I attended the 97th Annual Meeting of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads Wednesday evening. This was a time to reflect on the successes of the past year and to honor those for their service to the organization and to the greater community.
The highest honor bestowed is called the Mary Helen Thomas Racial Justice Award and the 2008 recipient was Sen. Yvonne Miller. Just who is Mary Helen Thomas?
Ms. Thomas was with us Wednesday evening, making the viewing of this video all the more powerful. Sometimes, I think we forget just how much those who are still among us have experienced in their lifetimes. Ms. Thomas is definitely a living hero. And how appropriate that the recipient of the award was another such person. Of Senator Miller, Executive Director Cheryl Marks had this to say:
Her commitment to serve across all racial lines and to improve the quality of life for all people exemplifies the power that one individual can have on a community.
Others recognized at the meeting:
- Cheryl Foster Johnson award
Michael Banks
Helen Pulongbarit - Leila Robertson award
Ann Dearsley-Vernon - Volunteer of the Year 2008
Vivian Paige
The YWCA-SHR has four major program areas in carrying out its mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, two issues that are near and dear to my heart. Some statistics on those served in the past year, from the Annual Report:
women in crisis 12,216 room nights of shelter
crisis intervention 1757 hours
24 hr. women’s helpline 1468 calls
sexual assault services 1631 female victims
before & after school child care 221 children
summer camp 54 children
sexual assault services 324 male victims
response 24 hr. hotline 2302 calls
community education, seminars
& workshops 978 hours
racial justice initiatives 1057 hours
subsidized child care 306 working parents
court accompaniment & advocacy 698 victims
63 community & civic groups
domestic violence shelter 276 women
& 182 dependent children
If you have some free time, the YWCA-SHR is an excellent place to spend it.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Vivian, Count yourself among those who have served the greater
community so nobly!!! Congratulations for winning the Volunteer
of the Year Award!