After a 17-year career in various healthcare positions, Alisha Gonzales was ready for a change.
“After the years of COVID-19, it felt like time to try a new route, to figure out what I was truly passionate about and go for it,” she said.
She always knew she wanted to help women and children, and a neighbor suggested she apply at the YWCA as an advocate.
After a few inquiries, she said, “I was finally given the opportunity to interview!” Soon after, she joyfully accepted a job offer, grateful for a journey that, she said, “landed me here at the YWCA with all these amazing people!”
Though happily married to her best friend with whom she shares four children, ages 12 through 17, previous life experiences gave her a heart for struggling families.
ADVOCACY MATTERS “I believe this work is important because we are helping people in some of their darkest hours; we are helping people when they feel like their world is crumbling.” It’s important to Alisha to show survivors they are not alone, that they are loved, wanted, and cared about.
“For someone like me, who has been in some really hard situations, it feels like a blessing to help others through the same things, no matter how big or small their needs are.”
Most of all, she said, “I feel like we are stronger together and when we are loving each other through the pain.”
KAREN ANGEL always knew she wanted a job helping people, which is why she studied psychology at Washington State University.
She was hired as a YWCA Advocate partway through her degree, which has included many relevant classes like Violence Toward Women, Behavior Disorders in Children and Adolescents, and Families in Poverty.
“When I first began my job with the YWCA, I was super excited to help women who felt alone.” Karen loved the idea of helping families and guiding survivors to light and hope. She’s done crisis work responding to sexual assaults at the hospital and handling domestic violence calls. She represents the YWCA at the county protection order clinic and accompanies clients to hearings.
“Working in the shelter for the past two years, I have noticed that some kids come into our shelter in distress and frustrated because of the situation they were living in,” she said. “Of course it’s reflected in their behavior.”
Coursework about poverty, she said, “allowed me to truly see the struggles that low-income families go through and how much it impacts not just the parents but the kids as well. Sometimes those struggles go on for generations.”
THE BEST FEELING “I love to see when a woman who has been put down or gaslighted finds their purpose again,” Karen said. “Watching them fly from our shelter to their own home – with a job and empowered – is the best feeling in the world.”
Now in her new role, she continues her work in the shelter and also spends half her time as an advocate at Whitman providing free, confidential support to anyone experiencing assault or intimate partner violence.
While these YWCA services can be provided on campus, an assault will not be reported to college officials unless the survivor wishes.
And those times when abuse is reported, Karen offers support throughout the investigation process. She understands how traumatic an assault can be and that it has the potential to disrupt a student’s education.
“What happened to them was not their fault,” Karen said. “I want to encourage them to continue with their careers and move on from an awful experience.”
Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) succeed when they center on kids’ needs
WHEN A CHILD is being abused, the No. 1 priority is that child’s safety and well-being.
Children are vulnerable,and they may lack the vocabulary and power to speak for themselves. In her new role at the YWCA, Leslie Bumgardner, Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Coordinator, is helping make sure those kids have a voice.
“I’m excited about bringing a team together,” Leslie said, “getting everyone who’s committed to what’s best for children around a table regularly.”
The ultimate goal is to have a fully accredited Child Advocacy Center (CAC), a process that will take time.
Meanwhile, Leslie is looking forward to strengthening partnerships between team members. Those partnerships are vital because children respond best in a protective environment where they feel safe and can tell their stories – just once – to the people who can help stop the abuse and provide needed support. That’s the essence of a CAC.
WHY MDTs MATTER A key component of the CAC model is the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Leslie has been meeting with Child Protective Service investigators, law enforcement personnel, counselors, advocates, and other expert professionals to prepare for improved collaboration among these entities.
“We can do better for kids when we put them at the center of the process,” Leslie said. When efforts are not well coordinated, the independent process of each agency involved can lead to unnecessary and repetitive interviews that re-victimize a child, forcing them to relive the trauma over and over.
The CAC model is designed to transform the process. As MDT members gather and share information about a child’s case, they smooth the way for that child to begin healing, receive justice, and experience trust.
ADVOCATING FOR CHILDREN “Coordinated, child-centered responses have been found to accelerate the healing process for kids. We’re so grateful to everyone who encouraged the YWCA to lead this work,” said Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin.
By next year, YWCA Advocates specially trained in child advocacy will join MDTs collaborating to provide better outcomes and support for children and families.
“Everyone is working hard to do their best for children,” Leslie said, “and I can’t wait to build a team that pulls together all the folks already working passionately for young victims of violence and sexual abuse.”
Friday, June 14, was a day filled with love, memories, and tradition as Brianna and Joaquin celebrated their wedding where Brianna’s grandmother and great-aunt tied the knot more than 50 years earlier.
Brianna’s great-aunt Norma and great-uncle Frank exchanged vows in the YWCA reception room in 1972, and her grandparents, Mary and Merle, followed a few months later, on June 29, 1973.
This connection to her family’s past made the choice of venue particularly special for Brianna.
“When we were trying to find places to have the wedding, we weren’t sure where to start because I don’t belong to a church, and all the venues around here were larger than we needed and so expensive,” Brianna shared. “Then my grandma Mary mentioned the YWCA since she and her sister had gotten married there, so we checked it out and thought it was a great idea.”
BACK IN THE DAY In the early 1970s before ending domestic violence became a big part of the YWCA mission, the building was a safe, affordable place where young women could rent rooms while they attended college or were starting their careers. The reception room, like today, was used for YWCA programs as well as a variety of other community events.
“My great-aunt Norma’s wedding was in December, and my grandma’s was in June like ours, but at 8 pm.”
Since the building wasn’t yet air conditioned, an evening wedding may have an attempt to beat the heat. “My grandma told me her wedding day was so hot that the cake started to slide,” Brianna recalled with a smile.
Carrying on her family’s tradition was deeply meaningful to Brianna.
“I’m very close to my grandma on my mom’s side of the family,” Brianna said, “so I’m happy I get to share this with her.”
Although some beloved family members were missing, including her great-aunt Norma and grandfather Merle, who both passed away in 2022, their presence was felt.
Brianna’s great-uncle Frank attended the wedding, and her uncle Michael walked her down the aisle.
ENDURING LOVE The Bahm Torrez wedding at the YWCA wasn’t just a celebration of love between two people but a beautiful testament to enduring family bonds and traditions that span generations.
It felt very cool to continue my family’s YWCA wedding tradition,” Brianna said. “It will always be something interesting I can tell people about our wedding day.”
Need a room for a meeting or party?
Whether you’re planning a simple meeting with snacks or a family reunion with far-flung participants joining by Zoom, the YWCA kitchen and reception room may have what you need.
Learn more about rates and what’s available by calling 509-525-2570 or emailing the office manager, Karla, at kcastillo@ywcaww.org.
Our new Director of Client Services, Lana Bushman, has always found satisfaction in helping people grow, heal and flourish, especially women and children who can’t advocate for themselves. Being a survivor herself, she said, makes it easier for her to comprehend all that they are going through when dealing with domestic violence (DV) or sexual assault (SA).
IMMEDIATE GOALS “My goal for the next three months,” said Lana, “is setting up a strong program of support groups for DV and SA survivors.”
In the next six months to a year, she plans awareness campaigns to educate community members, including teens, about DV, also called intimate partner violence (IPV), and to encourage people to promote social change.
WHAT IS DV DV is a complex concept, she said. It isn’t a matter of anger management. It’s a pattern of behavior that one person uses to gain power and control over the other.
It can result in injury, harm, deprivation, or even death. It may involve physical or sexual assault, but it can also be emotional or psychological, including isolation from friends and family, emotional abuse, or financial control.
Awareness matters. Domestic violence awareness can help identify abuse if it happens to you or someone close to you. Awareness can provide information that can be life saving for victims and their families, such as hotlines, shelters, counseling, and legal aid.
Your YWCA support keeps these services available in our community and makes it possible to increase survivor awareness.
Numbers to know
One out of five high school students is being sexually and/or physically abused by a dating partner.
One million women and 371,000 men are being stalked right now.
More than three women are killed by their partners every day.
When organizations sponsor a YWCA event, you might be surprised how deep the support goes.
Providence St. Mary Medical Center regularly goes above and beyond financial support. “We know when we contribute to YWCA, through sponsorship of an event, bringing a hot meal to the shelter, or other ways,” said Emily Volland, Providence Communication Director, “that people will be served, hope will be shared, our community will be positively im- pacted, and the team at YWCA will be faithful stewards of gifts given.”
Banner Bank too went beyond a sponsorship, offering a financial literacy class for YWCA clients. Danni Schack, who works in mortgage loans and customer service at Banner, was one of the instructors. “I had personal experience as a single mom making it on my own, so this is near and dear to my heart.”
The class was excited to learn how credit scores work, said YWCA Outreach Coordinator Celia Guardado. “Low credit scores can limit your rental options and make it harder to buy a house or car.”
“Meeting these women made a big impact on me,” Danni said. “It moved me to help sponsor a family at Christmas, and I’ve just joined the 2024 YWCA board.”
When you see that a favorite organization supports YWCA Walla Walla, invite them to share why the mission matters to them. And let them know how much you appreciate their care for families who need a safe new start.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Action Month in October included numerous impactful events, including the Clothesline Project, a domestic violence vigil, and a candlelight walk.
EMPOWERING VOICES WITH ART
Thanks to an AAUW mini grant, the Clothesline Project spread awareness and solidarity from Walla Walla to Dayton. Student and community volunteers contributed beautiful messages and stories that graced clotheslines in and outside the YWCA, at Providence St. Mary Medical Center, and in the front windows at Locally Nourished in Dayton.
While all of the volunteers worked on the clotheslines and chalk art, some also created a display about the more than 70 lives lost to domestic violence in 2022 and helped put the finishing touches on the Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, altar.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS
Adding beauty and respectfulness to the altar and other displays were generous flower donations pulled together by Wild Willow and Cindy at Safeway Floral.
In a brief bilingual vigil presentation, Community Outreach Coordinator Celia Guardado explained the place of the altar in Latina culture and at the YWCA – showing love and honoring our ancestors, while also shining a light on lives lost to violence.
The program was followed by a candlelight procession through the neighborhood led by Celia and Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin, a powerful reminder of our shared commitment to ending domestic violence and creating a safer, more compassionate community.
‘DIA DE LOS MUERTOS’ ON TOUR
When Walla Walla Valley Honda invited us to their Trunk-or-Treat event for children, Kate and Megan from Mariposa took a bit of the altar on the road for some wider community exposure, then returned it to the YWCA for staff, clients, and visitors to appreciate during the Día de los Muertos celebration, Nov. 1 and 2.
Together, we are making a difference, fostering awareness, and advocating for a world free from domestic violence.
I AM SO GRATEFUL to each one of you for your support of the YWCA. Through the YWCA, you help women and children change the way they see and experience life. They are leaving horrible situations and are learning that they matter in this world. They’re leaving violence, and transitioning to lives where they make their own decisions.
None of this is easy, but when you can believe in yourself and know that others believe in you and are cheering you on, you find that you can do a whole lot more than you thought you could.
Gratitude is a decision to stay committed to the good in life, even when things may not be going well in your own life, and making it through. Gratitude isn’t a magic wand. Like the decision to leave a lifetime of violence, it takes time. But gratitude does rearrange the way we see the world. When we focus on our strengths and the many gifts we are blessed with, gratitude lessens our fears, strengthens our hearts, and builds resilience.
I like to think of our staff as gratitude midwives. They help people find their strengths – be that the families in YWCA shelters or the 32 little ones in childcare each day, the LiNC class members, or all the Walla Walla fifth graders who just started Mariposa groups.
And they help people believe in those strengths, build on them, and begin to see the world in a different way. That’s what the amazing people I work with do every single day.
Sometimes, that looks pretty hard.
But just when it feels like it will never work, it does.
Someone smiles. Or stops taking someone’s toy. Or decides to go back to school because someone showed her how. Or sits next to that girl she thinks she doesn’t like.
You are making all this possible.
You are part of this great birthing process of gratitude, not just because you support our mission but because you believe it matters. Thank you.
The Clothesline Project: Raising awareness, honoring survivors
To mark October, Domestic Violence Action Month, YWCA Walla Walla will host The Clothesline Project. This nationwide movement amplifies the voices of survivors and victims of intimate partner violence, abuse, and sexual assault, while also raising awareness and understanding.
Thanks to a mini grant from AAUW Walla Walla, there is no charge to participate.
Picture this: A clothesline hung with T-shirts, each one using words and pictures to tell a story about the impact of violence. A pink shirt might carry a stark message to the perpetrator of a sexual assault about how the assault affected the survivor’s life. An LGBTQ abuse survivor might share on a purple shirt the things that the attack didn’t take away. You can tell at a glance the variety of experiences represented, because each shirt is color coded (see color key below).
Originally conceived as part of the healing process for survivors (and we intend for the project to continue serving that purpose), our local project is also open to the rest of the community. Domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault: These issues hurt all of us, and speaking out is one more way we can stand up against them.
“Sexual and gender-based violence can have a profound impact,” said YWCA Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin, “and in our work we see regular evidence. The Clothesline Project bears witness to violence to spread healing and promote change.”
While recognizing that the majority of sexual assaults and domestic violence incidents target women, YWCA Walla Walla extends an inclusive invitation to survivors, their supporters, and community members to join the cause.
“There is more than one path to healing,” Anne-Marie said, “and this project offers a chance for anyone to share a message meaningful to them.”
Together, let’s hang out stories of strength, resilience, and solidarity for all to witness.
The Clothesline Project
We are also working with Locally Nourished in Dayton where they have a work area set up.
You can pick up materials at the YWCA office, Monday through Friday, between 9 am and 5 pm. You are welcome to take the materials with you, or come on in to our reception room where we have dedicated space during office hours where you can create your message and embellish a shirt on-site.
Completed shirts will be displayed at the YWCA and at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla, and at Locally Nourished in Dayton, during the YWCA Week Without Violence, the third week of October.
Together, let’s hang out stories of strength, resilience, and solidarity for all to witness.
All shirts must be returned by October 13 to be part of a display. For further details and inquiries, please call the YWCA office, 509-525-2570.
YWCA PREVENTION work in the elementary schools of Walla Walla and College Place has bloomed as the easing of Covid restrictions makes it possible for us to connect in person again.
After two years of lockdown, the specter of middle school has been extra daunting.
One student described it as — this is a direct quote! — the “smelly dark hallways of mean big kids.”
In Mariposa, we broach the topic and start to dispel the myths about middle school, while also equipping the young women with tools for knowing their value and boundaries to create a safer and stronger community.
“Our Mariposa girls uplift and support each other, growing their confidence, respect, and self-love as they head into middle school.”
Kate
THE MARIPOSA CURRICULUM
Goal-setting, communication, boundaries, self-love, and consent are just a few of the topics that our groups of fifth grade girls dive into.
We are proud of our broad puberty curriculum that helps orient our girls to upcoming changes, and empower them to feel comfortable and proud of their bodies.
HEART AND SOUL
In fifth grade, Valentine’s Day is a BIG deal. The making of your mailbox for potential valentines, and the solidifying of your crushes can make or break your self-image.
Mariposa groups work on challenging the narrative for our girls.
In February, our groups wrote things that they appreciate about themselves in Valentines.
This activity embodies what Mariposa is for. As they were writing, the girls would say things to each other like, “oh wow that is true, you are an awesome basketball player,” or “I really like the way you help me with English sometimes; your English is really good.” or “You are super tall. That is so cool.”
Our Mariposa girls uplift and support each other, growing their confidence, respect, and self-love as they head into middle school.
Mariposa continues to bloom as we head into springtime, listening and sharing with each other while embodying the YWCA mission to empower women and eliminate racism.
We are excited about continuing to encourage and empower these young leaders.
MEET THE TEAM
EVERY YEAR, said Executive Director Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin, “we find the most remarkable young people to run the Mariposa program!”
The program, led this year by three Whitman College students, Anne-Marie said, “is a very part-time job we hope will have a full-time impact on the valley’s fifth-graders.”
Kiley Komnick (left) meets with 20 girls in afterschool programs at Green Park and Sharpstein Elementary.
Rebecca Patterson (right) is at Edison Elementary serving 15 girls in the afterschool program.
Kate Stoops (top) leads five girls in a lunchtime program at Davis Elementary in College Place.
