Allentown, PA –– YWCA Allentown is excited to announce that its headquarters will move downtown to the Hamilton Business Center at 1101 West Hamilton Street. The move will expand the space currently occupied by the YWCA’s signature program, The Perfect Fit for Working Women, as well as add additional office and programming space.
The Allentown YMCA & YWCA have operated as a joint organization at 425 South 15th Street for over twenty years. The planned merger of the Allentown YMCA into the Greater Valley YMCA and the relaunch of the YWCA Allentown as an autonomous organization will take both the YMCA and the YWCA forward to serve the population of Allentown and the surrounding communities.
Sarah Barrett, who has served the Allentown YMCA & YWCA for the past four years as the Program Manager of The Perfect Fit for Working Women, has been named Executive Director.
“The mission and purpose of the YWCA is to eliminate racism and empower women,” said Margaretha Hauessler, president of the YWCA Board of Directors. “The reorganization is an opportunity to expand and enhance the programs offered by the YWCA to the Allentown community.”
The YWCA Allentown will continue to offer programming including:
▪ The Perfect Fit for Working Women, our signature program, which helps over 650 low income women entering the workforce each year by providing career clothing and job-readiness skills training
▪ Gateway to Success, a series of career development workshops offered free to the public at CareerLink Lehigh Valley
▪ The Allentown High School Enrichment Program, an expansion of the successful Urban Youth Rowing Project in collaboration with the Allentown School District and Lehigh University, which provides support and opportunity for high-school students by pairing athletics with academic tutoring, cultural enrichment, and mentoring.
In 2017, the YWCA Allentown will be expanding programming to support YWCA USA’s initiatives, including participation in the organization’s Stand Against Racism in April and supporting Week Without Violence in October to raise awareness about the devastating effects of domestic violence.
“The YWCA Allentown has been in operation since 1898, and its relaunch and return to downtown Allentown provides an exciting opportunity to refocus its efforts to offer programs and services to help families and strengthen our community,” Barrett said.
YWCA Allentown is part of an international movement serving over 2 million in the United States and 25 million worldwide. For comprehensive information about this important work, go to www.ywca.org.
Press Release by:
Sarah E. Barrett
Executive Director
YWCA Allentown
