Christmas came early this year for the YWCA of Kitsap County.

Bryan McConaughy of Congressman Norm Dick’s office paid a surprise visit to the group’s Nov. 14 board meeting to announce the YWCA was the recipient of an $80,000 Economic Development Initiative Grant to support its Community Center Renovation Project.

The next several phases of the project will expand supportive services for victims of domestic violence with tools designed to assist those transitioning from welfare to work; and, will include the installation of an elevator to make the two-story community center fully accessible beyond ADA standards. This project supports existing YWCA programs assisting families seeking to end domestic violence, services targeting to families with children at-risk for neglect and abuse including pregnant and parenting teens, and after school and weekend programs for at-risk youth.

In addition to the economic development grant, Microsoft Corporation recently awarded over $11,000 of software to the YWCA to support the agency’s technology upgrade.

“We were thrilled to receive this donated software to support our efforts to prepare the YWCA to more effectively communicate internally and externally,” noted YWCA Director of Development, Jennifer Green. “This will additionally have a profound impact on our case management services serving at-risk families.” The YWCA has been seeking resources to assist the agency to move its technology plan forward since last December.

Green added that a grant from the Family Policy Council and in-kind donations of computers from Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space have greatly assisted the organization to achieve the first phase of the plan. Several community volunteers representing local businesses assisted the towards development of the successful Technology Plan — YWCA’s Technical Advisory Committee members Ray Garrido, President and CEO of Linux Works; Katherine Bailey President and CEO of Integrated Marketing Group, and Daniel Pennington, Application Developer/Analyst with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space. Members of the YWCA board and staff also assisted.

For more information about YWCA programs and services, call (360) 479.0522.