StoriesThe YMCA takes a unique approach to

health. It wants everyone to pursue good health in spirit, mind and body. A couple of announcements demonstrate how the YMCA helps people to take control of their health—no matter what their situation in life may be.

• A $1.2 million grant from the federal and provincial governments to refit and expand the A.R. Kaufman Family YMCA was front page news. What caught the attention of The Record was that a portion of the new space is expected to provide more personalized services to those experiencing specific health issues such as mobility issues or cardiovascular problems.

• Our Family YMCAs started a Helping Hand program that offered free two- month memberships to workers who lost their jobs as a result of the recession.

When you come to the YMCA for swimming lessons or to workout, you may not realize how much the YMCAs approach to health is different from other options. The YMCA stands alone in helping you and everyone in our communities to take control of their health. In the words of Tom Abbott, VP of Health, Fitness and Recreation for the YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener-Waterloo, “The YMCA believes that good health in spirit, mind and body is critical for anyone to reach their full potential.”

“For example,” he continued, “in difficult times, YMCA membership can be particularly helpful. Physical activity reduces stress and improves energy level, mental attitude and a person’s sense of well being and self esteem. That’s why in tough economic times we created the Helping Hand program.”

Inspired by news reports of the program, a veteran of World War II living in Cambridge sent a cheque to pay for 10 one-month adult memberships. He said that he was “reminded of the ever present timely reach of the YMCA.”

This gift helps remind us that the YMCA has been responding to people in need throughout its history such as the work it did during the World Wars to assist prisoners of war. More recently, our YMCAs are offering several programs to help people take control of their health.

ymcacambridge.com kwymca.org

Helping you take control of your

• The Breakthrough program aims to prevent bone loss and maximize the functional capacity of adults with osteoporosis through education, exercise, and community interaction. At Both Family YMCAs.

• The Fitness For Function program is designed to help adults, such as

those recovering from strokes, gain independence, improve endurance, strength, mobility and to promote community integration. Participants must receive physician consent. At Chaplin Family YMCA

• The goal of the People in Motion program is to prevent diabetes in people who have mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. This approach is being compared to standard clinical interventions. Offered at Both Family YMCAs by Waterloo Regional Homes for Mental Health.

Continued inside....

healthHelping Hand came at the right time for Rhonda Schlueter who had been laid off in April. “I now have somewhere to burn off some energy and bring down my stress level,” she said. “It also improves my appearance and gives me the self-confidence I need to help motivate me to find a job.”

Fall 2009

YMCA

In many ways, September is

the beginning of a new year. Summer tends to be a break from the busy lives that we lead. But when the kids go back to school,

everything seems to move back to high gear for all of us. I hope you will find new ways to make the YMCA a part of your life over the next ten months. If you do, our many supportive communities may help you to grow in unexpected ways.

Our YMCAs are also growing. I think for example of the new YMCA of Cambridge’s Cultural Diversity department. We are moving beyond helping newcomers to settle and get oriented to helping the entire community work together better through programs and services such as the Ambassadors program (see My Y Story). I also think of the Virtual YMCA that started in the spring at St. Peter’s School in Cambridge or a new English Conversation Circlein Ayr.

Sometimes people are surprised to learn that the YMCA is a charity, but where else but at a non-profit dedicated to personal growth and getting people active could all these programs—and many more from aquafit to zumba—exist together? Only the

YMCA helps people at all ages and stages of life to take control of their health.

Do you have a story about how the YMCA helped you take control of your health? Let us know at: ymcastories@ckwymca.ca.

Happy

New Year!treasure that helps so many kids connect with nature and their inner selves. In this case, we are truly building on tradition.

This property is home to both YMCA Camp Ki-Wa-Y and the YMCA Outdoor Centre and it will be busier than ever over the coming years thanks to $293,000 in funding from the federal and provincial governments. These funds will help build four new straw bale cabins and a program pod that will connect them and the existing straw bale cabins. As a result more school groups from across Waterloo Region will be able to attend the centres on-site residential programs featuring environmental education and leadership skills.

I hope you and your family will have a very happy “New Year.”

Sincerely,

John HaddockCEO, YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener Waterloo

The YMCA is growing in part because our communities are growing. As I write, the tendering process for the Stork Family YMCA in West Waterloo is underway. A construction commitment is expected by mid-October. Before long, I expect to see shovels in the ground as this much needed facility starts to take shape. Construction could take up to 24 months because of complex items such as the pool. We are hopeful that we will open our newest Family YMCA in 2011.

But the YMCA is also growing as our programs and services evolve. Since 1924, Waterloo Region kids have been going to camp beside Paradise Lake outside St. Clements thanks to a wonderful 77 acre property owned by the Kiwanis Club of Kitchener-Waterloo. The YMCA has been involved since the beginning and exclusively using the property since 1972. Recently, the Kiwanis Club generously decided to give the property to the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA—one of the largest gifts the KW YMCA has ever received. We are extremely grateful for the trust that we have received to be caretakers of this

Both Family YMCAs were also engaged by Dr. Quincy Almeida, director of Laurier’s Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre in his study on how exercise can help people with Parkinson’s disease. His study showed that people with Parkinson’s walked better and had

fewer tremors after doing the Centre’s three month sensory-based exercise program.

Contact your Family YMCA for more information on these programs and others that might be right for you.

Melanie credits the People In Motion program with changing her lifestyle that was too sedentary and saw her gaining too much weight. “I have trouble motivating myself,” she says. “It helped to be in a program with other people. I’ve gone down at least two sizes!

Helping you take control of your health, Continued...

The YMCAs of Cambridge

and Kitchener-Waterloo have re-launched the Chair’s Round Table Program— a recognition society that acknowledges donors who provide support at the $1,000 level and above.

“The Chair’s Round Table is a way for us to connect with donors who have made a significant investment in the work of our YMCA through a project or program that has particular meaning for them,” said Kitchener-Waterloo Board President Mike Stork. Cambridge Board Chair Laurie Hornell noted: “The Chair’s Round Table is about celebrating the impact of philanthropy on the children, youth and families in our community through YMCA programs and services.”

The YMCAs of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo have set an ambitious goal of doubling the number of donors at the Chair’s Round Table level by 2011 in order to meet growing need in our communities. “A key strategic objective is to do more to touch every family in the Region,” commented YMCA CEO John Haddock. “We need to reach out beyond our core supporters if we are to achieve this objective, just as our current donors have helped us achieve what we are doing today.”

Donors are automatically welcomed into the Chair’s Round Table and are recognized for the year in which they make their gift. For more information, please contact Kathy Wilson at 519-584-7479 ext. 216 or kwilson@ckwymca.ca.

Here are a couple examples of the donors recognized at the Chair’s Round Table level:

Bruce McDonoughBruce McDonough, Past Chair of the YMCA of Cambridge’s Board of Directors, can only be described as a lifetime YMCA member and volunteer. He remembers his parents taking him to swim at the YMCA as a youngster in Sherbrooke.

From there he says with a shy smile, “the Y has always been a part of my life.” First in Montreal, where he and his wife and three young boys went to the Y regularly as a family, and then in Woodstock, Owen Sound and eventually Cambridge. “The Y has given a lot to us as a family. It was there when we needed quality child care and after school programs, and when we were looking for fun, healthy activities.” When the McDonough’s were making the move to Cambridge in 2003, they purposely looked for – and found a home close to the Chaplin Family YMCA.

“The Y is such a positive environment. It’s a place where people strive to do better for themselves, where they can feel connected and belong.” Part and parcel of his leadership and volunteerism has been supporting Cambridge’s annual YMCA Strong Kids Campaign at the Chair’s Round Table level. Bruce has been instrumental in soliciting support for Strong Kids within the broader community by sharing his Y story and leading by example, “I love the Y. Being a part of the Chair’s Round Table is just one more way for me to support an organization that means so much to my family and impacts so many people in so many ways.”

AirBossAirBoss has been a strong supporter of the Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA, giving at the Chair’s Round Table level since 2000. AirBoss has been in Kitchener for

16 years, and has more than

300 employees, making it one of the

largest manufacturing companies in the Waterloo Region.

Like many businesses and corporations, AirBoss has experienced an increased demand for charitable donations in 2009. “Despite an internal climate of fiscal restraint,” Human Resources Manager Barb Lee said, “A lot of people are hurting out there.

We know there is a need, and we want to do whatever we can to help. For that reason, we made a conscious decision to maintain our donations budget this year.”

In making decisions about which charities to support, Barb explains that AirBoss looks for organizations that impact and involve their employees. The company prefers to give locally and to support organizations that have a high level of volunteer engagement. This is where AirBoss Moulded Products General Manager Rick MacNeil comes in. Rick has been an active YMCA volunteer for many years – first as a member of the Y’s Men Club and later as a member of the KW YMCA Strong Kids Campaign (originally known as the Light A Smile Campaign). Over the years, Rick has seen how the Strong Kids Campaign helps to remove the financial barriers to participating in YMCA programs and services. Rick has spearheaded the community component of KW’s YMCA Strong Kids Campaign for an incredible 30 years! He knows that it removes financial barriers to participating in YMCA programs and activities.

“What impresses me is the breadth and depth of what the YMCA offers in this community,” said Rick. “When you look at all of the program sites that the Y has, you can’t go far without running into another program or service that the Y offers.”

Build

Strong Families

Contact InformationCircle one: Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms/ Dr

Last Name:

First Name:

Business Name:

Address:

City:

Prov: Postal Code:

The above address is a o Home o Business

Phone: H ( ) Phone: B ( )

Email:

Methods of Paymento cash o cheque o credit card o void cheque (monthly only)

Credit Card type: o VISA o MasterCard o American Express (Cambridge Only)

Card No: Exp. Date: /

Name on Card:

Signature:

NOTE: If you selected void cheque for monthly payment, please enclose a cheque marked VOID from the bank account you with to access.

o I do not wish my name listed in publicationso I have named the YMCA in my willMail to: YMCA Financial Development, 460 Frederick St., Suite 203, Kitchener, N2H 2P5

o Yes! I want to help the YMCA build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.3

Gift Amount: o $50 o $100 o $250 o other_________

Or

I would like to make a monthly gift of $_____________on my credit card or via pre-authorized payments.

o YMCA of Cambridge o KW YMCA

o K-W YMCA Endowment Foundation

Get healthier in spirit, mind & body with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the YMCA!

Show your YMCA membership card and

get 20% off any or all 2009 - 2010 concerts.

Symphony music lovers can get a one week pass at a Family YMCA in Cambridge or Kitchener by showing

one of their tickets.

Music for You!

Subscribe to our e-newsletterSpirit, Mind & BodyKeep up to date on everything that is happening around the YMCAs of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo.

To subscribe just hit the button on our websites:

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YMCA e-news

>> JOIN TODAY

An Artist’s look at the Stork Family YMCA in Waterloo

Methods of Paymento cash o cheque o credit card o void cheque (monthly only)

Credit Card type: o VISA o MasterCard o American Express (Cambridge Only)

Card No: Exp. Date: /

Name on Card:

Signature:

NOTE: If you selected void cheque for monthly payment, please enclose a cheque marked VOID from the bank account you with to access.

o I do not wish my name listed in publicationso I have named the YMCA in my willMail to: YMCA Financial Development, 460 Frederick St., Suite 203, Kitchener, N2H 2P5

o Yes! I want to help the YMCA build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

Immigrant Women Together is a support group for women who are new

to Canada offered by YMCA Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) in Kitchener-Waterloo.

The group was created as an effort to cover specific needs of newcomer women who might feel isolated but are eager to participate more actively in their new community and their new life in Canada.

Meeting once a week for eight weeks, the women are given an opportunity to step out of their usual social circles to build connections, share knowledge and experiences, and learn new skills in a safe and caring environment. They also learn about community resources and supports available to them and their families.

The program is run in partnership with KW Counselling Services with the participation of speakers from various community agencies such as Planned Parenthood and Catholic Family Counselling Services.

Being able to measure the impact of the Immigrant Women Together program on the participants through an evaluation process is important. The women in the group complete a survey at the beginning and again at the end of the eight weeks to evaluate if the goals of the group were met and whether the women gained new knowledge of the issues discussed, became more familiar with community resources and made positive connections with their peers.

The YMCAs of Cambridge & Kitchener-Waterloo are making an impact upon the health and lives of people at all ages and stages of life. This story is part of a series that reports on our efforts to measure our impact upon the people we serve.

Do you have a story about the impact the YMCA has had on you? Let us know at: ymcastories@ckwymca.ca.

ImmIgrant Women together

outcomes (results for one eight week support group)

EMpoWEriNgimmigrant Women

i feel very confident living in Canadabefore 38%after 100%

i know about the Canada’s Food guide

i definitely feel that i am asuccessful woman

i feel i am ready to have a job in Canada

i have a lot of friends in my neighbourhood

25%67%

i am friends with some women from my home country

You can help NeWCOMerS TO CANADA too!Learn how. Contact your YMCA’s Volunteer Coordinator today.

25%83%

i use the Canada’s Food guide a lot to make healthy eating choices

25%67%

“I learned about good nutrition and put it into practice.”

“I learned the value of good relationships.”

“I learned that we should share our experiences and keep a balance in every type of relationship.”

What the group participants are saying:

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after 83%

before 62%

before 38%

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after 83%before 38%

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kwymca.org ymcacambridge.comThe YMCA of Cambridge’s Charitable Registration # BN 11930 7098 RR0001

The Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA’s Charitable Registration # BN 10757 2687 RR0001

100% post Consumer Waste

My YMCA Story: rehana Ansari

BriNgiNg HArMoNY to our multicultural garden

This story was presented at the launch of the YMCA of Cambridge’s Ambassador Project. It is a community-driven initiative that engages immigrants and refugees to connect with isolated or vulnerable members of our diverse community through outreach and referral, in an effort to link people to existing service providers who can help. It is an initiative of the new Cultural Diversity department.

The Ambassador Project itself is closely knit to the heart of anyone who enjoys communicating with people. It is more like a feeling you get when you hold a chunk of earth in the palm of your hand, a sense that carries you beyond yourself and opens your soul to others around you—a connection we all share.

This feeling describes exactly what I have been doing on my own for so many years, as an ‘invisible YMCA guide’ to immigrants I meet on Grand River Transit and the streets of Cambridge. It strengthens my bond with the community and saves a lot of the newcomers time, effort and energy finding answers to the many complex questions that riddle their minds like looking for a home, finding a school for their children, searching for a job—all needing immediate attention. The sky is the limit as our instructor put it. That’s how much there is to serve, to share, to wash away stress in whatever way we can in the simplest possible way.

Today, the ambassadors launch out as a team designated with a purpose. We sense the confidence we have been entrusted with for we have been through similar circumstances and we understand deeply the needs of the many faces of Adam and Eve visualizing a new paradise!

We feel that the community will share our vision to help make life simpler and more promising for the new immigrant. This little ‘chunk’ of green earth is a multicultural garden that we prize. To bring harmony into the lives of its people and keep it fragrant and blooming is our mission!

Do you have a story about how your participation in a YMCA program changed your life or helped you make an impact on the lives of others? Please share it with us by e-mail (ymcastories@ckwymca.ca) or by dropping it off at a YMCA location near you.