YWCA Greater Atlanta announced the completion of its capital campaign to transform the 22,000-square-foot Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA building into a hub of services for women, girls, and their families. The $19.5 million Collaboration In Action campaign raised the funding necessary to return the Phillis Wheatley YWCA and its services to Atlanta’s Westside after a decade. Renovations to the community landmark include an Early Learning Academy, interactive media center, tutoring room, and space for medical services. The association made the announcement at its annual Salute to Women of Achievement luncheon on May 8. YWCA Greater Atlanta also inducted the 41st class of women into its Academy of Women Achievers and raised nearly $450,000 to support its core programming. The reopening of the Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA located along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive is scheduled for spring 2026.  

“We are honored to stand in this moment alongside women on the Westside who for too long have not been fully seen, nor heard,” said YWCA Greater Atlanta President and CEO Danita V. Knight. “Each leader, organization, and donor that joined us in support of our Phillis Wheatley campaign has made it possible to create a safe space and village of supportive services for women, girls, and their families. We are excited to bring this iconic building back to the Westside of Atlanta and tremendously grateful for all of the community support.”

Constructed in 1951, the Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA has long stood as a symbol of support, and civic and social engagement for Black Atlantans on the Westside, where today more than 50 percent of households still live below the poverty line, and more than 60 percent of households are headed by women. Early in the planning process for the Phillis Wheatley Westside initiative, YWCA Greater Atlanta tapped women in the community to identify essential programming needs. Women surveyed highlighted subsidized early childhood education, onsite clinic services, technical training, and other key support resources as critical services to help them cope with life’s challenges and improve their futures. Strategic partners, including CHRIS 180, Families First, Morehouse School of Medicine, and the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, are set to collaborate with YWCA Greater Atlanta to provide services to women, girls, and their families.

Guests at the Salute to Women of Achievement event also witnessed YWCA Greater Atlanta’s surprise tribute to Atlanta business and civic leader, Ann Stallard, renaming its Woman of Achievement Award the Ann Stallard Award for Excellence and Leadership. Stallard is YWCA Greater Atlanta’s only lifetime board member, and served as board president of the national YWCA from 1991 to 1996, and the Global Board of the World YWCA in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1996 to 2002.

Inductees to the 41st class of YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Academy of Women Achievers include, the 2025 Ann Stallard Award for Excellence and Leadership recipient, DONNA HYLAND, President and CEO, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; ASHLEY CARSON, EVP, Atlanta Division President, SouthState Bank; KWAJELYN JACKSON, Executive Director, Feminist Center for Reproductive Liberation; DERETTA COLE RHODES, Executive Vice President and Chief Culture Officer, Atlanta Braves; ELIZABETH CORRELL RICHARDS, President, The Correll Family Foundation; LESLIE SCHREINER, SVP, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta; JEWEL BURKS SOLOMON, Managing Partner, Collab Capital; PAMELA STEWART, Chief Customer Officer - Retail, The Coca-Cola Company; BELISA URBINA, CEO and Co-Founder, Ser Familia; and JANIS WARE, Executive Director, The Atlanta Voice.

The 2025 Salute to Women of Achievement sponsors include:

Heritage Sponsor - Delta Air Lines

Corporate Sponsors - The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, AT&T, Chick-fil-A, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Power, and Ann Stallard.

Affiliate Sponsors - The Atlanta Braves Foundation, The Correll Family Foundation, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, and Publix Supermarkets Charities

Community Sponsors - Andrew and Carolyn Young, Atlanta Braves, The Atlanta Voice, Bari and Russell Love, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Kelin Foundation, Lifelink Foundation, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Nelson Mullins, PNC Financial Services, SouthState Bank, and Truist.

Media Sponsor - WSB-TV