Is It Your Turn Yet?

“Is It Your Turn Yet?”
February 2010
Your YMCA – A Group Effort

This summer, it will be two years since a group of volunteers decided to work together to make some necessary changes to allow our very critically important YMCA to overcome many hurdles and a center of health, both physically and mentally, for our region.

I am astounded at the number of people who are committed toward having a healthy YMCA, financially, physically and emotionally. It is through volunteers, a developed, outstanding staff, and support from the regional and national YMCA, that the ‘Y’ has a happy face.

Programming has more than tripled and has many volunteers that are doing an outstanding job teaching the principals of healthy living. My four-year-old grandson is now beginning to participate in the ‘Y’ football, basketball, and other programs offered to young children. When I go to watch, I see volunteer coaches that are teaching skills, building self esteem, and guiding these kids to grow up in our community with a philosophy of exercise for life.

There are so many kids participating in the “itty bitty basketball” that they need to divide the group in half and still, there are an amazing number of kids in each group. I have been playing on an adult racket ball league which was started a few years ago by a volunteer. It has grown to over 20 men and women playing regularly in an organized fashion. These are just a couple examples in my small microcosm of activity, but if you haven’t been to the ‘Y’, please come in and enjoy the positive energy that the organization now exudes.

We are the smallest YMCA, by population support standards, so it takes many people with like philosophies, working together, to allow our ‘Y’ to flourish in the future. We are now seeing that success formula beginning to take hold.

If you haven’t experienced the ‘Y’, please stop by and meet Erika, our Executive Director, and the rest of the staff who will be happy to show you how the ‘Y’ can be a positive influence in your life. We deny no one in true need and give out $150,000 for 300 scholarships per year to allow everyone access to ‘Y’ programming.

To all of the many, many people that volunteer, on behalf of the Board and the staff of the ‘Y’, we greatly appreciate your time and truly hope that you know, by helping others, you are a positive part of this greater community.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Written by: Dr. Daniel L. Steinke