High Point's YWCA: "The Best Kept Secret of Downtown

by Forward High Point Intern JT Farabow

As Heidi Majors was walking into work last Thursday morning, she heard one gentleman say to another: “the YWCA is the best kept secret in town.” While this put a smile on Mrs. Major’s face, it helped her realize that this downtown non-profit was still a secret to many. “We want more people to know about what we are doing,” says Heidi Majors, Executive Director of the YWCA. 

The YWCA of High Point is currently in the midst of a full renovation. This renovation began in 2017 and it is nearly two-thirds complete. Along with updates to make the building more modern, the building has also been in transition from facing Gatewood Street to now facing Westwood Street.

In addition to the excitement that comes from the full renovation, the YWCA is celebrating a birthday of 100 years. The non-profit organization has been operating in downtown High Point since 1920, and 2020 marks 100 years of fulfilling their mission of eliminating racism and empowering women in our city.

The YWCA’s mission statement is to “eliminate racism, empower women, promote peace, justice, dignity and freedom for all.” The downtown non-profit has four core programs through which they carry out this objective, those being aquatics & wellness, studio arts, youth services, and community outreach programs. Community outreach programs such as adolescent parenting courses, the women's resource center, Latina family center, and the social justice center are ways in which the YWCA stretch their helping hands to the people in need within our community.

Heidi Majors has been the Executive Director for the YWCA for 18 years and loves overseeing how the YWCA positively affects the community. Mrs. Majors and the YWCA place a strong focus on eliminating racism and bringing greater light to health disparities in our community. This is done through racism equity training that the YWCA hosts. “As an organization we are doing all we can to strengthen our community, to build our community up, and provide opportunities to those who live, work & play here,” says Mrs. Majors.

The YWCA excels in being a servant to the community through the many courses, programs and events they host. The YWCA is a positive light in downtown High Point and no longer needs to be “the best kept secret in town.” Going forward, the YWCA hopes to “continue growing and be able to meet the needs of our changing downtown.”