Southeast Area YMCA (Woodbury)

I'm not a professional fundraiser, but I do like to think of myself as a professional mom! As a mother of 3, I make sure that our family uses the YMCA several times a week.

Because of the programs and facility offered by the YMCA:

• my kids are learning to swim
• the kids have a weekly homeschool gym class, helping them to develop athletic skills (remember the Presidental Fitness Awards? Homeschoolers can earn them, too!) and make new friends -- no small thing to homeschool families
• this overextended mom gets a fitness break when she needs it, because of the high quality childcare our YMCA offers
• our family can enjoy quality time together during open swimming time in the pool and open time in the gym

Our YMCA offered a quarter of a million dollars in scholarship aid to children and families last year -- in fact, 1 in 7 people you might encounter at the Y on a day-to-day basis are recipients of that aid. You probably don't know who they are, and neither do I, but you can be sure that they are so grateful to bring their families together there to enjoy healthy activities together.

When I was asked to help raise money for Y Partners, I really got to thinking about families for whom Y membership is not just a luxury, but an impossibility. Our family is so fortunate to be able to fit the Y in our budget, but not everyone can do so. I know that our family would be less healthy, less connected to our community, and even less connected to one another without our Y membership. I'd like to help make the Y and its programs possible for other less fortunate families in our community. Could I ask you to join me?

Because there is such great need in the world for financial assistance right now, particularly in Haiti, I would ask you to please consider donating even a small amount. If I can get 60 people to donate $5, or 30 people to donate $10, my goal will be met. That $300 will train 3 people in First Aid/CPR -- or allow 7 low income seniors to take a fitness/wellness class, providing them with both social connections and physical activity -- or send two low income kids to a week of Day Camp. So many possibilities ... all made possible by your contribution to the Y Partners campaign.