YWCA Northeast Kansas

Announcing! The 2025 Concealed Revealed Awards:? ? ?? Volunteerr: Mary M. Handley? ?? Community Partner: Kelly J. Trussell, JD? ?? Lifetime Advocate: Sharon Sullivan, PhD? ? Read more about these amazing awardees on our blog, and help us celebrate them at the 22nd Annual Concealed Revealed Art Auction on April 5! Tickets at CR2025.givesmart.com.? ? And the blog: https://lnkd.in/gwNwtE7j

For March and April, our book club (in partnership with the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library) is focusing on poetry. Meet us on Zoom March 24 for a poetry workshop led by local author Dennis Etzel, Jr., and April 28 for a discussion of "Kansas Speaks Out," a poetry collection that Dennis and Jericho Hockett published to highlight the voices of survivors. This session is in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is in April. Sign up for the March link at https://lnkd.in/gfXdDbhZ.

Mark your calendars for the annual #SAAM poetry open mic with Washburn University students on April 1, hosted by Dennis Etzel Jr. This is always a powerful experience and a great way to honor survivors during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

This Women's History Month, you can honor the work we do to empower women and support survivors year-round by making plans to attend the Concealed Revealed Art Auction! Proceeds support the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment, which provides life-saving services and strengthens the region through community events, trainings, and awareness campaigns. Info and tickets at CR2025.givesmart.com.

International Women’s Day is about more than just celebration—it’s about action. It’s about standing in solidarity with women everywhere and committing to the changes we want to see in the world. In the spirit of this day, we are launching a campaign that will continue for the next 12 months, celebrating women’s strength while actively transforming lives in our community. Bold. Powerful. Now. is a call to action. A call to empower, support, and transform the lives of women and families in Northeast Kansas. It’s a year-long journey of change, and it starts now. Read more and answer the call: https://lnkd.in/gdASsGv2

If you've attended Concealed Revealed before, what word would you use to describe the experience? As you can see from these examples, this is not your typical art auction or fundraiser! It's both of those things, but also much more. For more than two decades, the Concealed Revealed Art Auction has been building community, supporting survivors, and putting a spotlight on the power of art to heal and transform us. Come see what it's all about on April 5! View the details and get your tickets at CR2025.givesmart.com or by texting "CR2025" to 76278.

We are thrilled to shine a light on our incredible partner, Advisors Excel, whose generous $10,000 donation is making a lasting impact on our new shelter. Their support helped us purchase appliances—refrigerators, dishwashers, stoves, and microwaves—the essential tools that will help make the shelter a comfortable and functional space for those who need it most. Thank you!

YWCA Northeast Board Member Lauren W. was recently honored by KSNT for her incredible work supporting nonprofits in the Topeka community! “It’s been a really eye-opening experience to be on the board of a nonprofit organization, and to see how hard all of these individuals work from all of these different backgrounds and all these different professions, and how we all come together to help ensure that this organization is supported and that their mission is met,” she said. Read more at https://lnkd.in/gdXqYs-u.

Black History Month Spotlight: Black Women's Fight Against Sexual Violence Claudette Colvin was a 15-year-old high school student in Montgomery, Alabama, who, in 1955, refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white passenger. Her act of defiance, leading to her arrest, occurred nine months before Rosa Parks' similar refusal. The NAACP considered using Colvin’s case to challenge segregation laws but they ultimately did not, as they felt a young, unmarried mother would attract negative attention in a public legal battle. The story of Rosa Parks neither begins nor ends with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Parks joined the Montgomery, Alabama chapter of the NAACP in December, 1943. She investigated cases of sexual violence, brutality and discrimination. Recy Taylor, a 24-year old mother and sharecropper, was walking home from church in Abbeville, Alabama in 1944 when she was abducted and assaulted by six white men. Rosa Parks was sent to investigate the crime against Recy Taylor. Parks then formed the “Committee for Equal Justice for Mrs. Recy Taylor.” The assailants were never brought to justice.

Guest Post Alert! Our #TDVAM social media intern, Kivrin, did some research on a great organization that provides educational resources for all ages: Claire's Community #BeMoreLikeClaire#BeMoreLikeClaire Check out some of the tips Kivrin learned about healthy relationships, and read more on our blog! Thank you to Founding Executive Director Shannon VanLandingham and Outreach Coordinator Nicole Malcom for stopping by YWCA Northeast Kansas to share more about Claire's story and what they do! https://lnkd.in/gE57wbrp