YWCA USA Mourns the Death of Senator Kennedy

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The YWCA USA joins the nation in mourning
the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, a progressive political force who worked
tirelessly for nearly five decades to advance civil rights, education, social
welfare, and health care. He authored 2,500 pieces of legislation that helped
to improve the lives of all Americans.

"Senator Kennedy was a champion of issues of critical importance to the YWCA,"
said Lorraine Cole, PhD, YWCA USA CEO. "His dream lives on in his remarkable
legacy of legislative accomplishments."

Kennedy was a steadfast proponent of raising the minimum wage, increased
funding for Head Start, and the expansion of the Women, Infants and Children
Program that provides nutritional assistance to pregnant women and mothers in
need. He also championed critical women's and civil rights issues, including
the Equal Rights Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family
Medical Leave Act, the Mental Health Parity Act, the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay
Act, and hate crimes legislation.

His greatest legacy, said Cole, was his three-decade commitment to ending
health care disparities and promoting universal health care for all Americans.
He sponsored the Ryan White CARE Act that provides funding for AIDS services
and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that provides health
care to children of parents with low-incomes.

Visit www.tedkennedy.org to learn more about Kennedy's career, share your
memories about the Senator, express your sympathies with his family, or make a
donation to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

YWCA USA is a national not-for-profit membership organization that provides
social services, advocacy, education and leadership development. It is
dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace,
justice, freedom and dignity for all. Established in the United States in
1858, the YWCA is the oldest and largest national women's organization, and
celebrating its 150th anniversary. Through its nearly 300 affiliated local
YWCAs and its headquarters in Washington, D.C., the YWCA serves 2.5 million
women and girls each year. Globally, the YWCA USA is a member of World YWCA,
which has affiliates in 103 countries that serve 25 million women and girls
worldwide. Visit www.ywca.org.

SOURCE YWCA USA

Nancy Loving, +1-202-467-0801, cell, +1-202-641-1845, nloving@ywca.org