West End Ymca

Healthy living--the y is the leading voice on health and well-being. We understand that creating warm and welcoming spaces in our facilities and neighborhoods will bring people together to pursue their full potential by building and maintaining healthy habits for spirit, mind and body in their everyday lives. We foster connections through our well-being approach to programs which includes fitness, sports, shared interests, fun, support groups, health screenings, blood drives, and group exercise classes, just to mention a few. Approximately 12,000 people in our community are receiving the support, guidance and resources they need to achieve greater balance in the areas of social, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. We provide a broad range of accessible, affordable, inclusive, effective and quality programming that addresses a variety of emerging issues in our communities. This is particularly important as our communities struggle with an obesity crisis, family and work life balance, and individual search for personal fulfillment. Total financial assistance for 2023 equaled approximately $110,729.

Social responsibility--at the y, we believe in giving back and supporting our neighbors we have been listening and responding to our community's most critical social needs since 1895. The y encourages personal involvement and investment to support, fund and lead the y's critical work in the community, so that we can reach more people and do more good we provide access to training, resources and support to help eliminate barriers and empower our neighbors to make positive change, so that they can create a better future for themselves. The y welcomes, engages and connects diverse populations in our community and around the world, so that all individuals can reach their full potential and our changing communities are united and strong. In 2023, we engaged over 25,000 y members, participants, and volunteers in activities, programs, and initiatives that empowered our neighbors to effect change, bridge gaps, and overcome obstacles. Because of these collective efforts the foundations of our community have been strengthened and we have paved the way for future generations to thrive.

Youth development--our y is committed to nurturing the potential of every child and teen through expanding opportunities that help them grow into happy, healthy, and productive adults. Our y youth development programs, serving over 6,000 youth annually and focus on four outcomes: 1) leadership development, 2) swim, sports and play, 3) camp, and 4) education. Our Ymca addresses three barriers to youth development, childhood drowning, sedentary and obese children, and risk-taking behaviors. These barriers are strategically attacked through our initiatives process which in the past year committed over 15,000 hours of programming to over 4,000 children. Total financial assistance for 2023 equaled approximately $38,760.