but we were impacted by state funding
35:44
budget this year in particular We had been hopeful
35:49
that we would be a candidate in the No Child
35:52
Left Inside initiative that is part of the state's
35:56
budget. And when their budget downsized, the
36:00
group of funded organizations shrank as well.
36:07
And so we just missed the cutoff for receiving
36:11
funding for youth programming and expanding access
36:14
to outdoor. opportunities for the youth that
36:21
we've served, and that was really devastating.
36:25
Yeah, yeah. I wonder how much voice our community
36:38
has in the decisions that our state is making
36:44
on where those support funds go? I think that's
36:51
a great question. I know that throughout the
36:54
budget process, the No Child Left Inside program
36:59
in particular, they were reaching out to community
37:03
to ask for... advocates to support increasing
37:07
the budget in that regards and I think they got
37:12
more funding than they had anticipated because
37:14
of how much turnout there was saying this program
37:20
needs funding and it supported definitely the
37:25
organizations that received funding which is
37:27
incredible and unfortunately that just didn't
37:31
include us. That's still encouraging to know
37:35
that people speaking up made a difference. I
37:40
think it's incredibly important that people know
37:43
that and find that validation that their voice
37:47
matters, their presence matters. Absolutely.
37:51
Yeah, we need to all come together and advocate
37:54
for ourselves as a community because quite often
37:59
we get the message that, you know, the leaders
38:03
are just not going, they're going to do what
38:07
their agenda is. And, you know, we need to remind
38:11
them that they work for us. Yeah, absolutely.
38:15
And I think knowing, too, the way that our advocacy
38:20
is not only connected to us as an organization,
38:25
as YWCA Olympia, but how advocacy also supports
38:31
other efforts too, that just because we didn't
38:37
get funding from that doesn't make me feel like
38:40
I wish I wouldn't have done that. Do you know
38:41
what I mean? So that there are still folks that
38:44
are benefiting from the impacts of reaching out.
38:48
Definitely, definitely, because there are other
38:51
organizations that also do some of the same work
38:54
that you do, perhaps in a different way. It might
38:57
look different, but still supporting youth in
39:00
the community. Right, and at the end of the day,
39:02
when one organization suffers, we all suffer.
39:06
I mean, we're an ecosystem, and when some
39:12
of us are thriving and some of us are doing well,
39:14
it really supports the other organizations and
39:16
all of the folks that we serve, too, because
39:19
we are a small community. And the more that we
39:22
can work together and support each other, the
39:27
more effective we'll be able to be in serving
39:31
people. Definitely. I totally agree with that.
39:48
So we launched an emergency fundraising campaign
39:53
at the end of August with the goal of raising
39:56
$100 ,000 in urgent funding that would support
40:03
our ability to make a long -term plan and keep
40:11
the building open. and allow folks who are currently
40:18
using the space to continue to run their programming
40:24
while we work to figure out our next steps. And
40:32
those funds are really vital in being able to
40:39
make a plan around whether we will have to sell
40:43
the building or not. We've had really, really
40:48
difficult conversations about the reality of
40:51
that. And it's really devastating to think about
40:58
this space being anything else than what it is
41:05
now. Or what it could, what it, can continue
41:09
to evolve and be to meet the moment. I mean,
41:13
one thing that I know because people tell me
41:18
is that for 80 years we've been able to pivot
41:22
when we've needed to, to meet the needs of folks
41:28
in the community, whether that's been having
41:31
Apple Jam in front of Friendship Hall, folk music series
41:37
in the 70s or Rape Relief Clinic here, Other Bank
41:43
we've been a lot of different things over the
41:46
years and I think spaces like this are really
41:51
vital to community being able to come together
41:55
people feeling like they have a place where they
41:58
belong that they can meet and talk about how
42:04
to support Free Palestine. How to bring Parents
42:10
Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights together
42:13
to celebrate in a community dinner. A couple
42:17
weekends ago we had a Punk Market that had vendors
42:24
from the community selling their art in Friendship
42:29
Hall and this being a community -centered space,
42:36
not only now but in the years to come, I think
42:41
is really vital because we need each other. I
42:48
think not necessarily more than ever, but it
42:51
feels that way. That spaces that are flexible,
42:57
that are accessible, that seek to center, folks
43:03
who are invisibilized and pushed to the margins
43:08
in other spaces, that they belong here and that
43:13
they're valued here and that they're seen, I
43:17
think is really important. It is important. How
43:21
much have you raised already? We have raised
43:24
almost $60 ,000 already. It is incredible. 40
43:29
more thousand to go. I just. That's like over
43:34
half. It is. That's over half. You just made
43:37
it. Literally. I know. Wow. It has been really
43:42
encouraging and it keeps me and the other folks
43:46
that are supporting the sustainability of our
43:50
organization going. I had somebody come in the
43:54
other day and, donate $11 cash, and they said
44:00
I live in my truck. I wish I could give more
44:04
but this place meant a lot to me. A while ago.
44:08
Talk about paying it forward. Oh my god. I'm
44:11
getting emotional. It's so emotional. And it
44:15
is like. People are coming out. Of the woodworks.
44:21
It feels like. To advocate for. us sticking around
44:27
and whether it is somebody donating what they
44:37
can or somebody spending time here sorting clothes
44:42
or mowing the yard it really has been encouraging
44:54
how many people are showing up to support us
44:57
right now in ways that I could not have imagined.
45:04
That's wonderful. So let's talk about how to
45:15
get involved like that. You just kind of gave
45:18
us some little examples. What is the practical
45:21
way that one goes about contacting you to volunteer
45:25
or donate? What is the process of that? There
45:29
is information on our website, ywcaofolympia
45:34
.org, for donating to our emergency fundraising
45:40
campaign, for connecting with our volunteer coordinator.
45:45
There's a button to sign up to volunteer. Also
45:49
getting the word out about renting out our spaces,
45:55
office space, for kind of that sustained, predictable
46:00
revenue that will allow us to cover the costs
46:05
of keeping the space open so that we can seek
46:11
additional funding and revenue for other programs.
46:15
So sharing with... neighbors, community members,
46:18
coworkers, that there's a venue that people can
46:21
rent for parties or workshops or meetings in
46:25
Friendship Hall, as well as here in our main
46:28
building. And we'll have more photos and more
46:31
info about those rental spaces really soon. And
46:35
then, yeah, I think those are the main three
46:39
things. Yeah, donating funds, sharing with people.
46:44
the campaign, as well as signing up to volunteer
46:47
to help keep Kathleen's Closet open and organize
46:51
donations and renting out the space. Yeah. So
46:56
if you were going to go on the website to fill
47:00
out that volunteer form, what does that look
47:02
like? What is the information you all want? Yeah.
47:06
On our website, there is a button in the upper
47:10
right corner that says volunteer that you can
47:13
click on. And it will bring you to a page that
47:17
tells you more about our second Saturday volunteer
47:21
day from 9 to 11 each month, as well as what
47:27
it what Kathleen's Closet volunteering for Kathleen's
47:31
Closet entails. And then there's a button that
47:34
says Join Us. So you can click there and you'll
47:36
fill out your first and last name, your birthday,
47:40
some demographic and contact information. And
47:44
then there are a couple of questions around background
47:47
checks. And you'll submit that form. It goes
47:53
to my mom, volunteer coordinator Kathy. And she
48:00
will follow up with information about next steps
48:03
via email. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Some people are
48:08
afraid of background checks. What would be like
48:11
a barrier to someone around that? Would you work
48:14
with them or talk with them? Would that be like,
48:17
you know, give us a call and let me talk with
48:19
you? Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. That's
48:22
so heartening to know. Yeah. Just reach out.
48:25
I feel like I might regret saying this, but I'm
48:28
going to say it anyways. I don't know that we
48:31
have turned anybody away. Yeah. Because of what
48:34
we found on their background check. It might
48:36
determine whether they can work in our Youth
48:38
Programming or whether they're sorting donations
48:41
in the Closet, but there is a space for people
48:44
here. Totally. Okay. Totally. That's good to
48:48
know. Yeah. I think people are really working
48:52
hard on changing things for themselves. Absolutely.
48:56
And we always want to find ways to let them know
48:59
that they are welcome and supported. Yeah. Yeah.
49:02
Thank you for sharing that. Thank you for asking
49:05
because it's such a great question. And yeah,
49:08
I think that there is fear around too, like where
49:15
is my information going or who has access to
49:21
that. And if people have questions about that,
49:26
they're welcome to reach out as well. But all
49:28
of these forms are on our secure website platform
49:32
and yeah and is that the only way to fill out
49:38
the volunteer form is there a way to come by
49:41
in person or do you have a paper form yes we
49:45
have a paper form here at our building folks
49:47
can stop by and fill it out on the spot or they
49:51
can take it with them and The best time and days
49:56
to do that are when Kathleen's Closet is open
49:59
because then we know somebody will be here. Outside
50:02
of those hours, there may not be somebody in
50:05
the office. And when is that again? That's Tuesday
50:07
through Thursday from 10 to 2. Okay. Cool. Yeah.
50:12
Yeah. And then what are some, and then calling.
50:17
People can call. What would be a number to reach?
50:20
Yeah, people can call. Right now our phones are
50:23
going straight to voicemail, and then we're reviewing
50:27
any voicemails. So the more detail you can leave,
50:30
the better. Good to know. Yeah, and folks can
50:33
call our main number, which is 360 -352 -0593.
50:41
There's a general voicemail. that you can leave
50:45
a voicemail there, or if you're looking to reach
50:48
me directly, my extension is 2. Okay. And is
50:54
there also an email? People can reach out to
50:57
our main email address, which is YWCA at ywcaofolympia
51:04
.org. Okay. And what about donating? What are
51:11
some different ways that people can donate? What
51:14
are the different channels for that? People can
51:17
donate clothes for Kathleen's Closet. So we are
51:21
always seeking business casual clothes, black
51:25
non -slip shoes. Also accessories are really
51:28
nice to have. It's one of those things that people
51:31
don't really think to donate. here like an old
51:35
necklace or some earrings people don't often
51:38
see them in here because they go so fast people
51:40
are so excited to be able to accessorize for
51:44
a job interview outfit as well purse to take
51:48
with you is important absolutely and then also
51:52
bags like duffel bags or backpacks or old like
51:56
grocery bags like canvas bags. We have a lot
51:59
of folks who rely on walking or public transportation
52:03
and we have paper bags from Trader Joe's which
52:06
are great but they you know don't sustain a lot
52:10
of travel very well. There's always a lot of
52:15
focus on women and y 'all are the YWCA. But y
52:19
'all, I assume that you also have men's clothing
52:22
for work as well. Yeah, absolutely. We have predominantly
52:26
feminine clothes and there are clothes here.
52:31
We seek to have clothes for anybody. So we are
52:35
expanding too to include more gender inclusive
52:39
clothes, more masculine clothes and shoes as
52:44
well. Wonderful. And so how do people donate
52:51
funds? Donating funds. What are the different
52:54
methods for that? Yeah, so folks can write a
52:57
check. They can mail it here to our building,
53:00
which is 220 Union Avenue Southeast, Olympia
53:06
Washington 98501 they can send a check they can
53:10
call and if they connect with me I can take a
53:14
donation over the phone and enter it into our
53:17
online donation platform or they can make a donation
53:20
on the website okay and make checks out to YWCA
53:25
of Olympia. Okay so do you have any other upcoming
53:38
events going on? Yeah, we have in partnership
53:43
with other organizations in the community, we're
53:46
a part of planning the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,
53:50
and Belonging Summit that kicked off this past
53:54
spring in partnership with this coalition that
53:58
includes folks from municipalities, community
54:02
organizers, leaders, consultants, all working
54:06
around equity in different capacities. We are
54:10
planning next year's summit. That will be the
54:13
first weekend in May, 2026. And we're also working
54:18
with the YMCA and the Dispute Resolution Center
54:22
on a three -part community dialogue that seeks
54:27
to center women's voices in topics that are
54:32
related to health and wellness, housing, and
54:36
safety. Yeah. So that will be the first part
54:41
of that community dialogue will be on November
54:43
8th at the SPSCC campus in Lacey. And there will
54:49
be more information about that on our website
54:51
too. So we've talked about how you work with
55:03
the Liberation Collective. What other organizations
55:05
in the community do you work with and partner
55:08
with? I really operate out of a collaborative
55:13
mindset, and so I've really enjoyed getting to
55:18
know folks at Community Youth Services, Family
55:23
Support Center, Hummingbird Studio. The Liberation
55:28
Collective, as you mentioned. The Dispute Resolution
55:35
Center. The YMCA. The League of Women Voters
55:41
have been incredibly supportive. They've been
55:44
really lovely. That's a lot. Yeah. that's a lot
55:53
of collaboration that's a lot of partnership
55:55
we all need to work together together that is
55:59
one of them oh yes yes yeah cool okay well is
56:07
there anything else you would like to share hmm
56:10
I think I just want to share a lot of gratitude
56:15
for the folks who have supported us during this
56:24
time and it's met with equal parts grief I think
56:29
around having to lay off our staff team and how
56:37
devastating that was to them and to us and the
56:40
program participants that we've been serving
56:43
and yeah really grateful and it's really hard.
56:50
But centering gratitude and belonging and connection
56:56
at this time is really what I think we need to
57:01
get through this. And we don't know what it's
57:05
going to look like even a couple of months from
57:08
now, but I know that we'll figure something out
57:12
because of the people that are around us. So
57:16
I'm really grateful. for people just like you
57:19
getting the word out. So thank you. You're welcome.
57:22
Yeah. I'm so happy to do this. Thanks. Yeah.
57:27
All right. Well, thank you so much, Allie, for
57:30
your time. Thanks for having me. If you would
57:41
like to shop Kathleen's closet, volunteer or
57:45
donate, visit ywcaofolympia .org or call 360
57:51
-352 -0593 or swing by 220 Union Avenue Southeast.
58:00
Allie and her mom can't wait to hear from you.
58:10
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