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Our mission: “Helping people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body.”A United Way Agency.

YMCA of Northwest North Carolina301 N. Main Street, Suite 1900 Winston-Salem, NC 27101

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Winston-Salem, NC

Permit No. 272

CONNECTIONSA Newsletter for Friends of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina

WE’RE GOING GREENThis will be the last print edition of the Connections newsletter. Connections will now be an e-newsletter sent via email. Don’t miss an issue! Email connections@ymcanwnc.org to ensure we have your correct contact information. We will have limited copies of the print version available at Y branches. Thank you for supporting our efforts to reduce costs and fund our mission.

UNDERSTANDING THE ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN The Y is so much more than a place, it’s a cause. The Annual Giving Campaign helps provide life-changing programs, services, and memberships for those who could otherwise not afford the full cost to participate. Your donation provides a child with the opportunity to learn to swim or a scholarship to attend resident camp, or a senior with a Y membership to stay healthy and make friends. Those are just a few examples of the ways your gift helps the Y strengthen our community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

Annual Giving Campaign Q&A:

Q: Why should I give to the Y? When you donate to the Y, 100% of your gift is used for financial assistance and program scholarships. Your donation supports programs for children, such as summer camp financial assistance and Summer Learning Academies, programs for adult cancer survivors like LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA, and so much more.

Q: I already pay membership fees. Is that considered a donation?? Membership fees cover the Y’s operating and administrative costs including utilities and occupancy, facility maintenance, equipment, and services. Your gift ensures that the Y’s doors are open to all.

Donate today at ymcanwnc.org/give or call 336 777 6222.

TOGETHER, WE CAN DO SO MUCH MOREYMCA Annual Giving Campaign

Bekka Collins has faced more medical struggles as a five year old than many people face in their entire lives. But she also has the strong spirit of a survivor who has overcome incredible odds. When she was almost two, she had bacterial meningitis and subsequent complications including suffering 16 strokes. Early in the healing process, her mother Terri was at a point where she knew she needed something to help Bekka, but didn’t know what. That’s when she turned to the Y.

“I was searching for a way to build Bekka’s muscle strength and thought the water might be a good fit,” Terri says. At the time, Bekka was four years old and needed to improve her strength and balance to be able to walk safely. With the help of financial assistance made possible by the YMCA Annual Giving Campaign, Bekka started swim lessons at the Y twice a week. Since those early first days, Bekka has built strength and confidence, participated in youth sports, and even had a birthday party at the Y.

“Today, when I see Bekka pushing through that water with a smile on her face, I know there is nowhere else in the world she would rather be. It is just amazing to see how far she’s come and the faith she has to continue healing. From my perspective, the Y is so much more than a place to work out. It’s a family. You feel like you’re home.”

Visit ymcanwnc.org/give to see Bekka’s full story.

Linda Wood, Board Chair

GREETINGS FROM THE bOARD CHAIR & THE PRESIDENT/CEOThanks to all of our generous donors to the Annual Giving Campaign! Because of you, so much more is possible. Your donations make the Y available to those who need it most and help fund the objectives outlined in our strategic plan, Moving Our Mission Forward. The aggressive plan is meeting the critical local needs identified by key community leaders.

We are continuing to explore and currently laying the groundwork for opening a new Y in West Jefferson. As part of the process, we have conducted market and capital campaign feasibility studies, both of which look promising. There will be more details to come. If you have friends or family in the Ashe County area, please share with them what the Y means to you and help in our efforts to educate the community about how the Y is so much more than a place, but truly a cause.

THANk YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

CONNECTIONS | A Newsletter for Friends of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina Spring 2015

bUILDING FUTURE LEADERSMore than 500 students from the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina’s Youth & Government program attended the recent Annual State Conference in Raleigh, representing one of the largest delegations in the state. The students come from more than 15 local high schools to write and present their own bills, try cases, and cover stories through the media program. This educational program increases awareness of the governmental process and develops skills in the areas of personal development, self-esteem and leadership.

Giving a legacy gift to the Y will make a difference that lasts forever. It is my job each day to help our members and donors understand what planned giving means and how they can make a gift to the Y through their estate, as well as to help them understand the importance of such gifts in sustaining the mission of the Y. The most fun part of my work is being able to hear the stories that our members share about what the Y means to them and their passion for the various programs. Being able to help them craft a planned gift to perpetuate their passion well into the future is a gratifying result.

The Heritage Club is the vehicle through which members can support the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina and its branches through their planned/legacy giving. Many people do not realize how simple it can be to include the Y in your estate plans. The most popular ways to leave a planned gift are through a bequest in your will or a beneficiary designation through a life insurance policy or your retirement plan.

Many members may have included the Y in their estate plans but we may not be aware of your plans. Membership in the Heritage Club is simple. Just let us know that the Y has been included in your estate plans.

For more information about the Heritage Club or to join, contact Thad Lewallen at t.lewallen@ymcanwnc.org or 336 777 6225.

DID YOU kNOW? YMCA HERITAGE CLUb

The Y recently partnered with the Atlantic Coast Conference for a special basketball competition. Children, ages 6 through 12, were invited to show their shooting skills in a free competition at the William G. White, Jr., Jerry Long, and Statesville Family YMCAs. Winners advanced to the market finals and the winner of each age group in each market competed at the 2015 New York Life ACC Tournament in Greensboro on March 12.

Get involved in youth sports at the Y by visiting your local branch or ymcanwnc.org/youth-sports

Curt Hazelbaker, President and CEO

Every Monday night at 5 p.m. the Let’s Get Fit class meets at the Robinhood Road Family YMCA’s cross training center. The program was started to help meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for physical activity in a group setting.

Vinny Rodgers, a Y personal trainer who leads the class, plans activities for a fun, interactive fitness experience. “Soccer and basketball are the group’s favorites so we play every class, but we also have a lot of fun trying new things like SH’BAM, a group exercise dance class,” he says.

Deborah Woolard, who leads four book clubs for people with intellectual disabilities, is a Y member and mother of one of the class participants. She first approached the Robinhood Road Family YMCA to be a location for the Next Chapter Book Club, which meets Tuesday evenings at the Y. Lisa Marie Blutreich, the branch’s Wellness and Engagement Director, reached out and asked what else the Y could do in the way of programming. Deborah saw the need for more opportunities for group physical activities and helped initiate the class at the Y. She says, “It’s something that was really needed. They have a great time, get physical activity, and the social aspect is important.”

LET’S GET FIT!

The basketball hoop in the Robinhood Y’s training center was funded in part by grants from local groups for the Let’s Get Fit program.

The Let’s Get Fit Class meets every week on Monday evenings at the Robinhood Y. Class activities change every 15 minutes and include games, fitness relay races, stretching, and more.

For more information or to get involved, contact Lisa Marie blutreich, Wellness and Engagement Director at the Robinhood Road Family YMCA, at 336 245 7203 or lm.blutreich@ymcanwnc.org.

Eli Jordan, who competed in the first round at the Statesville Y, won overall in the 6-7 year old category.

SHOWING OFF bASkETbALL SkILLS

The Youth & Government Delegation from Calvary Baptist Day School was one of the 15 local schools represented at the statewide conference.

For more information and to see local students who received awards, visit ymcanwnc.org/youth-and-government.

As Linda Wood’s term as Board Chair comes to a close, we express our sincere gratitude for her service to the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina. She led the strategic planning process for our Association, has chaired the YMCA Camp Hanes Board, and consistently asked the questions to make us better.