YWCA

Together we are powerful, and together, we can make a difference. Every year, our Luncheon unites like-minded people who care about YWCA's mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

The charismatic and recent YWCA Board of Directors member Angela Poe Russell joined us once again as our Luncheon emcee for the fifth year in a row, welcoming our virtual and in-person attendees at The Westin Seattle.

We were treated to a spoken word performance by Maddy Clifford, who briefly shared her experience as a former YWCA program participant and emphasized the importance of donations to ensure critical housing, economic advancement, health, and safety programs can continue serving women and families for many more years to come.

We learned about the power of community and hope in YWCA program graduate Victoria's video, where she shared her experience receiving assistance through our Rapid Rehousing program while she and her children were fleeing domestic violence and abuse. The event ended with a conversation between Angela and our keynote speaker Laila Ali, who talked about the meaning of strength, confidence, and how individuals can create lasting change in their communities.

A Champion Mindset

As an undefeated world champion boxer, leader, entrepreneur, advocate, mother, all-around trailblazer, and the daughter of boxer and global icon, Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali knows what it means to be powerful. She built her career by knowing her own strength and inspiring others to find theirs, because she believes that real power isn't just about what we can do on our own—it's about what becomes possible when we come together and use our strength to lift others up. Here are some words of wisdom Laila shared with us during the Luncheon:

"I was very inspired by my father in the way that I go about things and the things that I stand up for, and standing up for it doesn't always mean you have to be loud. There's a way to stand up within your own community, within your own friend group. The conversations that you have, the people that you encourage and inspire that can go on and do other things—there's a lot of ways to be strong. Where you can really make the lasting change—and the real change—is what you're doing behind the scenes in your community, in your group of friends, so that we can all be stronger together."

"Having confidence in yourself doesn't mean you're going to win every time; it means that you know you're going to do the work that it takes, and then you have faith in knowing that everything's gonna fall into place as it's supposed to. I don't worry about the things that I can't control, I do what I know I can do, and that's a tremendous amount of faith and confidence together that allows me to be successful. [...] I go in there with the intention of doing my absolute best, and that's all I focus on. I don't see anything else other than that."

"[My father] cared about people so deeply, and he just stood for the things that he believed in, and that taught me at a very young age like, 'Wow, everyone loves and respects my father for doing the right thing,' because everything that I feel he did most of the time, the things that we love him most for—standing against an unjust war and, you know, standing up for his religion—those were his beliefs. He cared about the good of all people and we appreciate the things in him that we all can actually do ourselves. We can all do those things ourselves."

"What I love about the YWCA is the way they support the community in a way that allows people to uplift themselves, helping them with the tools they need to be successful going forward. That's what strengthens our families, our communities, for generations. [...] I really love the foundational work that the YWCA does."

YWCA's IMPACT

[YWCA] really let me know that this is just a chapter, I'm gonna get through it. It gave me confidence, it gave me a sense of power and… It just made me feel strong to have that support.

– Victoria, YWCA Program Graduate

"When you're talking about people in crisis, for us, it's more effective that we can give them as much as we can give them from one organization. [...] My big dream has always been, with people like Victoria, that they come to the YWCA, they get their needs met, they build their tool box, they're able to continue to live freely, thrive in their communities, and really celebrate life."

– Jeanice Hardy, YWCA Chief Program Officer

We are stronger together, and we couldn't do this critical work without you. If you were unable to attend the Luncheon or missed your opportunity to donate at the event, you can still show your support and help us continue supporting people like Victoria and countless other women, children, and families across King and Snohomish County.

Stay informed with YWCA's monthly newsletter and mark your calendars for our 2027 Inspire Luncheon on September 30!