Throughout the month of December, TeamHealth celebrated #GivingTuesday with our annual #TeamHealthCares voting engagement. We collaborated with Habitat for Humanity, Shatter Proof, Make A Wish and the YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley to celebrate the spirit of giving and asked our social media audience to visit the TeamHealth Cares website to vote for the organization of their choice to receive a $10,000 donation from TeamHealth. Voting was close, and our 2017 #TeamHealthCares charity contest winner was the YWCA.
We recently visited the YWCA located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee to see how they are using the money to improve the lives of their clients, and we found out they were able to put it to excellent use!
For nearly 100 years, the YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley has been home to the Transitional Housing Program, Club W, Victim Advocacy Program, daily rentals and the administrative staff of the YWCA.
“The TeamHealth donation allowed the Transitional Housing Program to house at full capacity—58 women—for approximately 1,700 nights. That’s 1,700 nights that 58 people were in a safe and secure place,” said YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley social service coordinator, Emma Silver Alford. “We serve women of such a diverse backgrounds, but their common denominator is that they were all, at some point, experiencing homelessness or being at imminent risk of being homeless, so we want to make sure that this is a safe place where we able to support them in their goals.”
The YWCA also teaches valuable life skill courses such as financial, team building, self-esteem and job skill courses to women and victims of domestic violence who are turning their lives around on the path to self-sufficiency.
The YWCA’s GameChangers program uses a group-mentoring model that pairs middle school aged boys with adult male mentors. GameChangers teachers young men about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and bystander intervention in hopes of preventing violence against women and girls. “We are the only gender-based violence prevention program in East Tennessee,” stated YWCA community relations coordinator, Ally Johnson. “Soon, we hope to be the only evidence-based violence prevention program in the county.”
Located in East Knoxville, the Phyllis Wheatly Center also benefited from the TeamHealth donation. The center sees roughly 80-100 youth who attend their After-School Enrichment Program (ASEP) that includes reading, writing, homework assistance, art, gardening and weekly cooking courses.
“I honestly believe, hands down, our program is one of the best after school programs that kids could attend,” said Kathy Mack, director of the YWCA Phyllis Wheatly Center. “I believe kids vote with their feet. They go where they want to go, and we have a huge opportunity to influence them.”
As part of ASEP, kids make meals, and are able to take home food to their families and donate leftover meals to the community. In 2017, roughly 22,000 meals were served within the East Knoxville community as a part of this program.
What to check our more photos from our YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley visit at their downtown Knoxville location? Click through the below to see more!
YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley Exterior View
YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley Interior/ Lobby
YWCA Woman In Room
Resident room at YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley
Work stations at YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley
Pool available for use at YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley. Fun fact: this is oldest - and only all tile indoor pool in Knoxville!
Gym at YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley. Available to residents or for rentals.
TeamHealth’s passion for helping others isn’t just our culture—it’s everything we do. We believe giving back creates better experiences for everyone. It’s about building team unity and creating a positive impact in the communities we serve, and we’re so excited to support the YWCA and their great work.
Thank you for your votes to a deserving organization and make sure you follow us to see how TeamHealth continues to give back to local communities nationwide.