Presentation for 4/9: Varada Bhide from YWCA

Varada Bhide, COO of YWCA of the Mahoning Valley, joined us for our meeting on Tuesday, April 9th. Varada spoke about the upcoming merger between the Youngstown and Warren YWCA locations. The merger, which took two years to complete, will be final on May 1st. The merger allows them to bring a combined 215 years of experience and expertise to the table. 
 
YWCA Warren was founded in 1916, but plans for the organization go back as far as 1912. In 1929, YWCA Warren opened its building at 375 North Park Avenue, housing travelers, serving hot meals to downtown workers, offering education to newly arrived immigrants, and providing opportunities for social, spiritual, and personal enrichment to young women. Over the course of a century, YWCA Warren became a hub for women and girls, ever-evolving to meet their needs. Today, the YWCA building on North Park is home to YWCA’s Warren offices and is shared by SCOPE, another Trumbull County social service agency serving older adults.
 

YWCA Youngstown was organized in 1903 and formally founded in 1904. In 1912, the historic building which still houses YWCA’s administrative offices was completed, providing a space for housing for young women and travelers. YWCA activities grew and flourished over the coming decades, with the YWCA taking on such important work as educating newly enfranchished voters, providing sex education to families, and offering support to the large immigrant populations arriving in Youngstown. YWCA today is an integral part of the landscape between downtown and Youngstown State University’s campus to the north.

 

YWCA Mahoning Valley is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, dignity, and freedom for all. They proudly serve the women and families of Mahoning and Trumbull Counties with housing, youth development, childcare, advocacy, and empowerment programs that meet the dynamic, changing needs our our community. 

Learn more about the YWCA of the Mahoning Valley on their website: www.ywcamahoningvalley.org