YWCA of Rockford acquires La Voz Latina - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

By Lindsey Holden
Staff writer

Posted Oct. 8, 2015 at 11:00 AM
Updated Oct 8, 2015 at 9:32 PM

ROCKFORD — Two nonprofits are joining forces to better provide services to northern Illinois children and families.

Today, the YWCA of Northwest Illinois, formerly the YWCA of Rockford, acquired La Voz Latina, which is dedicated to helping the area's Hispanic children and families. La Voz will cease operations Friday, and move from 730 N. Church St. into YWCA's east-side facilities at 4990 E. State St. It also will maintain a west-side presence in Easter Seals Child Development Center, 815 N. Church St.

La Voz will function under YWCA's programming umbrella, and Executive Director Luz Ramirez will stay on as vice president. Nine La Voz workers will keep their jobs; three positions were eliminated. La Voz, which will retain its name, will expand into Stephenson and Jo Daviess counties. YWCA has changed its name to reflect its expanded programming across northwest Illinois.

Ramirez and YWCA CEO Kris Kieper said the acquisition will benefit both organizations, especially because they share similar missions. The acquisition made sense because both were spending money on such expenses as payroll, human resources and marketing, and .the YWCA is better equipped to direct and manage state funds.

"They mesh really well," Kieper said. "We work with so many families and so much of our work is directed at parents and children, and we share clients, so it just made sense."

La Voz, which serves about 7,600 families, struggled to remain open this summer amid the state budget impasse. Revenue from the state accounts for more than half of the $880,000 budget, so La Voz was tapping lines of credit to survive. The organization had been preparing to end services Oct. 16, Ramirez said.

"We're just waiting for miracles to come in," he said. "We knew that until the situation at the state gets resolved, we were going to be closing our doors."

Ramirez and Kieper were forced to cut some of La Voz's struggling programs but will maintain core initiatives: family advocacy, teen parenting support, parenting education classes and partner abuse intervention.

La Voz, like many nonprofits in Illinois, was forced either to find a way to continue programming or risk losing out on state money once an official budget is passed.

"We were told 'Either you choose to continue providing services or that contract may not be renewed'," Ramirez said. "In one way or another they did say it."

Kieper said nonprofit acquisitions and mergers are the wave of the future, especially for nonprofits with operating budgets of $1 million or less because the state has become such an inconsistent funding source.

YWCA of Rockford acquires La Voz Latina - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL