Dear Friends,
We are navigating through uncharted waters, and all of us are pulling together whatever resources we have to find our way through.

Every facet of our lives—both professional and personal—has been impacted by the coronavirus precautions and social distancing. Like others in our community and across the country, we have closed our building and cancelled public programs and events for the next four weeks. (Read more here.)

Whether working remotely or in our domestic violence shelter, our staff is continuing to serve our community, and we are working hard to find new and innovative ways of delivering services and programming. These include:

  • on site support for survivors in our shelter and longer-term housing (Bridges)
  • voice and video counseling for domestic violence survivors in the community
  • financial coaching for shelter, Bridges, and community clients
  • phone-based housing, employment support and legal advocacy
  • online learning for YW Culinary participants

Every upheaval we are experiencing disproportionately impacts those with the least resources, not the least of which are survivors of domestic violence. And we know that for survivors, home is often not a safe place to retreat to. While we are not able to accept new residents, our shelter and longer-term housing for survivors remain open and our staff remains ready to help with counseling, support, resources, and referrals.

It is these times when every one of us is under threat that we discover how profoundly connected we are, and unless we take care of all members of our community, we are not changing course.

Today, we recognize most profoundly that we are ALL vulnerable. We have a deeper, more real empathy and sense of shared humanity. Let's continue to work together to rise to the occasion and meet the challenges before us.

Take care of one another and be well,

Karen Singer
President/CEO
Take today (and everyday) to learn something you didn't know
Our Equity Summit, originally scheduled to take place yesterday, was postponed until Thursday, July 9. But our Equity Team is still hard at work, and we offer the following virtual equity learning opportunities.

This list includes a podcast, two short videos, a reading -- resources that you can use today (or whenever you have time):

Give a laptop or iPad so our clients can learn, wherever they are, for however long
One of the challenges we have discovered during this period of social isolation is that we don't have the technology to enable the children in our shelter and the women in our economic advancement programs to learn remotely.

We are in need of laptops and iPads, and we'd also love assistance purchasing an online learning platform. Email our domestic violence director, Sandy Williams, at swilliams@ywca-ens.org if you can help!
Take time to clean out your closet
(and donate to YWCA Shop for Good)
YWCA Shop for Good, our women's resale boutique in Wilmette, is closed until at least Wednesday, April 1. While we will greatly miss the cheerful presence of our customers and volunteers, the silver lining is that we’ll use this time to move our spring and summer inventory out onto the floor, so you’ll see a fresh new Shop for Good when we reopen!

With extra hours at home, we encourage you to clean out your closets and go through your shoes, handbags and jewelry to see what you may be able to donate to the Shop for Good. We will not be able to accept donations until we reopen, but will welcome your additions then! Profits support essential domestic violence services for women and their children — services which continue at YWCA Evanston/North Shore throughout this difficult period of time.

We invite you to stay in touch with us on social media, and we will have additional information to share in the near future.
We need your support now more than ever!
The world is changing quickly and challenging us all. And while the safety and health of our clients and staff remains our highest priority, YWCA is still providing critical services to vulnerable families in our communities. Your gift, in any amount, will help us help others. Please give today. 
Thank you!
We love our Corporate Partners!
YWCA Evanston/North Shore | Phone 847-864-8445 | ywca@ywca-ens.org | www.ywca-ens.org