Eight-year-old Elias and his 13-year-old sister Gethsemane are great examples of the YMCA's ripple effect.
Elias dove into YMCA programs as a kindergartner starting in Camp High Hopes, the YMCA's fully subsidized summer day camp. Camp provided a safe place for Elias to learn new skills while his parents worked.
Gethsemane got her start at the YMCA through Y Learning, the YMCA's standardized tutorial program. She struggled to reach school system benchmarks, and her parents couldn't help her with homework because they don't speak English.
"It can be overwhelming for families to engage in a new community, in a new country, when they don't speak the language," said Allison Bost, YMCA Outreach Director. "The Y is that safe place for Elias and Gethsemane's family. The Y does a great job of building a rapport through young kids. Now, we engage the whole family."
SWIM FOR LIFE
Last year, Elias and Gethsemane and their parents, Elias Sr. and Estella, participated in Swim for Life together as a family. The unique program provides children, families and adults with free swim instruction thanks to donations to the YMCA's Annual Campaign.
"At first, my mom didn't understand how to float, but when we did swim lessons there was always someone by her side," said Gethsemane.
What started as a swim program, turned into an exercise in family bonding.
When the family was given a three-month membership to the Y, Elias Sr. was hooked, and before long, he increased his joint flexibility and lost 30 pounds. He and Estella began working out four to five times a week. They took Zumba classes together, and the whole family swam together.
"For us, it was always work, work, work," said Estella. "Thanks to the YMCA and Swim for Life, we have two hours a week together as a family."
GIVE
100% of every dollar given through the YMCA’s Annual Campaign is invested in the lives of people who need the Y.
