It's unclear if it's the popular keynote speakers or the critical work of the organization that draws large crowds year after year, but the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County did it again.

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YWCA supporters expected to hear from actress, author and advocate, Victoria Rowell.

“We must not self-edit,” Rowell said, “We all have something to offer… It's like stringing pearls. Every bit that we give, it's another pearl."

They also heard heartbreaking stories of perseverance from young women who unexpectedly found themselves in crisis situations and were able to get back on track because of the support of the YWCA.

"One of the things that you saw today was the incredible strength that these women have. Everyone who walks in our door has something positive within them, and what we do is, we try to help them, try to pull that out and get to the next step. So this was really the message of today, don't give up, we are here, we are a community of women in Rochester, New York," YWCA CEO Jean Carroll said.

Carroll said the YWCA's school-age parents program, which helps about 200 teens on eight Rochester City School District campuses each year, has a 76 percent graduation rate.

She said the YW's 126 housing units also operate at capacity.

YWCA Rochester