YWCA St. Joseph

03/11/2026

Don't forget to submit your Women of Excellence nominations by next Friday! And be sure to follow our Women of Excellence - YWCA St. Joseph page to keep up on the latest announcements 🧡

🛑PLEASE STOP SCROLLING!🛑

Rememeber 👉👉👉 Deadline to submit Women of Excellence nominations is coming up next Friday, March 20th! https://www.ywcasj.org/woe-nominations

03/06/2026

Hello YWCA Community!

We’re starting to plan our Children’s Program Summer Camp, and this year we thought it would be fun to invite our community to help choose the theme. Camp week is always such a special time for the kids in our programs — full of creativity, laughter, learning, and a chance to be kids.

Now we need your ideas! Drop your fun, creative, and imaginative camp theme suggestions in the comments below. Over the next few weeks, we’ll gather all the ideas, narrow them down to the top 3–5 themes, and then let everyone vote in a final poll to decide the winning theme for the 2026 Summer Camp.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with, and we’re excited to bring the community into this special week for our kids.

Ready… set… brainstorm!
Drop your theme ideas in the comments!

03/03/2026

We are SO proud of our Parkway Elementary StuCo and our amazing Parkway Panthers!

These students worked together to put birthday kits together with their own hands and donated them to organizations all across our community. Because of them, more kids and families will get to celebrate their birthdays in a special way.

Each kit includes everything needed to make a birthday sweet — and they even added instructions for making a cake with a can of Sprite! (That’s some smart thinking!)

What makes this even more special is how they did it. They showed respect. They worked hard. They accepted responsibility. They practiced safety. They truly lived out what it means to be Parkway Panthers.

This wasn’t just a school project — it was kindness in action. Big hearts. Big teamwork. Big impact.

Parkway Panthers, you made birthdays brighter, and we couldn’t be prouder of you.

03/01/2026

We’re celebrating Danielle Brown on her 3rd anniversary as CEO of YWCA St. Joseph.

If you ask her employees, "What does her leadership look like?" A smile will appear, and then the stories begin. She shows up. She listens. She keeps us grounded when days feel heavy… and somehow keeps everything moving forward, even when the energy drinks are empty, the phone stops working, and three urgent things happen at once. She is reminding us that this work is about people, not paperwork, and that every woman who walks through our doors deserves safety, dignity, and the chance to begin again.

That’s the beauty of this place, we carry heavy work together and still find reasons to laugh. Like finding giraffes everywhere, on desks, in décor, and somehow even hiding in group photos where no one else can see them. Or handing out “I Saw That” stickers with perfect timing.

Danielle, thank you for leading with courage, integrity, humor, and heart. We are grateful to walk alongside you.

If you’ve ever wanted to be part of work that truly changes lives (and occasionally involves giraffe sightings and sticker justice), this is what it looks like.

02/28/2026

Today, we celebrate Miranda Hicks on her first anniversary as a Shelter Case Manager at YWCA St. Joseph.

Over the past year, Miranda has provided guidance, advocacy, and steady support to women and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Her compassion, dedication, and commitment to helping others find safety and stability make a meaningful difference every day.

02/27/2026

Three years. Countless details handled. A thousand moving parts kept in motion — and one steady presence making sure everything runs smoothly.

Today, we celebrate Robin Frost and her 3rd anniversary with the YWCA! In her role as Executive Administrative Assistant, Robin is the quiet force behind the scenes who keeps the wheels turning and the chaos organized. From daily operations to big-picture coordination, she ensures the work that supports women and families in our community runs seamlessly.

And when it comes to the Women of Excellence event… Robin doesn’t just help — she elevates it. Her precision, organization, and calm leadership ensure the event honors the incredible women of our community exactly the way they deserve. If it goes off without a hitch, you can bet Robin had something to do with it.

Robin, you truly embody excellence in both heart and dedication. We are grateful for your commitment, your reliability, and the care you bring to everything you do.

02/25/2026

A huge thank you to our amazing Daisy Girl Scout troop 6256 for working toward their patch by collecting menstrual products for the women in our shelter.
It is truly inspiring to see young girls learning the importance of giving back and understanding how something simple can make a meaningful difference in someone’s life.
You are already leaders, helpers, and world-changers, and we are so grateful for you!

02/20/2026

Happy National Love Your Pet Day!

Help us decide which photo is the best! Drop the number of your vote in the comments and help crown the fan favorite. Please choose one from the cats and the dogs.
Give your pets an extra squeeze today — they do more healing than they’ll ever know.

02/19/2026

This week, our children’s group — led by Autumn and a wonderful volunteer — filled our sidewalks with uplifting messages and colorful chalk art. Their words of hope now greet everyone who walks through our doors.

These simple messages do more than brighten the space — they remind our families they are seen, valued, and never alone.

We are so proud of these young hearts for sharing kindness in such a beautiful way. Sometimes healing begins with a single kind word… written in chalk.

02/19/2026

There are a lot of ways to serve a community, one of them involves standing at intersections with a boot, a smile, and the patience of saints while cars inch forward and people dig through cup holders for change.

We are incredibly grateful to Firefighters Local No. 77 for the generous donation from your boot drive. Because of you and the kindness of this community, women and children at the YWCA will have access to safety, stability, and support when they need it most.

You run toward emergencies when others run away. And when the sirens are quiet, you’re still out there showing up, giving back, and making this community stronger.

That kind of heart doesn’t go unnoticed.

From all of us — thank you for the sweat, the time, the laughs, and the commitment to helping our neighbors move forward.

02/17/2026

Last week, YWCA Staff enjoyed Hazel's Coffee St. Joe for our February edition of LUNCH ON A MISSION!

Hazel's has been staple in St. Joseph since 1995, growing significantly in recent years. Heather Mitchell and her husband Randy purchased the business in 2020 and have since moved the anchor store to a new nearby location with a drive-thru, added a Downtown location in the American Electric Lofts, and launched a mobile coffee Winnebago and trailer for festivals, events, and more. The menu offers far more than just coffee and pastries. It's a great spot to grab breakfast, a lunchtime sandwich or wrap, and even energizing non-coffee concoctions. 😋🧋

Special Note: Due to high interest among staff, our order ended up a bit bigger than expected so we want to give Hazel's staff an extra shout-out. Thank you to Gracee at the Downtown location for giving excellent customer service and to Alex at the East Ridge location for putting the order together!



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About Lunch On A Mission:
Each month, we feature a local restaurant owned by women and/or underrepresented communities for a staff lunch as a meaningful extension of YWCA's mission to eliminate racism & empower women 🧡Follow along and support these eateries with us!

02/09/2026

Community Shout-Out – Rock Machine MC for your support this holiday season. Community partners like you help make sure our women and children feel supported, cared for, and remembered during a time that can be especially difficult.

We appreciate you standing with us