A healthy and strong community is more than just having places to live, work, and gather. It’s knowing that we aren’t alone, that there are resources available when we need them, and that the people and organizations around us care about our safety and well-being.
This is what the YWCA Lewiston-Clarkston in Lewiston, Idaho, does every day to help make this kind of community possible. Through advocacy, resources, shelter, and support, the YWCA helps individuals and families move toward safety and sustainability while reminding us all that we have a role to play in building safer, stronger communities.
We sat down with Victoria Scalise, the Director of Development & Engagement, to learn more about the organization, its mission, and its long-standing partnership with P1FCU.
The Mission of the YWCA
With more than 100 years of history, what started as a safe place for young women to gather has evolved into an organization that provides shelter and support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. It is the only YWCA in the state of Idaho, serving over 14,000 square miles in Eastern Washington and North Central Idaho.
Part of Victoria’s role is to build relationships and help the community understand the YWCA’s work. At its core, their mission is to build strong communities by actively promoting the value of diversity and the right of everyone to a life free from violence, poverty, and oppression.
“We serve everyone,” Victoria shared. “Domestic violence and sexual assault don’t know whether you have money or not, it doesn’t know your beliefs or politics. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe, or where you come from. Though it can sometimes be harder for someone with fewer resources to get out.”
That’s where the YWCA’s services and programs can make a meaningful difference. They serve everyone, and offer emergency shelter units, safe shelter options, and a 24-hour crisis line.
Domestic violence is more than just physical abuse. It can include emotional abuse, financial abuse, controlling access to resources, and other forms of control. Because of this, their work goes beyond just providing shelter. They also provide safety planning, women's and children’s support groups, and provide advocacy for health, medical, and legal situations.
“I see this work as hope,” she explains. “This is something that happens; it’s a reality. The work that I do is to help elevate the visibility of hope and the work that we do.”
Why Partnership Matters
The work of the YWCA reaches far beyond the walls of its facilities. Providing safety, support, and resources to individuals and families takes a whole community. This is why partnering with local businesses and organizations is so important.
“We can’t do our work alone. It takes our whole community, and our community believing that safety is something everyone deserves,” Victoria said.
Community support helps the YWCA keep its programs running, respond to changing needs, and ensure critical resources are available when someone needs them most. Partnerships can also help connect the YWCA with people and resources that may not otherwise be on each other’s radar. Most importantly, this support sends an important message to survivors and families; their community cares about their safety and well-being.
When a business chooses to support the YWCA, it’s more than a donation. “It sends an important message that our communities believe in the importance of the work we do and care about the safety and well-being of our community,” Victoria shared.
The Partnership with P1FCU
One example of this community support is the longstanding partnership between the YWCA and P1FCU. Over the years, the partnership has grown beyond donations and events. It has become a relationship built on trust, communication, and a shared commitment to supporting the community.
Victoria shared the different ways P1FCU continues to show its support and how the relationship has grown. From delivering soup for the Soup-Port Our Shelters and handing out backpacks and school supplies at their yearly School Supply Distribution to continuous communication and financial support for larger events, P1FCU has continued to find ways to support the YWCA. Just as importantly, the two organizations have maintained continuous communication, allowing the partnership to evolve as needs change.
“You are familiar with the work we do, and where the needs might be. It’s the trust that’s built with partnerships over time,” Victoria shared.
That trust can also lead to meaningful support in unexpected ways. For example, Jason, a Community Development Specialist at P1FCU, contacted Victoria one day to simply ask what their organization needed. She told Jason that there was a need for small children’s chairs for their children’s center, and before they knew it, the needed chairs were delivered to their building.
When Jason reached out to them, it showed how the support went beyond showing up for events or donating funds. It showed how he wanted to check in and see if there were any unmet needs. Most importantly, it showed that P1FCU is invested in the partnership.
This is one of Victoria’s hopes for any partnership or sponsorship. “I want them to really feel invested in the cause. They really believe in it, and that can help grow partnerships over the years.”
Everyone Has a Role to Play
Building a safer, stronger community is something that not one organization can do all on its own. Whether it’s volunteering at an event, donating, sharing information about available resources, or simply learning more about the work happening in our community, everyone has an opportunity to make a difference.
For the YWCA, that support helps ensure individuals and families know they aren’t alone, and that resources are available when they need them most. And for partners like P1FCU, supporting the YWCA is one way to help create a community where safety, dignity, and well-being are valued.
Visit https://ywcaidaho.org/ to learn more about the YWCA and how you can volunteer.
