Find your Reason. Find your Y.

By supporting YMCA Early Learning programs, youth have the opportunity to gain school readiness skills to prepare for kindergarten and develop to their full potential.

• In 2021, 85% of our Y's Preschool students tested as ready for entry into kindergarten compared to the state average of just 46%.

By supporting YMCA Summer Camp, youth have the opportunity to participate in fun, educational activities to prevent summer learning loss and build critical social and emotional skills.

• The average student loses 17–34% of the prior year's learning gains during summer break. In 2021 our Y camps engaged over 4,000 youth in science, engineering, art, creative thinking and self-expression which reinforces what they learned throughout the school year.

By supporting YMCA Teen initiatives, teens can focus on growing their social and leadership skills to prepare for college and beyond. 

• Leaders Club at the Y offers teens quality leadership training and also provides job interview preparation skills, problem-solving and financial literacy.

By supporting YMCA Community Health initiatives, individuals are empowered to lead healthier lives with life-saving programs that fight chronic diseases.

• Our Y provides numerous Health & Wellness programs for seniors and individuals dealing with chronic illnesses including LiveSTRONG at the YMCA cancer care, Parkinson's exercise classes, Diabetes Self-Management, Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring, EnhanceFitness and more. In 2021, our Y provided Community Health programs to more than 150 individuals dealing with chronic illness. 

By supporting YMCA Youth Sports, children have the opportunity to develop communication and interpersonal skills, combat inactivity, learn values and the fundamentals of sports. 

• The Y often provides children with their first team experience, helping them build better communication skills as well as confidence. Youth sports participation also promotes an active, healthy lifestyle. In 2021, our YMCA provided financial assistance for over 200 children to participate in Youth Sports. 

By supporting YMCA After School, children are provided a safe and healthy place to learn, grow and develop foundational skills to succeed in school.

• Three out of five parents indicate that cost is a barrier in finding quality after school care for their children. In 2021, our Y provided financial assistance for over 200 youth to participate in after school care. Our Y's After School program received the Strong Minds certification and provides each child with homework help and literacy hours.   

By supporting YMCA Water Safety programs, youth and adults have access to developing life-saving skills that reduce the potential for drowning. 

• Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for youth ages 1-4. Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for ages 1-4 who take formal swim lessons. In 2021, our Y taught over 7,000 children and adults how to swim.