Biography

The Young Women’s Chirstian Association (YWCA) of Washington, Iowa, was a nonprofit organization established in 1925 for the purpose of creating a fellowship for women and young girls. The YWCA became linked to the national organization through the state Iowa District YWCA in the 1940s. However, that changed in the 1970s with the dissolution of the Y-teens club after which the organization became directly affiliated with the National YWCA in 1978.

Throughout the organizations’ history it played a key role in the Washington community by hosting gatherings, administrative meetings, and classes at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) building. Each year the YWCA paid rent to the YMCA until a co-operation agreement was signed in 1992. The YWCA then became known as the YWCA Endowment that still retained rights as a women’s organization that funded services supporting children such as the Cornelia S. Day Child Care Center. The YWCA Endowment became known in 2012 as the Women of Washington Iowa Endowment (WOWIE).

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