Our Fitness Center successfully reopened in September and is available along with our indoor pool to all of our members by reservation. With our facility operating at 30% capacity, we are able to provide you with the space needed for a socially distant, indoor workout, swim, or limited personal training. You may make a reservation to use our Fitness Center or pool by either downloading the Daxko App, by visiting our website or by calling us directly and speaking with a Guest Services Associate. YWCA Hours: Mon – Fri: 6 am – 6 pm | Sat: 7 am – 4 pm | Sun: closed  Pool Hours: Mon – Fri: 6 am – 6 pm | Sat: 7 am – 4 pm | Sun: closed

Join us outside at the YWCA Justice Center  from 7:30 – 10 am and 4:30 – 5 pm to provide Prevention Task Force information and resources and to see artwork from our childcare students depicting what they imagine “A World Without Violence” looks like.

Week Without Violence is part of a global movement with YWCAs across the country and around the world to end violence against women and girls. At YWCA, we know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally and that some victims go unrecognized altogether. That’s why, for more than 20 years, YWCA has set aside one week in October as a Week Without Violence. Join us from October 18 – 24, as we hold events nationally and locally, share information and stories, advocate, and more with a common goal in mind: together, we can end gender-based violence. During this week we will be partnering with Our Voice, Helpmate, Youth Outright, Family Justice Center, and Mountain Child Advocacy to increase awareness of the resources available within our community. Join us on social media by using this profile frame all week long.

Since the onset of the pandemic in March, the YWCA of Asheville has been flexible and sensitive to the needs of our families as they arise. We closed our doors to the public from March–June to provide children of medical professionals and other essential workers with no-cost child care; now we continue to adapt. We have opened a school-age classroom and are now enrolling children in grades Kindergarten-5th who are learning virtually. They will have access to a safe, learning environment, with WiFi access, meals (breakfast, lunch, and snack), outdoor activities, and crafts while guardians work. We accept vouchers for this program. Fees are $433 per month, Priority will be given to families that qualify for vouchers and subsidies OR who have no alternative childcare options. We accept Child Care vouchers. *At this time we are only enrolling full-time attendance.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP) is a vital resource available to women and transgender individuals between the ages of 40 and 64 who are uninsured and underinsured, meet certain income requirements, and are residents of Buncombe County. The BCCCP program provides chest exams, pap smears, HPV testing, and mammograms, all at no cost. If results indicate that treatment is needed, patients may qualify for BCCCP Medicaid which covers the cost of treatment and our staff will assist in care coordination.

BCHHS also offers WISEWOMAN, a program aimed at helping women improve their health and reduce their chance of developing heart disease. WISEWOMAN offers free cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure screenings, as well as counseling, coaching, and education services that make it possible for women to get achieve their health goals and stay healthy. Our staff are trained to help you determine your personal health goals and support your progress through regular check in’s and encouragement.

While you can’t fully control your risk for developing breast cancer, you can take steps to ensure that you catch it early. Buncombe County offers free support services, screenings, and treatment programs that make healthcare accessible for many women in Buncombe County. To find out if you are eligible for BCCCP and WISEWOMAN, visit our website or call (828) 250-6006.

For the general election, Early Voting will run Oct. 15-31, and you can use same-day registration during those dates. Get a downloadable .pdf of the Early Voting schedule with dates and times. During the early voting period you can choose to vote at any early voting location below.

Early Voting dates and times:

• Oct. 15-30:
  • Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Oct. 31 (last day):
  • 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Let’s Dump Trump

When to vote? Early Vote in-person polling places are open October 15th to 31st
• Monday through Friday, 8 am to 7:30 pm
• Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm (last Saturday – Oct 31 – opens at 8 am)
• Sunday, 10 am to 3 pm
• You can also vote on Election Day November 3rd but earlier is safer – to make your vote count!
Where to vote? Any voter can go to any Early Voting site in your home county.
You can register and vote at the same time at an Early Voting location.

Need a ride to vote? Call 828-274-4482

Prefer to use an Absentee Ballot?
– Request Absentee Ballot online (www.ncsbe.gov)
– You will receive your Absentee Ballot in the mail
– Complete your Absentee Ballot immediately, following instructions, and note ballot number for tracking.
– Immediately mail the ballot back to the Board of Elections (BOE) using one stamp. You can also turn the
completed ballot in at the BOE (77 McDowell St.) or any Early Voting site.

Questions or concerns? Call the NC Voter Hotline 888-687-8683 or go to NCVoter.org
Pick whichever Early Voting Site – below – that is most convenient for you.
EAST Asheville Mall Next to Old Navy 3 S. Tunnel Rd
SOUTH Asheville Outlet Mall Next to Levi’s 800 Brevard Rd
EAST Bee Tree Fire Dept 510 Bee Tree Rd
EAST Black Mountain Library 105 N. Dougherty St
CENTRAL Civic Center, Downtown 87 Haywood Rd
CENTRAL Dr Wesley Grant Ctr 285 Livingston St
WEST Enka Candler Library 1404 Sand Hill Rd
EAST Fairview Community Center 1357 Charlotte Hwy
WEST Land of Sky Regional Council 339 New Leicester Hwy
WEST Leicester Community Center 2979 New Leicester Hwy
NORTH Reynolds Village 50 N. Merrimon Ave; #107
SOUTH South Buncombe Library 260 Overlook Rd
SOUTH Turtle Creek Shopping Ctr 23 Turtle Creek Dr
NORTH UNC-Asheville Campus Highsmith Student Union 1 University Heights
WEST West Asheville Community Ctr 970 Haywood Rd
NORTH Weaverville Town Hall

Need a ride to vote? Call 828-274-4482

Prefer to use an Absentee Ballot?
– Request Absentee Ballot online (www.ncsbe.gov)
– You will receive your Absentee Ballot in the mail
– Complete your Absentee Ballot immediately, following instructions, and note ballot number for tracking.
– Immediately mail the ballot back to the Board of Elections (BOE) using one stamp. You can also turn the
completed ballot in at the BOE (77 McDowell St.) or any Early Voting site.
Questions or concerns? Call the NC Voter Hotline 888-687-8683 or go to NCVoter.org

Help Save Lives – and learn if you have COVID-19 Antibodies. Asheville Outlets will host two blood donation drives in partnership with the American Red Cross on Fridays, October 23 and 30, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The American Red Cross is now testing all blood, platelet, and plasma donations for the COVID-19 antibody. Red Cross donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or on the donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.

The Asheville Outlets blood drives will be held in American Red Cross mobile unit vehicles. Donors are asked to register in advance by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/give and entering the sponsor code Ashevilleoutlets. Check-in will be located at the Food Court entrance to the center. Donors will be able to wait in their vehicles or inside the Food Court until their appointment time. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that the coronavirus (COVID-19) does not pose any known risk to blood donors during the donation process or from attending blood drives. For more information, visit ShopAshevilleOutlets.com.

The American Red Cross will test all blood, platelet, and plasma donations for the COVID-19 antibody.

The Asheville Outlets blood drives will be held in American Red Cross mobile unit vehicles. Donors are asked to register in advance by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/give and entering the sponsor code Ashevilleoutlets. Check-in will be located at the Food Court entrance to the center. Donors will be able to wait in their vehicles or inside the Food Court until their appointment time.

The American Red Cross will test all blood, platelet, and plasma donations for the COVID-19 antibody.

The Asheville Outlets blood drives will be held in American Red Cross mobile unit vehicles. Donors are asked to register in advance by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/give and entering the sponsor code Ashevilleoutlets. Check-in will be located at the Food Court entrance to the center. Donors will be able to wait in their vehicles or inside the Food Court until their appointment time.

Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13, most Buncombe County Public Library branches will reopen to the public with limited hours and services.

The safety of our patrons and staff is our highest priority, and our General Services staff has been working diligently to finish precautions to allow metered access in accordance with the Governor’s orders for 50 percent capacity. We look forward to welcoming you back in person.

The library schedule will be:

• Tuesday, 2-7 p.m.
• Wednesday, 1-6 p.m.
• Thursday, 1-6 p.m.
• Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Sunday & Monday, Closed

Note: The East Asheville Library remains closed for construction and Pack Library will reopen for service at a later date.

During these hours, the libraries will provide in-person check out and browsing. As we comply with reduced occupancy limits, we are encouraging brief “grab and go” visits to allow us to serve a larger number of patrons. Computer use is available, and seating will be provided for computer users only. The meeting rooms and study spaces will not be available for public use.

In-person library programs, including storytime, will not be offered, however, virtual programs will continue to be available. Learn more here. Curbside hold pickups will stop on Oct. 8. Late fees will resume on Oct. 27.

Our local history room is currently undergoing renovations, but the NC Room staff will continue to provide phone and email research assistance at (828) 250-4740 or [email protected].

Per the Governor’s mandate, all persons over the age of five will be asked to wear a face covering for the duration of their visit in the library. If you don’t have a face covering, we can provide one for you.

Help us Light Up State Street and fill our beautiful downtown with Halloween Cheer with this community pumpkin carving contest! All ages are invited to participate. Children (under 15) are $5 to register, and adults (15 or older) are $10. Pumpkins must be dropped off at BMCA on Tuesday, October 27 or Wednesday, October 28. BMCA will display and illuminate the pumpkins on State Street Thursday, October 29 through Saturday, October 31st. Winners will be chosen in both age groups for 4 different categories: scariest (must be family friendly), funniest, most creative, and art(ist) inspired​​. Participants must procure their own pumpkin.

2020 A YEAR OF COVID, TURMOIL, UNCERTAINTIES, HEROES & HOPE

The year 2020 for better or worse will go down in American history as a pivotal moment. It has been often said that history is written for and by the victors.

But nowadays in a world overwhelmed with 2-second tweets, forgettable social media, conspiracy theories and online rages; modern history seems to be written by the distracted, the delusional and the destructive.

Mountain Made, a local arts & crafts boutique in Grove Arcade, is taking a different approach. We are creating a public history journal of poetry, personal musing, thoughtful insights and yes, rants on “The Year 2020”. They could be funny or serious.

We have setup two interactive art stations inside the gallery:

* The first one is where you can quickly put down your thoughts on some blank paper (the original “i-pad”) and leave it with us.

* The other is a shared, public painting series where you can lay brush to canvas if you are more a visual person.

COVID-19 Visiting Policy

Masks are required when entering the museum. This is for the safety of our visitors and our docents. Exceptions will be made according to ADA instructions. Visitors must make a reservation to visit the museum. Self Guided tour reservations are available Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. To make a reservation you can call (828) 669- 9566, register at the front desk, or click here. 

ACCESSIBILITY
The first floor houses our traveling exhibit gallery and our second floor houses “Our Pathways” exhibit.  The first and second floor are accessible by ADA standards.  A lift is available to take visitors to the second floor.

Upon reopening, the Nature Center will be open seven days a week, from 10 am until 4:30 pm.  Asheville residents receive a discounted rate with local ID and children under the age of 3 are free.

Beginning October 7, the three-hour documentary-styled art installation Question Bridge: Black Males will be on view at the Asheville Art Museum. This innovative transmedia project facilitates a dialogue between Black men from diverse and contending backgrounds, and creates a platform for them to represent and redefine Black male identity in America. The work will be on view during regular public hours from October 7, 2020 through March 15, 2021.

Question Bridge: Black Males is a project that explores critically challenging issues within the African American male community by instigating a transmedia conversation among Black men across geographic, economic, generational, educational, and social strata of American society. Question Bridge provides a safe setting for necessary, honest expression and healing dialogue on themes that divide, unite, and puzzle Black males today in the United States.

Best of all, Porch Portraits by Suzanne will donate $15 of every session to our great friends at Flat Rock Playhouse. My goal is to raise $15,000 for the Playhouse by the end of the year so any money over and above the price of $65 will go straight to them.

Perhaps most exciting, an extremely generous Playhouse donor has agreed to a MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN up to $36,000.18! This incredibly generous donation draws on the magic of Chai, the Jewish belief that multiples of 18 bring good luck. Meaning that every session booked will result in at least $30 for the wonderful folks at Flat Rock Playhouse.

For decades, Flat Rock Playhouse has been opening their collective hearts and sharing their fabulous talents to bring joy and entertainment to western North Carolina. This is an opportunity to show our gratitude at a time when they really need our support.

Together, let’s make magic happen! Help us kick off this campaign by contributing today.

 #FreedomFriday Instagram Live. Join us for our #FreedomFriday Instagram Live from 2 to 3 p.m. ET, in which our YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Y. Castillo and Kim Pentico, Director of Economic Justice Program, National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) will have an engaging and informative conversation about violence against women and how to best support survivors in the quest for freedom from abuse.

The conversation will be opened and closed with an empowering music set from DJ DOMO that you won’t want to miss! We will join with our local partners at the Family

Week Without Violence is part of a global movement with YWCAs across the country and around the world to end violence against women and girls. At YWCA, we know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally and that some victims go unrecognized altogether. That’s why, for more than 20 years, YWCA has set aside one week in October as a Week Without Violence. Join us from October 18 – 24, as we hold events nationally and locally, share information and stories, advocate, and more with a common goal in mind: together, we can end gender-based violence. During this week we will be partnering with Our Voice, Helpmate, Youth Outright, Family Justice Center, and Mountain Child Advocacy to increase awareness of the resources available within our community. Join us on social media by using this profile frame all week long.