YWCA Names Lifetime Achievement Honoree

YWCA Dayton will be honoring Susan Gruenberg with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award during its annual Women of Influence awards luncheon on March 9.This year marks the 25th anniversary of the award. With an average attendance of 880, it is known as the largest nonprofit luncheon in Dayton.Gruenberg has been a dedicated volunteer in the Dayton region, working with more than 35 nonprofits, including the Junior League of Dayton, Daybreak, Ronald McDonald House, American Red Cross, the Dayton Art Institute, and the Dayton Ballet.Through her work with Friends of the Dayton Arcade, she was among a dedicated group that fought to save the architectural gem from demolition so it could be redeveloped and reopened to the public in 2021.“I’m just thrilled,” Gruenberg said of the rebirth of the Arcade. “It was too beautiful to let go.”Her current volunteer focus with Soroptimist International of Dayton is on finding missing and exploited children.Gruenberg, of Beavercreek Twp., was first honored as a Woman of Influence honoree in 2003. Other honors include Dayton Daily News’ Top Ten Women in 1997, Beth Abraham Synagogue’s Women of Valor Award in 2013, and the 2018 Junior League of Dayton Sally Riffle Award for Innovative Leadership.Since 1998, the YWCA Dayton Women of Influence Awards have recognized and honored more than 180 influential women in the Dayton area, visionaries and thought leaders who have made a difference in our community through their dedication to the YWCA mission of empowering women, eliminating racism, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.Gruenberg was chosen for the lifetime achievement honor from the pool of past Women of Influence honorees by YWCA leadership and the volunteer Women of Influence Committee based on her continued contribution to the community.