Your bi-monthly pulse on programs, events and inspiration.

In This Issue:

💙 Greetings from Kim

🙌 Upcoming Events

🌼Shelter Updates

🎼The W: Program Highlights

🤱Child Care & Summer Camp Updates 

🤝 Community Love & Gratitude

💡Advocacy & Action

😘How You Can Help

🔑Stay Connected

Greetings {{First Name}},

As we move into the warmth of summer, I am looking back at the month of June with an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude for what our YWCA Cambridge community has accomplished. This issue of our newsletter is packed with milestones that show just how deeply rooted we are in our mission to support women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals in Cambridge, North Dumfries, and beyond.

From our frontlines to the national stage, our team has been working tirelessly. Locally, we have seen beautiful growth—literally, as our shelter staff recently planted vibrant new flower beds outside of our shelter, and organizationally, as our LINC Preschool program was renamed to Wesley Child Care to reflect the expansion of the program to provide more licensed child care spaces to our community. We also celebrated local trailblazers at our annual Women of Distinction Awards, raising a phenomenal $20,000 to keep our vital community-based programming running.

But our impact didn't stop at our city borders this month. We brought Cambridge’s frontline expertise directly to Canada's lawmakers. I had the privilege of appearing as an expert witness before the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women to advocate for systemic housing reform, and earlier this week, we submitted a formal brief to the National Housing Council’s review of the lack of accessible housing to advance the rights of senior women and women living with disabilities facing housing displacement. 

Whether we are planting seeds in our gardens, expanding child care spaces for families, or testifying in Parliament, everything we do is powered by your belief in our work. Thank you for standing with us.

I hope you enjoy reading about the incredible impact you help make possible, and please don't forget to save the date for our youth-led Take Back the Night event coming up on September 17!

With deepest gratitude,

Kim Decker

CEO, YWCA Cambridge

Upcoming Events

Take Back the Night - Save the Date

YWCA Cambridge’s Take Back the Night returns to the Cambridge community again this year as part of our ongoing commitment to raising awareness, inspiring action, and working toward the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.

This youth-led event  provides an opportunity for community members, organizations, advocates, and survivors to come together in solidarity and send a clear message: we care, we believe survivors, and we support those who have experienced violence. By gathering as a community, we reaffirm our commitment to creating spaces where survivors are heard, respected, and supported, and where experiences of violence are never dismissed, minimized, or ignored. Together, we can strengthen awareness, promote prevention, and demonstrate that our community remains committed to ending sexual and gender-based violence. 

This year’s event will be held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and will begin and end at The W, 20 Dickson Street, Unit 101, Cambridge. 

Thanks to everyone for your leadership, courage, and strength in creating change within your communities. Your advocacy, voices, and actions bring hope for safer, more equitable, and more inclusive communities for everyone.

Posting photos of the display on their Instagram, Bangishimo shared the following reflection: "It is an honour to share these portraits of Phi and Benny during National Indigenous Peoples Month and Pride Month. My goal for this series was to feature the young leaders in our community who are unapologetically themselves and inspire us all through their determination. Seeing their stories in the windows of @thewcentre is a powerful reminder of why representation matters. Thank you for providing the space to celebrate these powerhouses throughout the month of June."

The portraits will remain on display throughout the month of June.

Shelter Updates

Flowers at the Shelter

Since we opened the shelter, plants and flowers have decorated our space - inside and out. 

The shared spaces of the shelter are usually permeated with little plants propagated on bookshelves, and also with seedlings that the residents are nurturing. The outdoor gardens, although lush with grasses and trees, were in lack of some flower beds. Then, recently, on one hot day, the flower beds were built, and we planted the most colourful flowers we could find. It is hoped that this little bed of beauty will grow into more moments of peace and joy for residents of the shelter, and for our neighbours, too!

The W: Program Highlights

SHYFT Youth Programming

Over the past month, our SHYFT program at The W hosted two empowering, hands-on workshops for youth from the Kinbridge Southwood group:

Jayroots Wellness Therapeutic Music & Lyric Workshop: Led by trauma-informed wellness practitioner, Jay, youth engaged in drumming, journaling, and music improvisation. Participants explored creative writing and shared powerful spoken word pieces reflecting on emotions, personal experiences, strength, and future dreams in a supportive environment that fostered confidence and critical thinking.

SHYNE Body Butter Workshop: Alexis, founder of SHYNE, led an engaging session focused on holistic wellness and self-care. Youth learned about the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits associated with different essential oils and exercised autonomy by choosing their own scent combinations. The workshop encouraged creativity, independence, and emotional regulation as participants designed custom products tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

We are incredibly grateful to our skilled guest facilitators for sharing their expertise and creating such meaningful, impactful spaces for our youth! Learn more about these workshops and facilitators Jay and Alexis on The W’s Instagram.

Our LINC Preschool's name has changed!

As of June 17, 2026, our LINC Preschool program officially transitioned to a new name: YWCA Cambridge Wesley Child Care. So, why the change? We’re growing!

For over 60 years, YWCA Cambridge has been a proud leader in high-quality, licensed child care. This milestone reflects the needs for an exciting expansion to our services, and to help more local families access trusted licensed child care.

Originally, our LINC Preschool program was a half-day program provided for children whose parents were attending Conestoga College’s Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) classes. Over the years this program has expanded to provide access to the broader community, as well as offering morning and afternoon preschool groups. The YWCA Cambridge Wesley Child Care program will continue supporting children’s learning, development, and wellbeing in a nurturing environment while their parents attend LINC classes. Both the morning (9:00am-12:00pm) and afternoon (12:30pm-3:00pm) programs will continue to operate from September to June.

Thank you for your continued support, partnership, and trust as we step into this exciting new chapter as YWCA Cambridge Wesley Child Care.

New! Licensed Summer Camp Now Available at YWCA Cambridge Wesley Child Care

This summer, in order to further support our community and provide additional opportunities for children to participate in engaging, enriching, and inclusive programming, we are launching a new licensed full-time summer camp program at the newly named YWCA Cambridge Wesley Child Care!

To apply for a space at YWCA Cambridge Wesley Child Care preschool program or summer camp program please visit [regionofwaterloo.onehsn.com].

Southeast Galt / Wesley Blvd. Child Care Centre Update

🏗️Construction reaches further milestones - AND, we have a name!

We are pleased to share that construction of our new child care site continues to progress smoothly. Following our last walkthrough on June 1, the project has moved into the painting phase, with millwork installation scheduled as the next stage. 

As we prepare for the opening of the new site, recruitment is underway for key positions, including an Assistant Supervisor, Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs), and cooks. The interview process will begin shortly, and we look forward to building a strong team to support our growing community. If you or someone you know is looking for an exciting career opportunity in early learning, check out our open jobs! 

We are also thrilled to announce our centre officially has a name! It will be called YWCA Cambridge Greengate Child Care, named after the nearby park by the same name. 

Community Love & Gratitude (Philanthropy Updates)

Celebrating Champions and Trailblazers: Congratulations to the 2026 Women of Distinction

Image Caption: 2026 Women of Distinction Award Recipients from left to right: Sid Macdonald, Kay Crawford, Crystal Laforest, Mary Jane LeBlanc, Lorraine Harris, Brenda Walsh. Sara Alvarado was absent.

On June 3, we hosted another successful Women of Distinction Awards ceremony at Whistle Bear Golf Club - all thanks to our incredible community of attendees, dignitaries, sponsors, nominees, and supporters!

With nearly 200 guests in attendance, 21 inspiring nominees (read all about this year’s nominees here), and seven remarkable award recipients, the evening was a powerful show of solidarity for the integral work of YWCA Cambridge.

We are beyond grateful to everyone who helped make the evening such a success — from those who nominated community changemakers to every person who donated, bid in our auction, cheered, and showed up. Thanks to all of you, we raised $20,000 to provide safe shelter, financial literacy and employment programming , and gender-based violence prevention programming to women, girls, and gender-diverse folks in Cambridge.

Highlights from the Night:

💐 21 outstanding nominees and seven remarkable award recipients

🎶 A delightful musical performance from Samuel Soga

📲 1 impactful fireside chat with Abby Albino, a passionate entrepreneur, co-founder of MakeWay, Canada’s first and only sneaker boutique for women, Head of Brand Partnerships at Basketball Canada, and a proud new mom.

📸 A lively photobooth from Southlands that captured the fun and spirit of the evening 

🧺 13 generous silent auction items, valued at over $3,200, to help us raise critical funds - with special thanks to our Board for curating beautiful gift baskets

🤝 Support from four generous sponsors and our local vending partners: Westmount Signs, 91.5 the Beat, Southlands, and Photography by Melissa.

We are so grateful for the unwavering support of our community in our mission to advance gender equity and provide programs and services that respond to the changing needs of women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals. Thank you for joining us in celebrating the leadership, courage and commitment of local Women of Distinction.

Women of Distinction Award Recipients:

Mary Jane LeBlanc
Brenda Walsh
Crystal Laforest
Sara Alvarado

Special Category Recipients:

Young Trailblazer Award – Sid MacDonald
President’s Award – Lorraine Harris
Lifetime Achievement – Kay Crawford

Let’s continue celebrating the work of women and gender-diverse leaders in our community and keep the momentum towards gender equity going!

📸 View event facebook photo album here - Photos by Photography By Melissa

💜 Read the news release here.

We can’t wait to see you in 2027 to do it all over again! But don’t wait until next year to get in touch - if you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities or have someone that you would like to nominate, please reach out today s.amoah@ywcacambridge.ca.

Good Neighbour Day – Meridian Credit Union, Hespeler

Image Caption: (From left to right) Lance McLellan, Yachika Singh, Kim Decker, Emma Wintle, and Sarah Amoah. 

On June 17, members of the Hespeler Branch of Meridian Credit Union  joined YWCA Cambridge CEO, Kim Decker, Director of Philanthropy, Sarah Amoah to celebrate their Good Neighbour program and stay for a meaningful discussion about the importance of local partnerships.

Meridian’s Good Neighbour program supports local causes, empowering their districts and branches to champion grassroots initiatives that reflect community priorities. This year, YWCA Cambridge was lucky enough to receive support from this program for our Women of Distinction Awards. Without core funding, the sustainability of our program offerings relies on funds raised through events, especially Women of Distinction, emphasizing how critical this partnership is.

“We are proud to partner with YWCA Cambridge and support the incredible work being done in our community,” says Yachika Singh, Branch Manager at the Hespeler Branch. 

By generously partnering with our organization, Meridian Credit Union is a changemaker for women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals in your community

“We truly value our partnership with YWCA Cambridge and look forward to continuing to work together to make a positive impact locally,” continued Yachika during the Good Neighbour Day tour of YWCA Cambridge’s head office. 

With the support of Meridian Credit Union, we will continue to advance our mission to create safer, more supportive pathways to housing, learning, and economic stability for women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals.

Thank you to our neighbours at Meridian!

Advocacy & Action

Welcoming the $5.4B Federal Child Care Boost, While Striving for Long-Term Certainty

YWCA Cambridge joins advocates across the country in applauding the recent federal government announcement committing an additional $5.4 billion over the next two years to bolster the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan. This funding injection is a hard-won victory for the families and educators who have fiercely defended the vision of affordable early learning. It represents a vital recognition of the severe cost pressures facing operators as we work to keep fees low and build new spaces.

While we celebrate this momentum, crucial work remains. We await the details of how these funds will be distributed. Furthermore, because Ontario only agreed to a temporary one-year extension rather than a five-year commitment as other provinces have done, we continue to anxiously call upon our provincial and federal leaders to come together to make this funding permanent. We cannot build a sustainable, generational system of care on short-term installments when families and educators deserve a permanent foundation.

Read the full coverage of the federal announcement on CBC News.

Giving Testimony to the House of Common’s Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) for their study on the role and capacity of women’s shelters and transitional housing in Canada

Earlier this month, YWCA Cambridge CEO Kim Decker appeared as an expert witness before the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) for their study on the role and capacity of women’s shelters and transitional housing in Canada.

In her remarks, Kim spoke to the fact that housing policy is violence prevention policy, and that women’s homelessness and violence against women are two sides of the same coin. Violence is a key driver of women’s homelessness and the lack of deeply affordable and adequate housing is what drives longer stays at both violence against women and homeless shelters.

Thank you to the Committee members for their vital work on this study, and our sincere thanks to our local Cambridge MP, Connie Cody, for inviting us to bring our community's front-line expertise to this study.

[Read the transcript of her remarks]

Submission to the National Housing Council Review Panel on the Lack of Accessible Housing in Canada

On June 22, 2026, YWCA Cambridge officially submitted our formal brief to the National Housing Council Review Panel on the Lack of Accessible Housing in Canada. Grounded in our daily work at Cambridge's first and only emergency shelter dedicated to women, our submission shines a light on a growing crisis in our community: the systemic displacement of senior women and women living with disabilities.

When we talk about accessible housing, the conversation often stops at physical design, like ramps and wider doors. But our frontline teams see a much more complex reality. In Cambridge, older private rental stock is riddled with hidden architectural barriers, forcing women with mobility needs to apply exclusively to newer, corporate-run buildings. There, they hit a digital brick wall. Due to generational financial dynamics, many senior women face sudden income drops after losing a partner or possess thin or non-existent credit histories that cause automated screening algorithms to lock them out entirely.

Our submission argues that housing cannot be considered "accessible" if the people who need it most are blocked from signing a lease. We are calling on the federal government to use its multi-billion-dollar spending power to mandate true universal design standards, reform tenant-screening practices, and invest heavily in deeply affordable, public, non-market housing.

[Read our full submission to the National Housing Council here]

How You Can Help

Every action you take—big or small—helps us build a community where women, girls and gender-diverse individuals are respected, valued and equal. Here’s how you can make a difference today:

💛 Donate: Help us to provide safe shelter, empowering women’s and youth programs, and to be a strong voice for gender equity.

🔁 Become a Monthly Donor: Join a community of changemakers fueling sustainable impact all year long.

🎟️ Attend an Event: From Women of Distinction to community workshops and fundraisers, your presence matters.

🎉 Host a Fundraiser: Celebrate a birthday, milestone or community event by fundraising in support of our programs.

Stay Connected

There are so many ways to stay in the loop and be part of the YWCA Cambridge community. Be sure to follow us on social media for real-time updates, stories and opportunities.

Together, we’re building a stronger, more equitable Cambridge. Thank you for being part of it!

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