FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karlyn Brown
Development Assistant
YWCA Knoxville
P 865.523.6126 | [email protected]
Students from YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center Win Big at Destination
Imagination Competition
Knoxville, TN (March 11, 2016) — Last weekend, students from the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley
Center’s After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) attended the Destination Imagination
competition in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students were
presented with the “Torchbearer Award” for their performance. This award honors one team
whose solutions have extraordinary impact in and beyond their local communities.
This year the students competed in two categories, Project Outreach and Improvisation. The
Phyllis Wheatley Center took home the Torchbearer Award for their improv about gun violence
in their community.
“When they announced our students as the winner, I could see pride and a sense of
accomplishment all over their faces. They deserved this recognition for their hard work and
creativity,” said Kathy Mack, Director of the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center, which provides
programs for students and seniors in East Knoxville.
Since the beginning of the school year, the students were tasked with developing a project that
would address a community issue, in which they chose gun violence. They decided to host a
multimedia art show using donated pieces of art from fellow East Tennessee aftercare providers.
At the competition, the teams presented their project, created a theatrical play and illustrated the
damaging effects of gun violence without using any verbal communication with the audience.
This was a big success for the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center team. They will be competing in
the Tennessee State Tournament on April 9 at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
About the YWCA Knoxville
The YWCA Knoxville is a nonprofit social-service agency focused on empowerment, justice, and
dignity for all. The YWCA serves over 18,000 clients and families annually through youth
programming, women’s housing, and advocacy for victims of domestic violence, and health and
wellness opportunities. The YWCA Knoxville is a United Way community partner.