Community leader Kitty Dooley becomes namesake of YWCA ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä building

“I think this day should be less about me and more about using this building to move forward in promoting peace, justice and freedom for all and working to eliminate racism,� Dooley said.

YWCA ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä first opened the building that is now named the Katherine “Kittyâ€� Dooley Center for Community Enrichment at 412 Elizabeth St. in late 2023 following a fundraising campaign led by Dooley.

“Kitty worked tirelessly for this building,â€� said ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä City Council member Jennifer Pharr, among those speaking at the ceremony. After a private donor offered to give $500,000 to help buy the building and pay for the programs offered there if the community matched his gift, “the matching money was raised within 48 hours,â€� Pharr added. “In all, Kitty and [former ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä YWCA CEO] Deb Weinstein raised $2.4 million for the project.â€�

Dooley grew up in a faith-centered family in Fairmont where her father was a coal miner and her mother a homemaker, and the family was involved in both church and civil rights activities.

She majored in journalism at Marshall University, where she was also a member of the Army ROTC program. As an ROTC cadet, Dooley completed Army Airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and became the first female ROTC cadet to earn the Army parachutist badge. After graduation, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served on active duty for four years in military intelligence roles in South Korea, Arizona and California.

While in the Army, she married Chuck Green, her husband of 42 years, and after leaving the military, returned home to pursue a law degree at West Virginia University. After graduation, she worked for a ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä law firm and the state Attorney General’s office before establishing her own practice, The Dooley Law Firm, in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.

Dooley served as a member of the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä-Kanawha Housing Authority for more than 20 years and has been an active volunteer with YWCA ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s Committee for Racial Equity and Inclusion.

The Katherine “Kittyâ€� Dooley Center for Community Enrichment serves as a resource for programs supporting women, families and community development, helping to reinforce YWCA ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable society.

“The naming of this center reflects our deep gratitude for Kitty’s unwavering dedication to the mission of YWCA ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä — eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all,â€� said Sonya Hairston, YWCA ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s CEO. “Her legacy of advocacy and service will continue to inspire all who seek enrichment and growth within this community space, which will be a hub for education, empowerment and social change.â€�