Darien, CT – [October 9, 2024] – “We are deeply disturbed by the racist incident that took place at Hindley Elementary School last week, where a hateful racial slur was found written on playground equipment. Our community is a place where all children should feel safe, valued, and respected. Our children deserve this, our community expects this, and we must do better because we are better than this incident.

“Our organizations are dedicated to creating a more inclusive, hate free community and we unequivocally condemn this act of hate and stand in solidarity with Hindley Elementary school staff, students, and their families. Such incidents not only cause harm to our children, particularly students of color, but they undermine our tradition of offering safe and inclusive learning environments.

“We call on our community to support school administration in thoroughly investigating this incident and implementing appropriate consequences, along with engaging in honest, age-appropriate discussions with children about racism and its impacts. Our organizations stand ready to help should our assistance be needed or requested.”

— YWCA Darien/Norwalk and COFFI

For access to resources and information about how to talk about diversity, bias, race, and inclusion, click here. For additional information visit https://www.getcoffi.com/the-talk.

For those seeking support or wishing to get involved, please contact YWCA Darien/Norwalk at 203-655-2535.

The organization also announced the launch of its new season of programming. This year, YWCA Darien/Norwalk will continue to build a more inclusive and connected community through new mission-aligned education and awareness initiatives, providing countless women and families with the support and tools they need to lead empowered lives. Additionally, the YWCA is reenvisioning its club offerings to further foster the deep friendships and networks that have been a cornerstone of the YWCA experience.

“Today’s announcement marks a new chapter in the nearly 50-year history of YWCA Darien/Norwalk as we renew our commitment to the YWCA’s national mission of empowering women and eliminating racism. We’re thrilled to see this unfold in our upcoming season’s programming, which provides a range of diverse experiences for women of all ages to connect, have fun, learn, be challenged and make an impact on our community,” said Tara Giblin, Vice Chair of the YWCA Darien/Norwalk Board of Directors. “Jennifer’s passion for our mission, combined with her extensive experience as a corporate executive, makes her the ideal leader to guide us forward. Her vision for supporting women and girls, along with her dedication to fostering collaboration with organizations across Darien and Norwalk, will help expand our outreach, strengthen networks, and ensure that YWCA Darien/Norwalk continues to be a vital local resource.”

Ms. Buchholz brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having served as Chief Human Resource Officer for multiple organizations and working in a wide range of industries of scale from public Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric (GE) and CB Richard Ellis, to smaller privately held corporations. While at GE, Ms. Buchholz led the largest hub of the company’s Women’s Network. She is also actively involved in numerous community organizations throughout Fairfield County, including formerly serving on the board of directors for sister YWCA in Greenwich and the Women’s Mentoring Network in Stamford. Ms. Buchholz has lived in Darien for eight years while raising her 15 year old son.