Title
To honor and recognize YWCA Columbus on the occasion of its 125th anniversary.
Body
WHEREAS, YWCA Columbus was founded in 1886 by six women who were determined to help young, homeless girls and women find housing; and
WHEREAS, in the one hundred twenty-five years since its founding, YWCA Columbus has championed the needs of women and girls and has worked to eliminate racism and empower women in the community; and
WHEREAS, among its many extraordinary achievements, YWCA Columbus founded the first public child care program in Franklin County, created a center for African-American girls during World War I, and pushed for integrated housing throughout the 1940s and 1950s, helping to lay the foundation from which the Civil Rights Movement grew; and
WHEREAS, the organization continues to play a vital role in our community, providing transitional housing to women in need, helping struggling families achieve stability and independence, educating the community about race and racism, promoting health and fitness, and providing tomorrow's leaders with the development and resources that they need; and
WHEREAS, YWCA Columbus will celebrate its momentous anniversary by hosting a luncheon on Tuesday, February 8, 2011, featuring Gillian Martin Sorensen, Senior Advisor at the United Nations Foundation, who will speak on gender equity in the new millennium; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby honor and recognize YWCA Columbus on the occasion of its 125th anniversary.