Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.
It’s Women’s History Month and we are very excited to celebrate with you!
Get connected with us across all our social media channels to hear about our amazing honorees all month long!
Exciting Update! We invite you register for Tribute to Legacy Leadership as a virtual table captain. Virtual table captains raise awareness of YWCA’s mission within their network of influence. By creating a personalized fundraising page, table captains can also recruit your family, friends, and colleagues to join you in raising funds. PLUS individual donation benefits are available such as YWCA bandanas and UberEats meals!
As a thank you for your participation, anyone who registers as a virtual table captain between March 1st and March 5th will be entered into a drawing to win a ticket to LUNAfest – a film festival by and about women – sponsored by our friends at Soroptimist International of Phoenix. PLUS any donation made to your “table” by Friday, March 5th and we’ll give you an additional entry into the drawing. Winners will be notified via email by the end of the day on Friday. LUNAfest is being screened virtually on Sunday, March 7th.
The Myth of “Dreaming Big”
Each January our social feeds and news stories turn to mentions of New Year, New You and all the associated clichés. Those classic self-help clichés often ignore racial and social disparities – let’s rework them to empower you to approach 2021 so you can move through the year with intentionality.
This January, through our blog and on our social media channels, we rewrote some of these clichés to use our own stories in celebrating diversity in the lived experiences of women and people of color. Our first reflection is from our CEO, Debbie Esparza, commenting on the cliché of Dream Big.
We’re often told to “Dream Big” or “If you can dream it, you can do it.” However for people living in the margins, or at the intersections of those margins, it usually takes more than just a dream.
When I was 15 years old, I wanted to be the President of the United States. No one could tell me any different. Dreaming big didn’t take into account the systemic barriers that would derail those plans. Clearly, I never made it to the Oval Office, but not becoming the President didn’t mean that I wasn’t powerful, but rather, my intersections and lived experience led me down a much different path.
Now, as CEO of YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix, these intersections are my superpowers. I know what it’s like to be one of a few women bankers, advocating for equal pay and responsibility with my male colleagues. I know what it’s like to live in the closet. I know what it’s like to be a brown face in a sea of white ones. I have the rewarding honor to mentor, serve, and teach other young people with varying intersections about what it means to lead in today’s world. Every day, I get to wake up and beat the odds that someone like me, an out Latina, would grow up to lead a 100+ year old nonprofit like YWCA.
Dreaming big alone didn’t bring me here, but I’m proud of who I am and what I’ve done. At the YWCA, we believe in getting up and doing the work to ensure folks in our community have opportunities to make their big dreams a reality too. Eliminating racism and empowering women is what we stand for, because no matter how big your dreams are, if you are a woman of color, making those dreams a reality will be more difficult. Unfortunately, that’s our truth today, but it doesn’t have to be our truth tomorrow. If you believe, as we do, that women and people of color are equal, powerful, and unstoppable, join our movement.
Read all of our New Year, As You Are blog posts here.
LUNAfest Returns to Phoenix
Our friends at Soroptimist International of Phoenix are bringing LUNAFEST back to Phoenix for the 6th year. LUNAfest is a film festival dedicated to championing women filmmakers and bringing women together in their communities. This season’s program consists of seven films by and about women and will make you laugh, cry and hopefully move you to make a difference in your community.
Additionally, Phoenix’s first prime time anchorwoman, Mary Jo West, and Phoenix Film Critics Society President and RightThisMinute Reporter, Gayle Bass, bring their passion and talents to LUNAFEST as this year’s co-emcees for the online event.
We invite you to join us at this event that’s sure to inspire and amaze!
March 8th is International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century with the first gathering held in 1911. Learn more about the day’s timeline.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.
How will you help forge a gender equal world?
Celebrate women’s achievement.
Raise awareness against bias.
Take action for equality.
Let’s all Choose to Challenge.
Thank You to everyone who helped make our holidays bright and merry for our seniors!
AZ Qualifying Charitable Tax Credit is Back
In our Prosperity Programs, participants learn how to have their money work for them and their goals. If our participants were working with their coach to decide on making a Qualifying Charitable Tax Credit donation, they would conclude it’s a win-win!
Qualifying Charitable Tax Credit donations allow individuals and couples to make donations directly to a qualifying nonprofit and then receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on their AZ state taxes!
Your gift of:
- $200 hosts a book club discussion to raise awareness of inequality and injustice.
- $400 provides 30 days of delicious, hot meals, and (virtual) connection to 2 seniors.
- $800 provides wage negotiation workshops for 40 women, giving them the tools to advocate for equal pay and close the gender pay gap.
Qualifying for the Arizona Tax Credit is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Make a qualifying contribution to YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix. All donations up to $400 (for individuals) and $800 (for couples) may qualify for a dollar for dollar tax credit! Gifts made through April 15, 2021 can be counted as a credit on your 2020 taxes!
- Fill out your AZ state taxes using our Qualifying Charity Organization (QCO) Code 20302. A donation to YWCA doesn’t preclude you from donating to the school, foster care, and other tax credit programs.
- Pat yourself on the back for supporting racial justice and gender equity in Maricopa County!
This is not professional tax or legal advice. For more info on the tax credit visit the AZ Dept of Revenue website. Arizona YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix is a 501C3 not-for-profit and a Qualifying Charitable Organization. Tax ID# 86-0098936. QCO Code: 20302.
Monthly Giving
Help build a sustainable movement by joining our Impact Circle and providing dignity, freedom, peace, and justice for all…all year long! Your monthly gift creates impact for the thousands of women, seniors, and people of color we serve each year. Your support will be a reliable source of funding year-round to ensure that our mission can be fulfilled month after month.
Are You on Social Media? If so, Let’s Be Friends!
We are looking to grow our following and would love your help in just 2 simple steps!
- Please like, share, and follow our handles on social media, and
- (for bonus points!) share the graphic to the left on your social media platforms and encourage others to join in our fight to eliminate racism and empower women.