Why I support YWCA Evanston/North Shore

by Deborah Price, YWCA Evanston/North Shore Board of DirectorsI spent my career in two male-dominated industries, academic medicine and automotive manufacturing, so I know from experience how women have been left behind in terms of empowerment, financial stability, equity and safety. Through employees, friends, acquaintances and news media, I came to realize how many women suffer abuse - physical, emotional and financial - or face racism, disempowerment and inequality.A presentation made by YWCA Evanston/North Shore to the United Way Board highlighted the YWCA’s domestic violence work and introduced me to an organization dedicated to women’s empowerment and racial justice. I became involved by going to programs, walking in The Race Against Hate, supporting longer term housing options for domestic abuse survivors, joining the finance committee and eventually the Board of Directors. In short, I became a passionate supporter and advocate of the YWCA.Expanding our facilities to serve even more women and families is the vision of CEO Karen Singer. Karen is a tireless advocate who knows the work must be done by women AND men to shift our culture toward equity and safety for all and away from poverty, violence and disempowerment.I support YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s Campaign for the Future because it will double the number of rooms for domestic violence victims, open a Center for Economic Empowerment and create an Equity Institute, all of which will drive our vision of empowerment and racial justice as well as be a hub for the entire community.I am - and always will be - an ardent supporter of the YWCA Evanston/North Shore. As we launch the Campaign for the Future, I see brighter opportunities for all of the people YWCA Evanston/North Shore serves. This is why I have invested in Campaign for the Future and made a Legacy Gift.