Ymca Of Greater Whittier

Programs: Healthy living:promoting and supporting healthier living is at the heart of what all ymcas do. Our nation's lifestyle health crisis demands that community members of all ages be educated, motivated and empowered to lead more active and healthy lives. Our ymca, drawing from national collaborations with the centers for disease control and prevention, the harvard school of public health and the stanford school of medicine, works collaboratively to reduce barriers and increase support so that health seekers may reach their goals. Healthy lifestyles programsin 2017, 15,343 ymca of greater whittier members participated year-round in healthy lifestyles programs including a comprehensive menu of group exercise classes, aquatic exercise for persons of varying age and ability, our 12-week personalized fitness program, and team and individual sports. This total includes 3,456 seniors, 4,076 adults, 1,493 young adults and 8,300 youth under the age of 18. All youth and senior members and many adults participate at subsidized rates thanks to contributed dollars from our annual current support campaign. Healthy living eventsour ymca participates in the national ymca healthy kids day and in a number of local community events that promote healthier living and easier access to much-needed resources. Families living healthy togetherhundreds of ymca families participate in family outings and fun walks. Family camp attendance at ymca camp arbolado was 140 in 2017.

youth development:ymca programs for youth address the need for kids to develop positive values, to be engaged in the community, and to grow socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. Purposeful, asset-based ymca programs afford each child the strengths needed to be fully prepared for adulthood. Young people are valued at the y and are given the opportunity through programs to be supported by caring adult role models, to be held accountable, to try new things, to enhance their leadership skills. In the following ways, they develop their unique abilities in order to become healthy, contributing adults. Healthy kidsin 2017, 5,041 youth and 2,079 teen members were regularly engaged in multiple ymca healthy lifestyle programs throughout the year. In addition, 13,278 more children and youth under the age of 18 took part in one or more sessions of individual and team sports, swimming and resident camping programs. Aquaticswith four swimming pools, the ymca of greater whittier provides a wide variety of aquatic health and well-being programs for all ages, including swim lessons, recreational swimming, lap swimming, water exercise classes of all kinds, and even a competitive youth swim team. In 2017, 4272 children learned to swim at the y. After school programsour ymca is the largest provider of non-profit preschool, child care and after-school programming in our service area, providing subsidies and financial assistance that allow 489 children to attend safe and enriching programs while their parents attend work or advance their education to support their families. Youth sportsthe ymca provides year-round sports programs for children and adults, including basketball, soccer, t-ball, flag football, gymnastics and martial arts. In 2017, 441 children participated in one or more sports, many thanks to subsidies funded by our campaign. Ymca resident campin 2017, 3,615 children, adults and seniors enjoyed a week or weekend at ymca camp arbolado, and the vast majority of these are youth. Campers enjoy healthy activities like swimming, canoeing, mountain biking, archery, climbing wall and ropes courses and more. They enjoy nutritious meals and learn ymca values, as have their parents and grandparents since 1926. Many receive scholarships to attend camp and none are turned away. Teen leadershipthe ymca is the largest employer of teens in the country. Developing the next generation of citizen leaders has always been the ymca's business. The ymca of greater whittier has teen leadership involving 95 high school students in a variety of social and service opportunities. In 2017, 95 teens participated in an intensive counselor-in-training program at ymca camp arbolado. We had 95 teens volunteer one week or more as camp counselors last year. Ymca valuesthe ymca's core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility permeate all of our youth programs. Ymca staff and volunteer leaders can all articulate these values, and are trained in teaching them to children and youth using a variety of curriculum and by their own personal example. The purposeful teaching of these values is one of the things that set the ymca apart from other organizations serving children and youth.

social responsibility:persons with disabilitiesin collaboration with local regional centers, the easter seals society and other agencies, the ymca of greater whittier provides health and well being programs, including swim lessons, exercise programs, mobility and nutrition education to more than 300 physically and/or developmentally disabled children and adults. The ymca stride programstride is a program of the ymca of greater whittier. It is a day program that helps 30 adults with intellectual developmental disabilities achieve their highest potential in the community and in everyday life. Participants are at the stride program center daily up to 30 hours per week, with activities focusing on daily living skills, practical math, computer usage, community resources, library, community integration and vocational training. Income based feesymca membership and program fees are income-based, with subsidy coming from our annual current support campaign. In 2017, 5,526 members and participants were able to take part in virtually every ymca program because the ymca was able to provide financial assistance in the form of subsidized fees. Adult & childhood obesity initiativesin response to our community's obesity/inactivity crisis, our ymca is working to promote healthier living in three branch locations, ten program sites and out in the community through ymca of the usa healthier communities initiative, a nationwide effort to help individuals adopt healthy habits and behaviors, while also examining the physical environment - sidewalks, bike paths, healthy eating options - in our neighborhoods, schools and workplaces so that our communities can shape healthful change. Locally, our ymca is working with healthier communities initiative partners including the city of whittier, the whittier area chamber of commerce and the whittier city school district to create an environment that promotes healthy food choices, physical activity and reduces exposure to seond-hand smoke for whittier residents.