Between the Lines

Rep. Prusak Family Preservation Project Testimony Oregon Representative Rachel Prusak testifies in support of the Family Preservation Project.

Hey YWCA friends! We're facilitating a support group for sexual assault survivors and we are in need of volunteers to assist with child care during weekly meetings. The group will meet every Thursday from January 17 - March 7 from 1 - 3 pm at the YWCA (4610 SE Belmont St). Experience with trauma-informed care and familiarity with sexual assault/domestic violence advocacy preferred but not required.

Contact Allie at [email protected] to get involved!

Hey YWCA friends! We're facilitating a support group for sexual assault survivors and we are in need of volunteers to assist with child care during weekly meetings. The group will meet every Thursday from January 17 - March 7 from 1 - 3 pm at the YWCA (4610 SE Belmont St). Experience with trauma-informed care and familiarity with sexual assault/domestic violence advocacy preferred but not required.

Contact Allie at [email protected] to get involved!

Koty is one of our moms from the Family Preservation Project. She says: "So much has happened in the three years since I was released and none of it would be possible without the guidance and support of the FPP program. These children are still reaping the benefits of this amazing program."

Help support families like Kotys this holiday season by helping out with the YWCA's holiday store. Visit our website: https://www.ywcapdx.org/ or email Allie at: [email protected] to get involved!

Huge shout out to Timber Press​ for donating an $888 gift card to Powell's City of Books for Between the Lines!

Thanks to our dedicated Between the Lines volunteers 56 kiddos will soon receive a brand new book and recording with Mom's voice reading it.

We need your support for this program! Purchase books directly from our wish list here: http://a.co/7ipD4EO

Volunteer Spotlight:

Kellie McQueary has been volunteering with the YWCA off and on since she graduated from college 8 years ago. She’s lived in Portland since 2010 and works as a Project Manager for a local, family owned company. Outside of the YWCA, Kellie is a member of the Junior League of Portland. The Junior League is a women’s volunteer and professional organization whose main focus is to end the cycle of violence against women and children. The Junior League also works closely with Raphael House, Bradley Angle, Janus Youth Services and Rose Haven.

Kellie currently volunteers with Between the Lines, which the Junior League started in 2004. The YWCA has been sponsoring Between the Lines since last summer, and Kellie has been very helpful throughout this transition. Kellie holds Between the Lines very close to her heart and is touched by the impact it has on the mothers and kiddos. “Volunteering with an organization that helps to maintain a positive connection between incarcerated mothers and their children through reading and literacy is a humbling experience and one I am very proud to be a part of,” says Kellie.

Kellie’s advice for getting involved with Between the Lines? Do it! It can be emotional, but it is also an inspiring and incredible experience, which makes the 7 am start time worth it.

https://www.ywcapdx.org/volunteer-spotlight-kelliem/

Volunteer Spotlight:

Kellie McQueary has been volunteering with the YWCA off and on since she graduated from college 8 years ago. She’s lived in Portland since 2010 and works as a Project Manager for a local, family owned company. Outside of the YWCA, Kellie is a member of the Junior League of Portland. The Junior League is a women’s volunteer and professional organization whose main focus is to end the cycle of violence against women and children. The Junior League also works closely with Raphael House, Bradley Angle, Janus Youth Services and Rose Haven.

Kellie currently volunteers with Between the Lines, which the Junior League started in 2004. The YWCA has been sponsoring Between the Lines since last summer, and Kellie has been very helpful throughout this transition. Kellie holds Between the Lines very close to her heart and is touched by the impact it has on the mothers and kiddos. “Volunteering with an organization that helps to maintain a positive connection between incarcerated mothers and their children through reading and literacy is a humbling experience and one I am very proud to be a part of,” says Kellie.

Kellie’s advice for getting involved with Between the Lines? Do it! It can be emotional, but it is also an inspiring and incredible experience, which makes the 7 am start time worth it.

https://www.ywcapdx.org/volunteer-spotlight-kelliem/

Women releasing from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility often do not have the help or support needed to get back on their feet.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 (or more!) to purchase a WELCOME WAGON. This Welcome Wagon will be a cargo trailer we intend to renovate (with the help of community agencies) into a mobile boutique, complete with a dressing room, clothing racks, and shelving.

Your donation will go to purchasing the cargo trailer and supplies needed for renovation, as well as any other security add-ons needed for protection.

Click here to support Coffee Creek Welcome Wagon organized by Family Preservation Project “I’m not what I have done, I’m what I have overcome.” Women releasing from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility often do not have the help or support needed to get back on their feet. Many release with only one outfit, provid...

We had so much fun at this weekend's Between the Lines reading! Thanks to our fabulous volunteers, 43 children will soon receive a recording with mom's voice and a brand new copy of the book she is reading.

We need your support for this invaluable program! Purchase a book from our 4/7 reading. Check out the Wish List here: http://a.co/e2XiHmX

Between the Lines is expanding! This summer we'll be reading with men at Santiam Correctional Institution in Salem. Stay tuned for more information!

Join Y ACT, the YWCA's community-driven education and leadership group at the March for Our Lives!

If you are interested in coming to the march, please let us know by filling out this super quick form: https://goo.gl/forms/G5ebQCjhp7RfqtG72. We will contact you and set up a meet-up location then.

YWCA tee shirts will be provided!

March for Our Lives On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets to demand that their lives, and safety, become a priority. Find an event near you and join the march to end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.

We're so grateful for our Between the Lines volunteers! Last night we prepared packages for 19 children. Books and recordings will be mailed out today!

Happy Tuesday! We are still in need of a few folks to help out at the Between the Lines wrapping party this Thursday (2/1/) from 6-730 at the YWCA office (4610 SE Belmont St).

Contact Allie at [email protected] if you can make it!