{"id":210014,"date":"2026-09-13T20:44:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T01:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=210014"},"modified":"2026-09-13T20:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T01:45:21","slug":"ywcas-new-facility-will-help-impact-youth-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2026\/09\/13\/ywcas-new-facility-will-help-impact-youth-development\/","title":{"rendered":"YWCA&#8217;s new facility will help impact Youth Development"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"371\" src=\"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/YWCA-rendering-8-2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-208750\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is how the YWCA of Van Wert County&#8217;s new facility on Lincoln Highway in Van Wert will look. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>VW independent staff\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The YWCA of Van Wert County is continuing its series of articles answering a simple but important question: Why is the YWCA building a new facility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer is found in the people the YWCA serves every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the new 30,000-square-foot facility will expand the organization\u2019s services across all three areas of focus \u2013 Survivor Services, Youth Development, and Advocacy &amp; Education &#8212; one of the greatest opportunities for growth will be in Youth Development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more than 30 years, the YWCA has provided free programs designed to help children learn, grow, stay healthy, and build the skills they need to succeed. Programs such as the Summer Food Program, Erin\u2019s Law Abuse Prevention, Van Wert Middle School Cougar Leaders, and Run Jump Throw provide children with opportunities to experience healthy activities, positive relationships, leadership development, and meaningful support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I loved how the lessons were delivered and the hands-on activity each time. Very kid friendly but did not tip toe around the issues.&#8221;<\/em> &#8212; <strong>VWCS teacher response to Erin\u2019s Law lessons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The impact Is measurable<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This summer marked the 31st year of the YWCA Summer Food Program, and the numbers tell an important story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>4,587 meals served<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>524 weekend food bags distributed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>54 hygiene bags provided<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>154 children registered<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>246 free books distributed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>37 children participated in Run Jump Throw<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;My grandchildren had an amazing time at the Summer Food Program and had nothing but good things to say when I picked them up.&#8221;<\/em> &#8212; <strong>Grandparent of Summer Food Program participant<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A growing need with limited space<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The YWCA\u2019s current facility has served the community for more than a century, but the building was not designed to meet today\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the past six years, the Summer Food Program has been held off-site because the YWCA does not have adequate dedicated space to operate the program while also protecting the privacy and confidentiality of individuals receiving Survivor Services. This is an important distinction. The YWCA serves children and families through Youth Development while simultaneously providing emergency shelter and support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Safety, confidentiality, and accessibility must exist for both. The current building makes that increasingly difficult. The new facility changes that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Designing a facility around the people served<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new YWCA facility has been intentionally designed with separate Youth Development and Survivor Services wings, each with its own dedicated entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe new Youth Development wing will allow us to significantly expand our programs and services by providing a safe, welcoming, accessible, and kid-friendly space where children can learn, grow, and explore,\u201d said Betsy Hamman, Director of Youth Programs. \u201cIt will also give us the flexibility to bring in guest speakers, guest readers, and hands-on learning experiences that enrich our programming while keeping participant safety at the forefront of everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The additional space will create opportunities for programs the YWCA currently cannot offer at the level the community needs. Plans include the potential for an after-school latchkey program for elementary students, expanded youth programming, hands-on educational opportunities, and additional activities that encourage healthy development and positive decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Youth Development wing could also become a community resource, providing space for local organizations and groups to offer youth-focused activities and opportunities when YWCA programming is not in session. The goal is to create a place where children have more opportunities; a place where a child can receive a nutritious meal, discover a love of reading, learn about healthy relationships, participate in athletics, develop leadership skills, meet positive role models, and know that there are adults in their community who believe in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Working with the Summer Food Program has been one of the most rewarding experiences! Each summer, I have seen how something as simple as sharing a meal can make a lasting difference for the kids and families in our community. This program also builds special relationships that can make such a positive difference. I\u2019ve made so many meaningful memories and friendships, and it reminds me why I have loved being a part of such an impactful program. It\u2019s truly a blessing to play a role in something that brings people together and makes a real difference.&#8221; <\/em>&#8212; <strong>Past Summer Food Program employee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new facility will be built on Lincoln Highway, across from the Marsh Foundation in Van Wert. Groundbreaking is scheduled for next spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about YWCA Youth Development programs, contact Betsy Hamman, Director of Youth Programs, at <a href=\"mailto:bhamman@ywcavanwertcounty.org\">bhamman@ywcavanwertcounty.org.<\/a> For information about the YWCA Capital Campaign or the new facility project, contact Kimberly Laudick, President &amp; CEO, at <a href=\"mailto:klaudick@ywcavanwertcounty.org\">klaudick@ywcavanwertcounty.org.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VW independent staff\/submitted information The YWCA of Van Wert County is continuing its series of articles answering a simple but important question: Why is the YWCA building a new facility? The answer is found in the people the YWCA serves every day. While the new 30,000-square-foot facility will expand the organization\u2019s services across all three [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-210014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-topstory"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-20 23:35:42","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210014"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210044,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210014\/revisions\/210044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}