In The News
We Stand Together Network to hold nonviolence, activism training session in Tucson
December 19, 2016 by Arizona Business Daily Reports
Betty Stauffer, executive director of Literacy Connects, recently wrote a blog post announcing the nonviolence coalition We Stand Together Network will hold a nonviolence and activism training session at 9 a.m. Jan.14 at the YWCA at, 525 N. Bonita Ave. in Tucson. (Click here to read more)
Tucson group launches network to fight back against hate crimes
November 30, 2016 by Janice Yu
“The YWCA of Southern Arizona is fighting back against hate crimes. The organization has launched a website where people can make complaints.
Kelly Fryer, CEO of YWCA of Southern Arizona said they have had 20 reports in 17 days. Twelve of those reports came in within the first 10 days of the website’s launch.” (Click here to read more)
Tucson nonprofit sees spike in hate crimes, calls on police to step up
November 30, 2016 by Morgan Kyrklund
“A local nonprofit is fighting back against hate crimes in Tucson, and is calling on both the Tucson Police Department and the community to step up.
Since the presidential election, staff at the YWCA of Southern Arizona say they’ve seen a dramatic rise in hate crimes.” (Click here to read more)
YWCA: Stand with us against bigotry and hate in Tucson
November 26, 2016 by Kelly Fryer and Annette Everlove
“A doorbell rang on a beautiful fall afternoon in Tucson last week. By the time the homeowner answered, someone had taped a note to his front door. It was covered with hand-drawn swastikas, and in big bold letters it shouted, ‘You’re a fag.'” (Click here to read more)
YWCA: Are you registered to vote?
September 26, 2016 by Liane Hernandez and Betsy Bolding
“In a democracy, power is vested in the people. But to exert that power, people must vote. And despite enormous efforts on the part of multiple local, regional and national organizations to increase public participation in our electoral system, this is not the case. Far too many of our neighbors, friends and colleagues aren’t registered to vote. And too many of those who are registered, don’t vote.” (Click here to read more)
Feeding Our Future: Incubating Food Start-Ups in the City of Gastronomy
September 6, 2016 by Laura Markowitz
Where are the UNESCO Ciities of Gastronomy? Click here to listen to the list, recited by the City of Tucson’s Jonathan Mabry. The City of Gastronomydesignation shines a new light on Tucson’s food scene. Independently owned food businesses are the largest-growing sector in Tucson’s economy, from food trucks to independent restaurants to salsa makers. The food industry accounts for 14 percent of all jobs in the city. But launching a successful food business takes more than just a good recipe, especially for low-income entrepreneurs. (Click here to read more)
Southern Arizona YWCA: Recent Shootings are a wake-up call
July 11, 2016 by Tanisha Price-Johnson and Kelly Fryer
“Last week was a horrific week in America.
We are appalled by the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of law enforcement officers. We urge the Department of Justice to pursue immediate, transparent investigations that lead to justice.” (Click here to read more)
A Place for Business on Tucson’s Southside
May 19, 2016 by AZPM Staff
Marisol Flores-Aguirre is the director of the Women’s Business Center. She says there is a community of women already selling their goods, running catering businesses and creating textiles and art, but they often don’t identify themselves as entrepreneurs. This is one thing the center wants to change. “The gap isn’t in entrepreneurship. It isn’t in innovation. It isn’t in in really providing quality to residents, to citizens here in Tucson. It really was how do I get my business started? Where do I go for a license? What kind of training do I need if I have a catering company and I want to offer that to different spaces?” Click here to listen.
What Is Your First Memory on Race?
April 27, 2016 by Liane Hernandez
“…I was called “a good Mexican” or “not like the rest of them” by students and teachers alike.” (Click here to read more)
YWCA Launches New Initiative To Help Women In Need
December 9, 2015 by Allison Alexander and Anthony Victor Reyes
“We want to be sure, month in and month out, even when the holiday season is over, that no one has to miss work or school because they don’t have the supplies they need,” said CEO YWCA of Southern Arizona Kelly Fryer.
Click here to watch the video.
Project Period to provide feminine hygiene products to women in need
December 9, 2015 by Christine Pae
For a topic that is not widely publicized, the need during “that time of the month,” is great. With approximately half a million Arizona women living in poverty, many cannot afford their most basic need: a regular supply of feminine hygiene products. The YWCA of Southern Arizona brought the issue to light during its “Project Period” launch event on Wednesday, Dec. 9. (Click here to read more)
YWCA, Partner Organizations Distributing Tampons, Sanitary Napkins to Women in Need
December 8, 2015 by Maria Ines Taracena
Several local organizations are partnering up to distribute tampons and sanitary napkins to women throughout Pima County living in poverty.
Single Mothers Struggle for Education
November 19, 2015 by Kassandra Manriquez/Arizona Sonora News
According to [Michele] Pitot, [the director of the YWCA Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity], most entry-level job positions do not support a single mother family and instead tend to support a cycle of poverty, which creates a greater need for a college education. (Click here to read more)
The House of Neighborly Service Needs Help
October 9, 2015 by Nichole Szemerei
Click here to watch the video.
Kelly Fryer: YWCA will highlight the progress women have made and challenges they face
October 17, 2015
” In order for all women to achieve the kind of equality imagined by those who worked to pass the 19th Amendment, we must address the structural barriers facing all women. In Arizona we can start by reinstating child care subsidies so moms can go to work without worrying about their kids’ safety. We need to re-extend federally-funded Temporary Aid to Needy Families to help moms support their families while looking for a job or going back to school.” (Click here to read more)
Mass Incarceration of Immigrants is the Focus of a YWCA Discussion Tomorrow Night
September 22, 2015 by Maria Ines Tarcena
This is the third event the YWCA is hosting as part of their ongoing talks on the country’s sentencing and prison system, and their effects on the community. Tucson-based immigration attorney Margo Cowan, Coalición de Derechos Humanos’ Isabel Garcia and Caroline Isaacs, program director of the American Friends Service Committee, will focus on Operation Streamline, and its connection to private prisons’ bed quota and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Click here to read more)
Planned Parenthood Prevents Abortions
September 2, 2015 – The fact is: Planned Parenthood prevents more than 500,000 pregnancies a year. How many of those would end up being terminated were it not for the contraceptives and other reproductive health-care services provided by them?
Click here to read the entire oped article co-written by YWCA CEO, Kelly Fryer
July 24, 2015 – Nueva líder del Centro Empresarial YWCA
Marisol Flores-Aguirre ha sido nombrada la nueva Directora del Centro Empresarial de Mujeres de la YWCA del Sur de Arizona.
Saying “Arizona’s Great” Doesn’t Make It So
May 22, 2015 by Kelly Fryer
“Gov. Doug Ducey wants my help to get the word out about how Arizona is an ideal place to live. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” (Click here to read more)
YWCA: Jeff Flake Should Get On Board with Racial Profiling Act
May 14, 2015 by Maria Ines Taracena
“At their 98th anniversary breakfast—where the organization raised more than $44,000 ($14,000 more than their original goal)— CEO Kelly Fryer called Flake’s office and left a nice voice mail enticing him to co-sponsor the End Racial Profiling Act. In the past nearly two decades, the bill has been brought up at least 10 times and it’s headed nowhere.” (Click here to read more)
Join the Conversation about Mass Incarceration at the YWCA
April 28, 2015 by Heather Hoch
According to the YWCA, the fastest growing population of inmates in the country per capita is women, over 60 percent of whom are incarcerated with drug charges. Men and women of color are also impacted, especially considering individuals imprisoned due to rigid federal minimum sentencing for “crack” cocaine users. (Click here to read more)
YWCA, Councilmember Help Aspiring Businesswomen in Tucson
April 23, 2015 by Christine Pae
Dozens of people gathered at the YWCA today to learn about how they could open up their own business. As one fearless entrepreneur explains, it is not as daunting as it seems. (Click here to read more)
Meet Artist Cristina Cardenas Tomorrow at YWCA Exhibit Opening Reception
January 27, 2015 by Maria Taracena
Oct 2014 – Designing Women: At the Café@theYW, sandwiches & espresso are part of an enterprise intended to build more than just lunch
By Allicyn Fink
[Community Life Director and Executive Chef, Liane Hernandez, says] in the kitchen at the YW, “We have an opportunity to get people up to speed and teach them the questions to ask and have them think about the questions to ask. Part of what we do, part of our mission is to empower women, so I think that having the ability to ask questions and to wonder is really important here.” (Click here to read more)
Sept 28, 2014 – Gabby Giffords’ Comeback: One Word, One Step at a Time
By Susan Page
“All three of them, plus two aides and a reporter, pile into a black SUV for the ride to the foothills for the Tucson YWCA Women’s Leadership Conference. The former congresswoman is being honored with the group’s inaugural ‘Changemaker’ award.” (Click here to read more)
Sept 23, 2014 – Giffords honored with new award from YWCA Tucson
By JD Wallace
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – A first of its kind award has gone to Tucson’s one of a kind woman. (Click here to read more)
Sep 12, 2014 – With on air guest YWCA Tucson’s Kelly Fryer
Kelly discusses the mission of the YWCA and upcoming events. Click here to listen to the show with host, Amanda Shauger.
July 6, 2014 – YWCA: Feds Must Take the Lead on Immigration Crisis
“Thankfully, in Tucson, social service and community groups have stepped in to provide comfort and aid to the undocumented women and children, mostly from Central America, being brought here. But quick action by our government is required to address this growing refugee crisis.” (Click here to read more)
May 18, 2014 – YWCA cafe hoping neighbors will stop in for a bite
By Kristen Cook
“The cafe at the YWCA offers more than a bite to eat. It’s also creating opportunities. Proceeds from the eatery support YWCA programs, which assist women and their families. Come fall, it’ll also provide culinary job training, including catering.” (Click here to read more)
May 29, 2014: Tucson Weekly says the YW’s Café is key to surviving summer in Tucson!
By Mari Herreras
“I sat down recently with Liane Hernandez, community life director and executive chef for the YWCA of Tucson, about agua frescas, the drinks such as horchata, tamarindo and jamaica that offer cool sweetness in an instant.” (Click here to read more)
May 11, 2014: KXCI broadcasts excerpts from the YW Tucson’s 97th Anniversary Breakfast
Click here to listen on the KXCI website. We love local radio!
KGUN 9 Reports on YW Speaks Workshop April 19
The YW Speaks workshop: Keeping our Girls and Daughter Safe from Victimhood drew a concerned and focused audience April 19, 2014. (Watch the video here)
Kelly Fryer and Laura Penny: Investing in women is good for business
March 16, 2014: This Op-Ed piece appeared in the AZ Daily Star describing how global and national research shows a clear correlation between the economic empowerment of women and increased economic and social benefits to children, families and the wider community.
YWCA Opening Café to Train At-Risk Women for Careers
Story by Andrea Kelley: February 19, 2014 The YWCA Tucson’s job training program is underway with the YW Café in the Lobby at the Frances Mc Clelland Leadership Center.
February 1, 2014 Director of Development Caitlin Dixon and 3 volunteers discuss the impact of Your Sister’s Closet with Dr Zara Larsen on Circles of change radio
Tucson Lifestyle features our ED, a “Dynamo of Diversity”
Wendy Sweet
Feb. 2013
“I love it here in Tucson. I love the diverse culture, climate, rich history and how easy it is to meet people and make friends. Mostly, I love the energy that is in the air.” (Read the article)
AZ Foundation for Women CEO Sara Presler Pushes Others to Become Leaders
January 2014 Issue: Tucson’s YWCA Moves Community Upward
Story by Jamie Manser
January 2, 2014
The YW’s mission is to create “a community of changemakers, working to build a world with out racism where women are empowered and where everyone enjoys peace, justice, freedom and dignity.”
Read the story on Page 38
Monthly Employment Workshops Aim to Empower Women
Story by Mitchell Riley
November 13, 2013
Helping Boys Become Men The Subject of Upcoming Seminar
by Patricia Machelor
November 17, 2013
It’s time to talk about the boys.
The unique, and often overlooked, plight of today’s boys and young men will be the subject of an interactive workshop Saturday at the YWCA of Tucson. A changing social landscape coupled with absentee fathers and a lack of male role models are among the topics to be discussed at “Raising Healthy Sons,” which is for parents, teachers and anybody who cares about young people, said Kelly Fryer, executive director of the YWCA Tucson. (read more)
Photo Gallery: Coat Give Away (Click here to see all the photos)
By Benjie Sanders, October 30, 2013
Free winter coats for women and children in need
Maria Hechanova, Oct. 30, 2013
YWCA to help bundle up women, children with free winter coats
By Dylan Smith, October 24, 2013
“While the mercury may still be hovering in the mid-80’s, the Tucson branch of the YWCA is looking ahead to chillier times.” (read more)
Need help understanding what Obamacare has to do with you?
Linda Ray, Oct. 16, 013
The YWCA offers another opportunity from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22. Jeff Ronstadt of Ronstadt Insurance discusses how the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) will affect families and how much it will cost. (read more)
New Direction
Seven months into the job, the new YWCA director has a vision to create space for community
By Mari Herreras, September 5, 2013
During a recent tour with new YWCA Tucson executive director Kelly Fryer of the organization’s Bonita Street headquarters, there’s a lot of “picture this” and “imagine that.”
Seven months into her new post, Fryer says the organization is making changes to make sure that after 100 years the agency remains relevant to the community and creates programs that are sustainable to survive another 100 years. (Click here to read more)
AZ Week: Moving Toward Tolerance; More Needed
By Michael Chihak, June 26, 2013
Four people from diverse perspectives and experiences with race, ethnicity and degrees of societal tolerance addressed the issues in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case and President Barack Obama’s call for dialogue. The panel appeared on Friday’s Arizona Week broadcast.
“I think some of us took it for granted that we were farther along than we really are,” said Kelly Fryer, executive director of the YWCA Tucson. “It’s time to have a serious conversation and to take action to make sure these things get changed.”(Click here to watch the broadcast)
People in Action
March 2013
The YWCA Board of Directors has selected Kelly Fryer as executive director of the YWCA Tucson. Fryer has worked as a nonprofit executive, small business owner, teacher and ordained minister. She comes to the YWCA Tucson from Arizona List, a statewide organization working to elect women to public office where she was executive director.(Click here to read more)