Yvonne Haskins

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Yvonne Haskins

Mt. Airy might never have begun celebrating its now-famous Mt. Airy Day were it not for the vision of Yvonne Haskins.  While serving as executive director of WMAN in the early seventies, Yvonne initiated the first meeting between East and West Mt. Airy Neighbors, resulting in a fruitful collaboration, which continues to this day, on Mt. Airy Day and a host of other joint projects. While at WMAN, she also instituted measures to improve collection of membership fees, resurrected the newsletter and initiated several new programs: a youth employment service, a gang prevention project, and anti-graffiti  activities.

In addition to her work with WMAN, Yvonne has played important roles on many of the committees and task forces that spring up in Mt. Airy when committed people respond to a particular problem or issue.  Yvonne has worked on committees addressing illegal land use on Lincoln Drive, and was part of the task force established to support Betak, the city’s first assisted living facility for people with AIDS.

In a neighborhood known for its residents’ commitment to active community building, Yvonne Haskins is remarkable for the breadth of projects she has championed in her quest to make things better in Mt.  Airy.  For more than 30 years, whenever a need arose, Yvonne Haskins has used her organizational skills and her people skills to get things done.