Comcast is pleased to be airing a public service announcement to help raise awareness – and money – for a much-needed shelter in Pierce County, Washington.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OAhVMwJ1Pc&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0]
Here’s what the YWCA’s Kelly McDonald told us about the effort:
The YWCA is proud to have offered safety to women and children fleeing violence for over three decades, but the current shelter is cramped.
Communal living at a time of great crisis is taxing. Families reside in 97-square-foot rooms. Up to 50 residents share two kitchens and two bathrooms. The YWCA wanted to offer more than just safety to clients; they want to give them the dignity and healing that individual space offers.
So in December of 2008, the YWCA’s board got visionary and voted to purchase a new building to move the shelter. In the midst of an economic recession, the Board acted boldly to meet the needs of YWCA clients, and launched a $4.5 million dollar campaign to purchase, renovate, and sustain the new building.
This new space will offer individual apartments to the families the YWCA harbors with safety. Private kitchens and bathrooms in each unit, and more space for kids, pets, and moms will offer clients enhanced peace and dignity as they heal. The YWCA will increase bed space by 50%.
The YWCA Pierce County has under $300,000 remaining to raise in order to offer safety, healing, and empowerment to women and children in a space they deserve. Follow the YWCA’s progress by going to www.itstimefortheywca.org.
Comcast’s public relations director, Walter Neary, who serves on the Lakewood City Council, was originally contacted about this sponsorship by a former city council member, Helen McGovern. We’re proud to support this effort with a donation worth at least $50,000 in airtime.
