1924 - Central YWCA runs Camp Kenjocketee, a summer camp for girls.

1927 - Central YWCA opens their pool at 13 Grove St. and begins it's relationship with the Red Cross, offering certified lifesaving and swimming classes.

1945 - "Negro YWCA Stressing Building of Character," - Asheville Citizen-Times, Oct. 5, 1945. "Programs enabling negro children through character building activities to realize the value of good citizenship. This is the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA affirmative way to fight juvenile delinquency."

1950s - "Chapelle was a teacher here who had majored in physical education in one of the northern schools and we knew nothing about ballet or tap dancing. She started a little club at the Y and then once a year, she would give a recital and the money from the recital went to the Y. It raised the cultural level of the people in the community." Lucy Rae Harrison

1960s - Dancing classes were offered for girls, all girls.

. Swimming lessons were held

at Walton Street Park.

1966 - A supervised playroom is available to Central YWCA members.

1970s -

"We went up to the Reading for Fun. It was in the Calvary Presbyterian Church. It was a black church although they did have white members in the church. It was about 1970--that sounds about right. The librarian in the children's library--I don't remember her name but it was when it was down on Pack Square--we'd go down there and she'd let us take almost as many books as we wanted to -- 50 or 60 -- just bunches of books. Then, we'd take them up and the little children in the neighborhood would come, and we'd either read to them or they would read to us, depending on what they wanted to do. The thing I liked about it, occasionally, if we knew the child or if they asked, we'd let them take a book home. We didn't always take as many books back as we'd picked up, but the librarian was always so good about it." Sally Bridenstine

"It really was, I thought, a good program. I still know, I still see some of the children that are now working in banks, at the store and lots of different places. They have to tell me who they are, sometimes, but I always remember their names." Sally Bridenstine

"Pack Library would not even let a black child come up and use their reference books. There was a branch on the library down in the YMI building, and the black children would have to tell the director of that branch. Then, she could get the reference books...Well, this daughter...got tired of doing that, and she and two boys decided they weren't going to do it any more, and they were going to the Pack Library. They went to Pack Library and, of course, they were denied and told, "You need to go to your own library." And they said "no". They did that for six or eight weeks. Then, when they went up there, they had some man in uniform--they never knew whether he was cop or not--but, he stopped them at the door and told them "If you come again, what will happen." Julia Ray

1973 - YWCA nursery serves from 12-20 children in it's Drop-In Child Care Center

- YWCA Day Care Program for Babies to help young mother's stay in school, provides a grant for five family
day care homes with five children in each.

1981 - Teacher work-day and snow-day child care is offered for school-age children.

1990s -

"They have a very nice and very good day care program - after-school and nursery program. I'm very impressed with that. They have a

mixture of staff there." Phyllis Jones Sherrill "One of the things that was taught to us, working with the Y, was that it wasn't the Y, it was the people. So, don't say it's the YWCA...it's the people that run it."

1995 - SOS - Support Our Students- begins for after-school middle-school students. The YWCA participated in this state-wide initiative which was spearheaded by Governor Jim Hunt.

1996 - Support our Students - SOS - is selected to be the Buncombe County provider of Governor Hunts program offers for middle-school youth

1996 - YWCA Child Care Program receives A licensing, providing low-income children with quality services.

1997 - Dedication of the Thelma Caldwell Playground

1998 - YWCA Child Care Program achieves AA licensing

2000 - Asheville-Buncombe Education Coalition organizes with the YWCA to improve the educational achievement gap

2006 - YWCA, in partnership with Children First, opens Latino Learning Center, providing free computer classes in Spanish

2006 - YWCA Child Care Center and School-Age Programs achieve four-star ratings from North Carolina Child Care licensing agency

"The YWCA is the most integrated facility in all of Asheville. The children who come there after school don't know who's black and who's white. I mean, they just accept each other." Leah Karpen

2007 - Present programs for children

School-age Programs

The YWCA After-School Program emphasizes respect for diversity, community involvement, and academics. This licensed program is open to children in grades K-5 and offers homework help, tutoring, swimming lessons, music, pottery, dance, arts & crafts, field trips and nutritious snacks. After-School is held in the YWCA Youth Wing which has five classrooms dedicated to science, technology, arts, diversity and tutoring.

Summer Camp for K-6
Campers enjoy weekly field trips, fitness programs, swimming lessons, music, gardening, science, dance, and much more

Spirit Camp for 12-16 Year Olds
YWCA Spirit Camp, for 12-16 year olds, provides participants with opportunities to become involved in their community and to explore career options. In addition, they enjoy swimming, dance lessons, cook outs, roller skating, games, camping and more. Field trips include Lake Lure, Ripley's Aquarium, Charlotte's Discovery Place, kayaking, tubing. Spirit Camp helps adolescents build self-esteem while having fun!

YWCA S.O.S. Program

The YWCA Support Our Students (S.O.S.) Program provides after-school tutoring and enrichment for middle school students. Program goals are to reduce juvenile crime; reduce the number of “latchkey” children; improve academic performance; meet the physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs of the students participating; and to improve attitudes and behaviors.