The Chatham-Kent YMCA upped the bar this year in its quest to help ensure its facilities are accessible to everyone, setting its Strong Kids Campaign goal for 2018 to $113,500.
Last year, the campaign raised $112,453.
It helped people such as Cristian Picard and 854 others. The young man, who is confined to a wheelchair, has been working out at the Y for the past five months.
“I woke up one day and said to myself, ‘I need to get into shape,’” he said. “I tried to do it on my own, but decided to try the Y. They have just been phenomenal.”
For Picard, using the Y’s facilities wouldn’t have been in his reach financially without Strong Kids support. He lives on his own on a fixed income.
To him, the assistance goes way beyond the dollar savings to attend the Y.
“What I receive is way more than what I can ask for financially. I pushed myself beyond what I thought was possible,” he said. “There are great staff here. The people are rooting for you. It makes you want to go further.”
He said part of the Strong Kids support is a set payment structure that allows him to work out worry free.
“After every workout, I just feel so good,” he said, crediting personal trainer Donna Lashmore with helping to push him to new levels of success.
At one point during the workouts she asked Picard if he could catch a ball, as she wanted to throw an exercise ball back and forth with him. He said he didn’t think he could, but would give it a try. He caught it the first time.
Strong Kids has allowed more local residents, young and old, to experience the YMCA. That includes access to summer camps for kids, leadership programs for teens, healthy lifestyle education and fitness classes for adults, and access to a variety of programs for seniors.
Picard said his time at the Y has altered his life. Kathi Lomas McGee, YMCA CEO, said that’s the plan.
“Strong Kids has allowed us to change lives. There are so many stories where we’ve had the opportunity to have an impact on people. It’s why the Y does what it does,” she said.
Jim Loyer, campaign chair for Strong Kids, encourages people to get involved with the campaign.
“We want to be able to give people a hand up, not a hand out,” he said.
TekSavvy has long supported the YMCA in Chatham-Kent, and it offered a huge hand up to open the campaign, donating $50,000 towards it.
“We’re more than happy to help out,” TekSavvy’s Spencer Antaya said.
From left, YMCA’s Chris Prince, TekSavvy’s Spencer Antaya, and YMCA’s Kathi Lomas McGee and Amy Wadsworth celebrate TekSavvy’s $50,000 donation to the 2018 Strong Kids program.
