YWCA sets ‘Strides to Survive’ speaker

VW independent/submitted information

The YWCA of Van Wert County will be holding its annual walk, Strides to Survive (formerly Walk for Women), on Saturday, October 8, at 10 a.m. at the YWCA. Attendees will begin the walk at the YWCA, head down Main Street to Shannon Street, and end back at the YWCA.

Guest speaker for the event this year is April Maley, author of I Will Not Be Silent. Maley lived through years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse: alcoholism, rejection, murder, illness, and insanity. It is her greatest wish to create a much larger awareness and action for child abuse and domestic violence, and provide hope for those who find themselves trapped in those positions, by teaching them that with strength and faith, nothing is ever impossible. The cycle can be broken!

Maley has been a keynote speaker at a number of organizational functions, and at a variety of venues educating on domestic violence and child abuse advocacy. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in addiction studies, with a minor in urban ministries. Her desire for healing for herself and for the many others who have been affected by domestic violence, addiction, and child abuse is among the reasons she wrote her first book. Her passion is to see individuals find hope and healing through the process.

For more information on the Strides to Survive event contact Jody Wannemacher, YWCA outreach coordinator, at 419.238.6639. The YWCA is a United Way and Van Wert County Foundation funded agency.