YWCA 2015 Tribute to Women Honoree Announcement – Press Release

Welcome to YWCA Silicon Valley

A few words from our CEO:

YWCA Silicon Valley has an incredible history.  We launched in 1905 – a full 15 years before women in the state of California could vote.  These trailblazers’ negotiated leases, signed checks, and took on leadership roles they didn’t dare in their own households. They created waves.  And the waves kept coming.

In 1915 we opened our first building. In the 1960’s we started a solo club for single mothers when it was still taboo. In the 1970’s we started one of the very first rape crisis centers in the entire United States.  And then in 2004, our YWCA was among the first in the entire world to invite men to serve on its board.  We believe that to truly dismantle inequality, YWCA’s need to engage with men as partners in this path to justice.  We can’t do it alone.

Women…and a few good men…involved in this YWCA are the original Silicon Valley disruptors.  We are your social engineers who make life better, challenge the status quo, and change the world.  This organization is a catalyst that changes lives forever.

Our YWCA is the first and only multi-service agency for women in Santa Clara County.  We empower, we heal, and we make it possible for women, children and families to flourish.  Our interconnected programs serve over 18,000 people annually at over twenty community based locations.

YWCA Silicon Valley has always taken on the big issues head on – we are taking on the most pressing and complex community issues right now, and launching innovative new programs to create lasting change for decades to come.  You power that future.  When you support YWCA Silicon Valley, you create lasting change on people’s lives – enabling them to heal, be empowered, and flourish.  Thank you for supporting our work, and making the change we desire in this world possible, through YWCA Silicon Valley.

Tanis Crosby,

CEO