YWCA Greater Atlanta reaches $19.5 million goal
Phillis Wheatley YWCA on the westside to reopen in early 2026
by Maria SaportaMay 12, 2025 11:14 am
The YWCA Greater Atlanta, founded at Spelman College in 1902, just celebrated one of its most eventful weeks ever.
Danita Knight, president and CEO of the YWCA Greater Atlanta, announced it has raised its goal of $19.5 million to renovate the Phillis Wheatley YWCA on the Westside, a project that’s been years in the works.
The Phillis Wheatley Y, on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, has been closed for about a decade.
Knight made the announcement at the annual Salute to Women of Achievement, held on May 8 at the Marriott Marquis.
“This will be a safe space for women, children and their families,” Knight said at an earlier event at the Westside Future Fund. “We are excited about creating a safe haven for women, children and their families.”
The Salute also had a of couple surprises.
The marquis honor, formerly known as the “Woman of Achievement Award,” was renamed the “Ann Stallard Award for Excellence and Leadership.” Stallard, an Atlanta business and civic leader, is a lifetime member of the YWCA Greater Atlanta. She also was the board president of the national YWCA from 1991 to 1996.
Ann Stallard at the 2025 Salute to Women of Achievement lunch where it was announced the top award would be renamed in her honor. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)
“She’s one of the most incredible women I’ve known,” said Margaret Mitchell, the national CEO of the YWCA, at the Salute luncheon, adding that South African leader Nelson Mandella once told Stallard: “Thank you for teaching our women to vote.”
The recipient of the first Stallard Award was Donna Hyland – president and CEO, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
The other 2025 inductees to the academy were:
Ashley Carson – EVP, Atlanta Division President, SouthState Bank
Kwajelyn Jackson – executive director, Feminist Women’s Health Center Atlanta
DeRetta Cole Rhodes, PhD – EVP & chief culture officer, Atlanta Braves
Elizabeth Correll Richards – president, The Correll Family Foundation
Leslie Schreiner, CPA, CDP – SVP, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
Jewel Burks Solomon – managing partner, Collab Capital
Pamela Stewart – chief customer officer – retail, The Coca~Cola Co
Belisa Urbina – CEO & co-founder, Ser Familia, Inc.
Janis Ware – publisher & editor, The Atlanta Voice/Voice News Network
Danita Knight, at the podium, introduces the 2025 Academy of Women Achievement. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)
A couple of other developments. The official name of the organization has been changed to YWCA Greater Atlanta — with no “of” in the middle.
The organization is also now referring to the soon-to-be reopened YWCA as the Phillis Wheatley YWCA (instead of Phyllis) because it learned that was the preferred spelling of her name.
Phillis Wheatley was born in around 1753 in Gambia, Africa. She was captured and enslaved in 1761 when she was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. The Wheatley family educated her, and soon she could read the Bible, Greek, Latin and British literature. She also studied astronomy and geography and began writing poems. She died at the young age of 31.
The new Phillis Wheatley YWCA is expected to open in early 2026. Although it met its official $19.5 million thanks to a host of generous donors, it is still raising money for the project, according to Katie Farmer, the YWCA’s chief development officer. She said the YWCA has received updated cost estimates for the project, so it needs to raise additional dollars.
“Our commitment list continues to grow,” Farmer wrote in an email.
Sarah Irvin and Ingrid Saunders Jones celebrate upon learning $19.5 million had been raised to renovate the Phillis Wheatley YWCA. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)
Many of the people who led the effort to reopen the Phillis Wheatley Y attended the Salute Lunch, including Sarah Irvin, past board chair of the YWCA; Ingrid Saunders Jones, retired from the Coca-Cola Co.; and Sharmen Gowens, the previous CEO of the YWCA.
“Men have helped [raise money,]” Knight said. “But at the end of the day, this is largely a project for women by women.”
The mission of the YWCA, which began in Boston nearly 160 years ago, is to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities.
“One of our signature programs is our early learning academy,” Knight said. “When we reopen the Phillis Wheatley Y, we will have capacity for 85 children.”
The front of the Phillis Wheatley YWCA as it stands today. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)
The back of the Phillis Wheatley YWCA as it stands today. (Photo by Maria Saporta.)