The Young Women’s Alliance is a professional organization for women: one that supports, empowers, and connects. And while YWA is a networking group, the community it creates is so much more than that. In this community, we thrive by focusing on four pillars of value: one of which is service – community service.
We truly believe in the importance of giving back to our Austin communities. This is why we volunteer in a variety of community service projects and events each month. We’re an official partner of the Girls Empowerment Network, a Texas nonprofit serving girls in grades 3-12. GEN teaches girls “the skills they need to thrive and believe in their ability to be unstoppable.”
Our involvement is by no means limited to only one single organization! We volunteer with dozens of other organizations across Austin, some of which are mentioned below.
For those of you seeking ways to become more involved, YWA could be a fantastic catalyst. Read on to learn why.
A history of community service…
To learn a little about some of the volunteering events we’ve hosted, look no further than the YWA blog! While we’ve worked too many community service events to cover them all here, you’ll find these to be a great overview.
It’s a known fact that homelessness is a major issue in Austin. Most recently, YWA held an in-person (socially distanced, of course!) volunteering event at the Sunrise Navigation Center, a resource center for Austin’s homeless community. We also began working with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a social outreach ministry. A key part of MLF’s service is their food truck, which supplies meals to Austin’s homeless every day of the year.
On a beautiful morning in September, we held an event at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This day, we helped landscape the botanic garden. The Center provides native plant conservation, ecological research, sustainability projects, and more.
As a women’s organization, we can’t forget about the female-focused groups! YWA supports Flo Code – a nonprofit that provides menstrual products to women in need. We volunteer with Dress for Success Austin, a group that provides women with professional attire. And of course, volunteering opportunities with Girls Empowerment Network are on the calendar regularly.
Our community involvement is broad, and there’s an opportunity for everyone to join in. Are you passionate about literacy? Join us when we volunteer with BookSpring. Do you love animals? Foster a pet in need through Austin PetsAlive! Want to support something entirely different? Get involved with the YWA Community Service Committee and help to set something up!
Other means of serving your community
Volunteering is a very important method of providing service to our community. But it isn’t the only option! For example, we also serve through the YWA Foundation, a 501(c)3 foundation. The Foundation, among other things, grants multiple scholarships to young women every year.
Service doesn’t have to be as big as running a foundation or entire nonprofit, either. From completing the 2020 Census; to supporting small businesses struggling through the pandemic; to making an effort to be more involved in personally fostering social justice and anti-racism. There are so many ways that you can make your community a better place, and YWA is here to support you through it all.
Keeping service alive when it’s needed most
In the midst of Covid-19, it can sometimes seem like any in-person activity, much less volunteering for community service, is impossible. And it’s true, volunteering events are looking a little different these days. But nonprofits are working hard to make sure that they can continue to provide often-critical services to their constituents. They need the help of volunteers like you more than ever to make this happen.
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” – Maya Angelou
There are so many benefits to getting involved in community service through a group like YWA. Not only are you helping people in Austin who need a hand, but you can learn so much. You can learn about the struggles people around you may face – some you may have otherwise never heard of. Learn about those who are working hard to address and ease these struggles, and how they do it. Or maybe, learn a skill you didn’t have before. And all the while, you’ll meet others in YWA, in your neighborhood, and beyond.
And hopefully, you learn more about yourself along the way.
Get involved!
Not a member yet? You’re in luck: October 1-31 is the final open enrollment period of 2020! Click here to become a Young Women’s Alliance member and start getting involved with us.
Already a YWA member? To get information on how to volunteer, check out the Members’ event calendar. To form a community service project of your own, or to join the Community Service Committee, contact community@youngwomensalliance.org.
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[…] What nonprofits do you partner with for community service events? We partner with many local nonprofits, including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, BookSpring, CASA, the Girls Empowerment Network, and many more. […]