YWomen's Leadership Celebration Honors Community Trailblazers and Provides Resources for Empowerment

YWCA Evanston/North Shore's 2023 YWomen Leadership Celebration & Gala event was a smash success! It was a night of support in full essence; attendees not only got to bid and donate towards a great cause and our organization, but it was a night of elevating community voices, businesses, and stories. Connections were made and much needed conversations were prompted and furthered.Amongst the finery and lights, attendees from far and wide got to celebrate our two YWomen 2023 honorees in person: Robin Rue Simmons, founder and executive Director of FirstRepair....Tosha Wilson, Founder of Boosting Black Business, co-owner of the Laundry Café and Co-Developer of The Aux. Through their stories, we were able to spread their local involvement by rallying the community that night and raising the needed resources for YWCA Evanston/North Shore empowerment programs. Also, the work of our YWCA program, YW Tech Lab, was honored in the YWomen film for its dedication to underrepresented groups gaining skills and a foothold into the tech industry.Guests were able to witness inspiring moments as we recognized these phenomenal women leaders for their commitment to advancing women and promoting racial justice in our community. Highlights included a cocktail reception and dinner, live music by violinist, Windy Indie, a silent auction, and the premier of Susan Hope Engel's YWomen Film.We are thrilled to announce that generous donors and sponsors helped make the event a huge success, raising over $200,000 in critical funds for YWCA Evanston/North Shore programs, our housing resources and so much more! We truly appreciate everyone who came together to celebrate women's leadership and support the YWCA mission!