PSU Magazine Fall 2000

• Gretchen Rowland '00, history major, talks about her research on the YWCA during a public forum at the northeast center in March 2000. models: a mother-child camp begun in 1963 at YWCA's Camp Westwind on the Oregon Coast, and a single-parent camp begun in 1973. In 1994 the YWCA estab– lished an innovative camp for gay and les– bian families. i:day the YWCA helps nearly 31,000 I Lpeople a year through its 10 programs at five centers in the Portland area, plus Camp Westwind. Plans are under way to redevelop the block surrounding the orga– nization's downtown facility at SW 10th and Main Street. Microsoft has provided a $1 million grant for the plan . The new com– plex will offer housing and focus on the special needs of the elderly and youth in downtown Portland. The history of the YWCA of Greater Portland is a rich and unique story, and one that its members are eager to share. "Women in the organization have played a central role for us in recovering and retelling the YWC/f.s story," says Schechter. "It's been an attempt to do 'community his– tory'; history that is collaborative, account– able, and dynamic in its relation to the community." The leadership at the YWCA's national headquarters in New York City has its eye on the effort, hoping it will become a model for other local YWCAs. D FALL 2000 PSU MAGAZINE 15