YWCA honours past leaders
For over forty years, the young Women?s Christian association has been serving the Belizean community with programmes that aim to uplift the lives of girls and women. And over the years the leaders of the ‘Y’ have given dedicated service without much public fanfare or recognition. That is until now. This morning the association gathered all of its past presidents and general secretaries for an appreciation breakfast at the Radisson. Vice president Beverly brown says it was a chance to offer a public ?thank you.?
Beverly Brown, Vice President, YWCA
?These ladies have done so much for the Y and we thought it very fitting to say thank you to them. Some of them aren?t here, but at least their families know that we do appreciate what they did in the years gone by.?
Patrick Jones
?Now it was a fund raiser breakfast, what is the money going to be used for??
Beverly Brown
?Well the funds raised–the money if going to be used mainly for the helping early leavers programme. That is one of our most needy programmes that needs most funding actually. It?s a programme that?s for the young girls who dropped out of school, or who just want to do a skill or something like that and it?s a program that needs a lot of money, but we don?t have a lot of funds for it.?
One woman who has been with the YWCA practically from its inception in 1956 is Norma Young, who served as president from 1970 to 1974. Although she is no longer actively involved in the programmes of the ?Y?, Young says she wouldn?t trade the experience for anything in the world.
Norma Young, Past YWCA President
?It was not easy but it was enjoyable, you know dealing with young girls who were in need of something. So I enjoyed it.?
Patrick Jones
?What was the most memorable period for you being with the Y??
Norma Young
?It was the years when I was president and also when I worked with the under the underprivileged. My greatest reward–I didn?t do it because I wanted an award, I did it because I wanted to help. But my greatest reward I received say about seven or eight years ago. I was getting out of my car by Atlantic Bank and a woman came up to me and said ?you know who me?? And when I looked up to her, I recognized here as one of the underprivileged children. And apparently she had done very well for herself. And to me, that is my reward.?
Patrick Jones
?Would you encourage other women, and now they are accepting men, to join the Y??
Norma Young
?Oh definitely. Definitely. It?s fulfilling job, if you want to call it a job. It?s very fulfilling, it?s very enjoyable and there is achievement in knowing that you?ve helped the needs of probably some of the underprivileged people.?
The Belize Chapter of YWCA was established in 1956 under the leadership of Winnie Ward. The organization operates out of offices on St. Thomas Street in Belize City. The past presidents who received plaques of appreciation were: Winnie Ward, Evadney Hulse, Emily Bowen, Norma Young, Ivy Bennett, Ruth Wakelin, Lettice Roach, Lady Josephine Courtenay, Barbara Harris, Beatrice Kingston Smith, Norma Sutherland and Shawn McKoy Gill. The past General Secretaries honoured are: Anna Fuller Carol, Sheila Leslie John, Lois Bodden Locke, Lenna Skeet Stuart, Gweneth Gillett and Shemaldine Faux.
