YWCA and The 100 Club
Lisa Schaffner tells boomers how they can Give Back.
WALKING IN THEIR SHOES
Organization: YWCA of Richmond
How they help: The YWCA empowers women and children of domestic and sexual violence. Services include a 24-hour hotline, counseling, a hospital accompaniment program, a shelter program and early childhood education classes.
How you can Give Back: Volunteer as a hotline operator, speakers bureau member, child care provider, advocate, Regional Hospital Accompaniment Response team member.
Website: YWCArichmond.org
Contact: 804-643-6761, Leigh Busby, development and outreach manager
SHE CALLS HERSELF “GRACE.”
She’s a mother of three who suffered through years of mental, verbal and physical abuse by her husband. It was abuse, she says, that progressively worsened and was fueled by alcohol and prescription painkillers. Grace was married for 23 years but escaped because of the YWCA of Richmond.
“The YWCA counseling group was awesome,” says the area resident who wishes to remain anonymous. “It gave me courage, support and friendship. I met other people who are just as kind as I am and were being treated just as badly. We held each other up.” Grace has learned to break the cycle of abuse. Her kids – ages 15, 17 and 19 – are also doing well. “It’s been three years, and I go to my counseling session every [week].”
YWCA Chief Executive Officer Linda Tissiere says: “We help women, children and families find a path to healthy relationships. Our mission is the empowerment of women and elevating children. We work with hundreds of volunteers in the community, and we encourage you to visit our website. Our volunteers do many things.”
You may be wondering where Grace got that name. She happily explains: “Grace, as in Grace Kelly. I want to feel like I have grace. I have the rhythm, the support and the confidence – and I’m doing it gracefully.”
Organization: The 100 Club
How they help: The 100 Club provides needed financial assistance to local police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services professionals.
How you can Give Back: Become a 100 Club member by donating $100.
Website: retailmerchants.com/the100club
Contact: 804-673-8787, Jo Anne Cole, secretary.
THE 100 CLUB HELPS LOCAL FAMILIES of first responders who have severe financial needs because of a health or family crisis. The club works with local police and fire departments to identify those in need.
President Bill Selden is passionate about helping those who unselfishly protect our communities. “We’re more than a safety net,” says Selden, who owns a Richmond sporting goods company, C.P. Dean.
He explains: “A perfect example is a sergeant in the Hanover Sheriff’s department who became wheelchair-bound because of a motorcycle accident. He’s a great guy, married, in his early 30s and has a family. He needed financial help to adapt his home to his disability.” The 100 Club provided $3,000 in renovations so he could access all parts of his home, including his second-floor bedroom. “He hadn’t been able to sleep in the bedroom with his wife in three years. This gave him the opportunity to be normal again.”
GIVING BACK CALENDAR
Please email us your nonprofit’s upcoming event dates four months in advance for possible publication. Also email us pictures taken while Giving Back, which we can post at TheBoomerMagazine.com. Submissions should be sent to editor@TheBoomerMagazine.com.
• Women & Wellness Breakfast or Luncheon benefiting Massey Cancer Center, Feb, 4, 7:45-10 a.m. OR noon to 2 p.m., The Jefferson Hotel, 804-827-0642.
• LINC’s Annual It’s In the BAG! (Legal Information Network for Cancer, links people with resources to ease the challenge of cancer.) Feb. 6, 6-9 p.m., Willow Oaks Country Club, 804-272-LINC ext. 2.
• CARITAS Celebrity Serve Event, Feb. 18, 6-9 p.m., Siné Irish Pub, 804-649-7767. CARITAS’ mission is to help break the cycle of homelessness and addiction.
• Go Red for Women Luncheon benefiting the American Heart Association. Feb. 21, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Short Pump Hilton & Spa, 804-965-6580.
• Annual JDRF Gala: Unmask a Cure, March 1, 6-11 p.m., The Jefferson Hotel, 804-254-8014. The JDRF funds research for Juvenile Diabetes.
• Annual Eggstravaganza benefiting Easter Seals UCP North Carolina & Virginia, March 29, 6-10 p.m., Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 804-353-2571.
Lisa Schaffner, a former WRIC-TV anchor, is public relations and marketing director for UNOS, United Network for Organ Sharing. Contact her at LSchaffner@TheBoomerMagazine.com.
