At the Marks JCH Women’s Center, we understand that empowering women benefits our entire community. Following a successful launch, we are thrilled to continue our Girls with Gloves program — an eight-week boxing and self-defense class led by nationally-ranked boxer Yana Tolmacheva. This program transcends mere physical training; it enables participants to cultivate confidence, resilience, and personal empowerment, equipping them with essential skills for both self-defense and self-advocacy.
For survivors of domestic violence, single mothers, and immigrant women creating new futures, Girls with Gloves offers a distinctive platform for empowerment. It reflects the heart of the Women’s Center: reinforcing courage and determination, providing essential support, and fostering a safe, uplifting space where women can thrive. Yana has noted that “Our discussions on confidence and resilience manifested in noticeable changes in [the women’s] demeanor and presence.”
At the Marks JCH, we innovate by engaging all modalities of learning and growth — intellectual, emotional, physical — to engage clients and help them build the skills and resilience they need in order to thrive.
Our deepest appreciation to Office of Council Member Susan Zhuang for their support in securing funding for this critical community initiative.
The Marks JCH’s Women’s Center supports a growing caseload of single parent families (the far majority are headed by mothers), an alarming increase in domestic violence clients walking through our doors in crisis, and cohorts of expecting and new parents reeling from isolation and loneliness. In response, we have launched innovative interventions, such as: workforce training for women reentering the labor force, financial literacy boot camp, therapeutic counseling groups with onsite childcare, legal partnerships catered towards domestic violence survivors, perinatal mental health and wellness, childbirth education, postpartum care, and other responsive interventions. Follow the Marks JCH Women’s Center on Instagram for ongoing updates about our innovations and supportive programs.