Our History

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YWCA South Florida’s Legacy | 100 Years Forward

ywca south florida centennial logoIn 1920, Mary Glenn Jackson, wife of Dr. James M. Jackson, founder of Jackson Memorial Hospital, led a small group of women to start YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc. With only $2,000, Mrs. Jackson and the women believed in the strength of women and their innate ability to impact the lives of their family and community. They believed convening and collaborating together gave women a more powerful voice.

For more than 100 years, YWCA has been at the forefront of the most critical social movements, offering life-changing services, supports and advocacy across Greater Miami-Dade. In 2020, we happily announced that our organization had changed our name to YWCA South Florida. This new name signifies our commitment to the South Florida region with the expansion of our programming and services to Broward County.

We have been disrupting systems of social injustices by:

  • Building the resilience of young people through enrichment programs that provide academic support, leadership development, and skill-building to navigate the 21st-century environment.
  • Delivering access to high-quality early education (preschools) to ensure children of color enter school at or above the level of their peers.
  • Empowering women and their families through economic security, entrepreneurship, and college and career readiness programs.
  • Mobilize young women to action in support of the YW movement through volunteerism, fundraising, and activities that foster personal and professional development.
  • Providing breast and cervical cancer screenings to mitigate the prevalence and disproportionally high fatality rate of women of color from these cancers.

YWCA South Florida Over The Years

YWCA South Florida Celebrates 100 Years