During Troubled Times Minnesota Center Spreads Hope

(Photo courtesy of YWCA via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – From small towns to big metro areas, today’s political climate might make it seem local resilience is hard to come by but in Minnesota’s largest city, a community hub said its connections are a shining example as it recognizes a key milestone.

The long-standing nonprofit YWCA said its core mission is to eliminate racism and empower women and girls. For the past 25 years, its Minneapolis arm has operated its Midtown site, which features a large sports and fitness complex but also gathering spaces, youth programs and a child care center.

Shelley Carthen Watson, president and CEO of the YWCA of Minneapolis, said if it feels like the world around you is falling apart, there are people and support organizations to lean on.

“What we can’t do is isolate ourselves from one another,” Carthen Watson stressed. “It doesn’t have to be an entire city. It can be your neighborhood, it can be your block, but we do have to be there for one another. Community is critical.”