DONOR PROFILE

Arrow Dickerson – among the Circle of ChampionsThose who support YWCA programs come from all walks of life and with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Their involvement with the YWCA may derive from first-hand experiences or those of friends or family.All share a passion and commitment for a cause.Arrow Dickerson is no exception.An award-winning agent with Allstate Insurance since 2006 – including being named to Allstate’s Circle of Champions – Arrow acknowledges that she can “only do so much,” and so, she limits her volunteerism and civic engagement to just a few select causes.Arrow’s involvement with the YWCA’s domestic violence shelter not only reflects Allstate’s corporate ethic – “helping hands in the community” – but also Arrow’s heightened awareness about domestic violence. When, as an agent who genuinely listens to her customers, Arrow discovered that one of them worked for the YWCA’s domestic violence shelter, she asked to learn more about domestic violence.The YWCA’s Sandy Quarles invited Arrow to visit the shelter and to speak to shelter clients about financial literacy.A long-time trainer for Allstate before she opened her own agency, Arrow felt comfortable at the head of the class.  “But when I walked into the room,” Arrow says, “there was someone I knew. I was thrown off my game a little bit. I learned right then that domestic violence happens to people from all backgrounds and walks of life.”Not only does Arrow personally support the YWCA, she also encourages her friends and clients to support the YWCA’s domestic violence shelter each October, during Domestic Violence Awareness month. She has become an annual contributor to the YWCA. She organizes Christmas parties for children living at the shelter during the holiday season and, dressed as one of Santa’s elves, she distributes gifts.“Being involved is rewarding to me,” says Arrow, “and so, I encourage others to get involved, too.”Because of the success of her efforts on behalf of the YWCA and Allstate’s community involvement programs, she was one of seven Allstate agents selected to attend last June’s Network to End Domestic Violence’s advocacy conference in Washington, D.C.Not only is Arrow Dickerson one of Allstate Insurance’s Circle of Champions, those of us at the YWCA consider her one of our champions, too.