As many of you know, I’ve been swimming at the Mill Creek Family YMCA for several years now since my daughter Robin seriously injured her back and had to move home to work on her recovery. I've also been doing some volunteer work at the Y, including coaching indoor and outdoor soccer as part of the Youth Sports Programs and participating on the Senior Advisory Committee. Through involvement with these activities, I get to experience firsthand the impact some of the programs offered by the Y can have on the lives of their participants. I volunteered to help as a fund raiser for this year’s Annual Campaign because I know what a difference the availability of these types of programs can make in the local community.

In previous years, the Invest in Youth campaign has focused almost exclusively on activities like summer camps, before and after school child care, and health and wellness programs developed for the youngsters in the area. This year the emphasis has changed to include programs for people of all ages, and with the increased number of adults participating in some of our newer programs like Pedaling for Parkinsons and LiveStrong at the YMCA, the need for financial support has become even greater. At Mill Creek, we have one of the largest and most active Senior  communities  in the county, and hope to continue growing in the coming year. We also provide opportunities to hundreds of kids every year in a huge variety of activities, and it all takes funding above and beyond that which comes from membership dues. Last year we provided $448,000 in financial assistance to local families who would not have been able to participate otherwise.

Please help us to continue providing quality opportunities in our community by making a donation to this year’s campaign. A gift of $100 (the price of two lattes a month) will allow 3 kids to enjoy their first team sports experience, or will help others to learn to swim. It can help provide cancer survivors with a place to come at no charge to help put their physical and emotional lives back together after treatment.

I'm asking you for your support to do whatever you feel you can to support what I feel is a worthy cause in our community. The cost is small, but the benefits can be bigger than you’d ever imagine.