We are on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

We work where we are needed most.

Since 1891, YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region has been a place where women feel empowered, supported, and equipped to create opportunities and drive positive change. While our mission — to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all — remains unchanged, our programs and services have continually evolved to meet the shifting needs of women in our region.

We focus our efforts where they’re needed most, believing that meaningful change begins with understanding individual experiences. By listening, learning, and responding, we tailor our work to best serve the diverse and unique needs of the women in our community.

Over the decades, YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region has consistently served as a safe space and source of empowerment for women. In 1928, we launched Camp Maqua, a premier summer camp experience for girls. In the 1940s through the 1960s, our work centered on pressing social issues impacting women. By the 1970s and 1980s, we focused on the challenges of working women, including navigating the business world and achieving work-life balance.

Today, we continue that legacy of empowerment through our Women’s Economic Empowerment Program (WEEP), which includes Pathways to Progress, Moving Ahead, and Staying Ahead.

If you are interested in becoming part of this change, we invite you to get involved! Contact us to see how, together, we can create great change across our region.

Learn more about YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region by visiting the Our History page or reading our 2024-2026 Strategic Plan.

A group of women protesting with signs that support eliminating racism and empowering women, including one woman in the foreground holding a sign that reads 'eliminating racism empowering women ywca' and smiling.

FAQ's

  • We are located in Downtown Bay City at 205 6th Street, next to the Pure Med Spa.

  • Yes! The former YWCA of Bay County is now YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region with a service area covering Bay, Midland, and Saginaw Counties.

  • Our new direction and programs are described in detail under our “What We Do” tab and are mission oriented programs dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

  • No, we are unaffiliated and completely different entities with different missions. However, we do partner with them occasionally as we do with many other organizations in the region.