[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 49 (Monday, March 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E736-E737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, YWCA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CATHY 
                              BREIDENTHAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 23, 2009

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Cathy Breidenthal, the longtime executive director of the YWCA of 
Kansas City, Kansas, who retired from that position on February 28, 
2009, after nearly 23 years of dedicated service to that important 
community institution. Cathy's reinvigoration of the Kansas City YWCA, 
which included a capital campaign, coupled with a significant expansion 
in services and programs, will be celebrated at a ``Heart of Gold'' 
fundraiser for the institution on March 27th. The Kansas City Star 
recently carried an article detailing Cathy Breidenthal's service to 
our local YWCA community; I include it here for review by our 
colleagues, who I am sure join with me in recognizing the important 
contributions made by Cathy Breidenthal during her years of service to 
the YWCA of Kansas City, Kansas. We wish her well upon her well-earned 
retirement!

               [From the Kansas City Star, Dec. 31, 2008]

                   YWCA Executive Director To Retire

                            (By Joy Gipple)

       Cathy Breidenthal, executive director for 22 years of the 
     YWCA of Kansas City, Kan., recently announced her retirement.
       ``When longtime EDs (executive directors) retire, it's kind 
     of an initial shock,'' said YWCA board member Theresa Reyes 
     Cummings. ``She's really been a pillar.''
       ``Eliminating racism, empowering women'' is the branding 
     statement for the YWCA's mission.
       ``The growth in those two areas is something that I feel 
     really good about,'' Breidenthal said.
       Breidenthal has been credited with a regeneration of the 
     YWCA during her tenure. A major effort was the capital 
     campaign that resulted in sweeping improvements to the 
     facility at 1017 N. Sixth St. and a subsequent expansion in 
     services and programs.
       ``That process started in 2001, which was our 100th year,'' 
     Breidenthal said. ``In 2002, a lot of construction 
     development was occurring right on our block--the BPU office 
     building and hotel, etc.,--so we had some decisions to make 
     as to whether we were going to stay and be a positive part of 
     this (downtown revitalization) development.''
       The YWCA board decided the agency should stay in the 
     original building. The project included an art gallery, 
     theater and meeting space, as well as a health and fitness 
     facility.
       In 2003 the YWCA started its first entrepreneurial 
     initiative: the Corner Cafe.
       ``I was looking at the opportunity and some of the 
     amenities that are so important to urban development,'' 
     Breidenthal said. ``We knew there was no upscale coffee shop 
     or cafe at that time, and we felt that if we were going to 
     phase this in, we needed to do something that really showed 
     progress and our willingness to take that leap of faith.''
       Underwriting support helped to get it started, and five 
     years later the cafe continues to provide daily lunch, 
     ``happy hour''

[[Page E737]]

     cookies and coffees, catering services and culinary classes.
       ``Like any new business, particularly in an area that 
     hasn't quite reached its full potential for development, it 
     has taken some time,'' Breidenthal said. ``I think the same 
     is true with the art and community meeting space and the 
     health and fitness facility.''
       She described people's reactions when they see the facility 
     for the first time, or for those who remember the old 
     building and then notice the change.
       ``They are truly amazed,'' Breidenthal said. ``Every time 
     we have an event and people are there seeing that and they 
     realize they can rent that space, that our food is 
     wonderful--we have an excellent chef--that it's really a 
     quality thing . . . seeing is believing.''
       When Breidenthal came on board at the YWCA in 1986, she was 
     the only full-time staff member. Today there are 15 full- or 
     part-time employees, and that number was even larger while 
     some government-funded programs used the new facility for a 
     time.
       A program called the Teen Pregnancy Network shifted the 
     focus to adolescent health issues. ``It really started us in 
     that direction that is still one of the mainstays of our 
     program,'' Breidenthal said.
       The Resource Sharing Project was another way of using the 
     space and providing services. ``We had an entity that was an 
     adult day care looking for space,'' Breidenthal explained. 
     ``We had the space but very limited programming. So it was a 
     very win-win for a number of years until we started growing 
     our program and needed the full facility.''
       Breidenthal also chairs the Downtown Shareholders Group, 
     working on the business improvement district.
       ``I have a real commitment and I really care about the YWCA 
     and the downtown,'' Breidenthal said. ``I've been part of 
     that urban environment for over 35 years and certainly want 
     it to succeed.''
       The YWCA board is planning the transition and there will 
     likely be a job posting in January. Breidenthal's last day 
     will be Feb. 28.
       She expects the YWCA will continue to be a leader in 
     downtown revitalization. ``Being at the crossroads of so many 
     cultures here--certainly that can be one of our strengths and 
     that's another area that fits with the YWCA's mission,'' 
     Breidenthal said.
       Theresa Reyes Cummings echoed those sentiments. ``We're 
     going to move forward and we have a lot to offer the 
     community,'' Cummings said. ``It's an exciting time.''

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