Welcome to the Partnership Between Junior League of Grand Rapids (JLGR) and the YWCA West Central Michigan (YWCA)

Our 50+ Year Partnership:

JLGR is proud of our longstanding partnership with YWCA, over five decades long.

About YWCA:

The YWCA West Central Michigan (YWCA) is part of a national and international association of local, grassroots organizations. They are a social justice organization and movement with more than 100 years of experience providing service to, collaborating with, and advocating on behalf of the most vulnerable people in our community. The organization’s mission is to eliminate racism, empower women and girls, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

The YWCA provides comprehensive domestic violence and sexual assault services to child and adult survivors, prevention programming, and advocacy for change at the local, state, and national level – all through a lens of inclusion and anti-oppression. YWCA inspires hope and healing. They transform lives with expert services for victims, education to end those things that fuel abuse, and public policy that translates their mission into law.

Recent Key Projects:

• Junior League Wellness Adventure Yard – Beginning in 2011 through 2014, JLGR raised funds and constructed a $140,000 playground with specialized equipment for children at the YWCA emergency shelter for women and children trying to escape a violent home. The WAY, built in the backyard, continues to be a place for children to play, explore, and feel safe in a secure outdoor setting.
• JL Delivers – In 2021, JLGR created this program which is a heartfelt lifeline for families transitioning from the emergency shelter to independent lives with their children in homes they can call their own. JLGR volunteers shop for food and household supplies and deliver them to the families as they start their new lives in their new homes. Having food and supplies help families make their new house a home. Through the JL Delivers program, JLGR volunteers also prepare freezable meals for families supported by YWCA services. Often one of the last things women who have suffered from violence want to do is plan for what meals to cook. While making meals to reheat and enjoy is a simple task for us, it is a reassuring sense of relief for families.
• Period Product Drive 2023 – For our inaugural international Find the Good Day dedicated to celebrating the good around us, JLGR spread awareness around Period Product Insecurity through the donation of essential hygiene products for the women and girls who seek the YWCA services. We exceeded our goal by collecting over 250 packages of period products.