YWCA's Wise Women

Each month, the YWCA would like to pay tribute to a special woman in the community, what we are calling a “Y’s Woman”. This month, the YWCA honors Helen Hayashi, president of our Board of Directors and Outreach Coordinator at the San Jose Downtown Association.

Helen Hayashi

In an excerpt from Fran Smith’s “Breaking Ground, the daring women of the YWCA in the Santa Clara Valley, 1905-2005”, we learn how Helen got involved in the YWCA :

Misao Hayashi, who had lived in Portland before the war, felt forever grateful to the YW volunteers who came to the assembly center where she, her husband Francis, and their two small sons slept in animal stalls. The YW women demanded that the dirt floors be covered with wood. The family settled in San Jose in 1953, when Francis Hayashi was appointed pastor of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Japantown. Misao promptly volunteered for the YWCA. In 1955, she became the first Japanese American elected to the Board. Later, Misao encouraged her daughter-in-law to get involved, and Helen Hayashi did, with fierce dedication. Helen joined the board in the 1970’s, served as president in 1980-81 and led more committees over three decades than she could count. In 2005, she was still on the board, as first vice president. She, too, never forgot the women who fought to get a young family off a dirt floor. “The YWCA is a movement that works for justice and dignity,” she said.

Helen’s leadership, optimism, strength and compassion have inspired the community and YWCA staff for more than 40 years. Helen Hayashi, we salute you as a YWCA of Silicon Valley “Y’s Woman”!