We serve relentlessly with our community until all can thrive in each stage of life

The Y.
So Much More.

Our commitment to making the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities accessible for all led us to some incredible people who have grown in ways uniquely their own. Through our relentless service, we've encouraged our members to challenge themselves and change their lives.

In the following, we share stories of lives transformed through our YMCA. Programs and activities to enrich youth development, improve healthy living and ignite social responsibility have strengthened our communities across the metro area. Our members and our team made 2014 a year to celebrate.

Together
We Make a Difference

In 2014 the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities maximized community support and philanthropy to make a meaningful enduring impact on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

254,149 Y Members $7,156,561 In Financial Aid for Families 9,335 Kids Joined Y Sports Programs 59,661 Active Seniors Joined in Y Programming 21,368 Kids in Y Child Care 12,252 Teens Participated in Y Programming 9,744 Adults, Teens and Youth Participated in Y Overnight Camping 900 Runners Participated in the Y Run
49,344 Families and Adults Received Financial Assistance 1,712 Youth Served in Y Intervention Programs 21,677 Individuals Learned Swimming and Water Safety Skills 12,252 Kids Went to Day Camp 76,892 Kids Participated in Y Programming 125,879 Volunteer Hours Served

During the school year, 294,354 children in Minnesota do not have access to before and after school programs and are left unsupervised after 3 p.m.

Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness advocacy organization

Address the Achievement Gap

Together with schools, parents, guardians and families, the Y tackles the achievement gap with programming tailored to the needs of individual communities. Student attendance climbs right along with academic achievement.

At Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School in West St. Paul, students learn when academics are combined with play in a fun and safe environment. Parents drop off their children as early as six in the morning, an important feature for families. Children are involved in Y programs until school starts and return to their Y enrichment activities at the end of the day. The program often reintroduces subjects, such as art, cut from the regular school day.

Laughing and learning go together as children are exposed to art and humanities, science and technology, team and character building, and sports and games, as well as getting help with their homework and improving their literacy skills. The relaxed environment fosters a love for learning, healthy choices, social and leadership development, all wrapped into a support system to help them reach their potential.

"The program is important for our students because many of the students in the program come from a higher poverty environment so they don't always have access to an art class at a studio or maybe an after school athletic program that has some fees and equipment that's required."

– Eric Bradley, Principal, Moreland Arts and Health Sciences Magnet School

Kids ages 8-18 now spend, on average, a whopping 7.5 hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day, 4.5 of which are spent watching TV. Over a year, that adds up to 114 full days watching a screen for fun. This doesn't include the time they spend on the computer at school for educational purposes or at home for homework.

The Kaiser Family Foundation

Create Meaningful Outdoor Experiences

Much to Hope's surprise, Y Camp changed her life. Her first awkward days at Camp Streefland in the Minnesota Valley were spent alone – she wanted NO part of camp. She boycotted it until the camp director found her sprawled under a tree crying and unearthed a common bond; they were both Irish. From that tiny connection, a whole new Hope emerged.

Together, they found her passion and set her onto a path of success. Just one activity was the beginning. That first interactive encounter was the key to unlocking her potential, because once the first barrier to social interaction was shattered, others followed. Hope says, "Once I started talking to people, I really had fun." Funny how that works.

Today Hope throws herself into camp activities with gusto. No challenge is too great – from team building and rope obstacle courses to high-line glides among the trees. In Hope's words, she is becoming honest, brave and caring. At YMCA Camp, she is expanding her world and gaining the skills which are opening up her options as she reaches out toward her potential. A reluctant camper is rapidly transforming into an avid leader.

"Camping is teaching me that even when I'm in the woods or somewhere different that I don't know, I can have fun if I open my mind to it."

– Hope, a budding leader

Obesity is widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Combat Chronic Disease

Erica didn't know when she walked into the New Hope YMCA that her life was about to be transformed. A simple question made all the difference.

A nurse and a mother, she's been fighting a chronic weight problem almost as long as she can remember. She tried and failed on diet after diet. Erica thought working with a personal trainer would be a good idea, but she worried about the cost. The Y offered a solution.

Erica recalls struggling with an exercise and asking one of the trainers for help. "He explained it in a concise and professional manner and he really made me understand how and why I was doing that exercise."

His response was life changing. She sought out Damien, hired him as her personal trainer and through weekly sessions, Erica has gained personal confidence along with physical strength and energy. Simple tasks like bringing in the groceries used to exhaust her. Today, she no longer relies on others to do those simple tasks because every step is integral to her transformation.

For Erica, it goes beyond weight loss to a changing mind set and an inner conviction. She is thriving thanks to the Y's program and her tenacity.

"I'm doing amazing things that I never thought I could do and it makes me feel like an empowered, strong woman."

– Erica, a New Hope YMCA member working with a personal trainer

Inactivity increases with age. By age 75, about one in three men and one in two women engage in no physical activity.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Engage Active Older Adults

Death of a spouse can plunge the survivor into a tailspin. For Charlie, the four years following his wife's death were spent in mourning, withdrawn from social interaction. The Y and yoga changed his life.

Gentle yoga is a safe and welcoming exercise for adults in their 80s. It improves agility, enhances balance and increases strength, allowing the spirit, mind and body to relax and strengthen.

While Charlie believes multiple Y classes enrich his life, gentle yoga has had a profound impact on his day-to-day ease of movement. "Yoga class is great for helping me stretch. I am stiff and they help me stretch. I think it's making it easier for me to move. And that's what I want. I want to be able to move. For me that's living."

Charlie is thriving at the Y; his daily living is enhanced. He also finds it a good social outlet – the Y gives him a bigger pool of friends. He's watching his diet, his weight, but most of all he's determined to keep moving and living. Says Charlie, "The Y is a great place to do that and, after a while, you know, it gets to be a habit."

"Moving is living. If you can't move, why, what are you? You're a tree."

– Charlie, an 80+ year old Y member and yoga student

About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Offer Water Safety For All

Across the world, water safety skills are important. In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, water safety skills can be life changing. The YMCA water safety classes have a lasting impact on children and their safety.

Aliya agrees with that. A timid kindergartner, she was frightened about getting into the pool. Three years later, her skills have improved significantly. She is jumping into the deep end and swimming back and forth across the pool. Her confidence in and out of the water has grown.

Like Aliya, many of the children in the Blaisdell YMCA neighborhood don't have the chance to take swimming lessons. That's why the Y program is so important. The Y offers the opportunity for everyone to get in the water and learn water safety skills. Being safe in water and having survival skills if you get into a bad spot are the focus of the Y's water safety programs. The Y staff teaches their swimmers to go into the water with a buddy or, even better, to have an adult with them when they go swimming.

Even so, any swimmer can get into a bad situation. To deter a fatal accident, the staff ensure the children know the "swim, float, swim" technique. Aliya has that down pat.

She says, "Sometimes if you're doing your front stroke you shouldn't keep swimming because then you'll get really tired. You should take a break and then you go for about five seconds and then you go back."

Aliya and the others in the Y's water safety programs are learning skills for a life time of safety in and near water. A good skill to have where open bodies of water seem to be around every corner.

"I feel safe around the water now because I know that if I was swimming by myself I would try to swim near land and I wouldn't go too far out."

– Aliya, a YMCA swimming program participant

On any given night in Minnesota, 4,000 youth are homeless with less than 100 youth shelter beds available.

Wilder Research

Serve Youth in Transition

The YMCA's Youth Outreach Intervention Program inspired hope in Gabby at a point when she needed it most. Gabby was homeless, with a newborn and alone. She was couch hopping from friend to friend without a permanent, safe place to live.

Gabby was in crisis with no resources and no idea where to find help. Youth Intervention Services came into Gabby's life at the right time, with caring and an understanding of what she needed to become stronger and healthier.

With Y staff support, Gabby explored their housing program for single moms. Gabby believes, "The Y made a big difference in my life. They're helping me with housing. They're helping me with an exercise program so I can be stronger."

For Gabby, the Y was life changing. She works and lives in safe places. Her son is safe. She knows her future is brighter. She's becoming financially stable. She's stretching toward the potential within herself and enrolling in an education program.

Gabby is building skills for success and has hope for her future – she has grown dramatically during the last year. She is committed to enriching her life and making her mark in her community.

"The Y helped me with so much. I'm very grateful."

– Gabby, a young mother who found the Y's Youth Outreach Intervention Program

We serve relentlessly with our community until all can thrive in each stage of life


YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities Consolidated Financial Statements

Unrestricted Operating Revenue and Expense

Financial Comparison Chart

Statement of Financial Position

December 31, 2014 and 2013

Assets 2013 2014
Cash, Cash Equivalents & Escrow Accounts 6,816,456 9,888,409
Accounts & Pledges Receivable, Net 19,543,622 23,835,740
Other Receivables 11,396,400 11,396,400
Investments 75,836,668 91,891,530
Prepaid Expenses & Other Assets 2,087,939 2,055,806
Interest in Beneficiary Trusts 2,869,721 2,820,908
Land, Building, & Equipment, Net 146,294,414 144,405,561
Total Assets 264,845,220 286,294,354
Liabilities    
Accounts Payable & Accrued Expenses 8,402,377 8,235,543
Annuity Obligations 437,772 479,540
Bonds & Notes Payable 42,283,287 39,769,882
Capital Lease Payable 20,312,168 19,648,249
Deferred Liabilities 9,766,037 14,435,371
Total Liabilities 81,201,641 82,568,585
Net Assets    
Unrestricted 126,669,274 139,261,108
Temporarily Restricted 30,272,707 37,305,143
Permanently Restricted 26,701,598 27,159,518
Total Net Assets 183,643,579 203,725,769
Total Liabilities and Net Assets 264,845,220 286,294,354

Statement of Activities

For the Year Ending December 31, 2014

Revenue Unrestricted Temporarily Restricted Permanently Restricted Total
Contributions, United Way, Grants 3,227,180 17,617,443 484,320 21,328,943
Youth Development 45,903,505 45,903,505
Healthy Living 63,606,552 63,606,552
Social Responsibility 2,281,096 2,281,096
Other Revenue 4,200,165 1,141,380 5,341,545
Net Assets Released From Restrictions 7,994,528 (7,994,528)
Total Revenue 127,213,026 10,764,295 484,320 138,461,641
Expenses Unrestricted Temporarily Restricted Permanently Restricted Total
Youth Development 49,692,990 49,692,990
Healthy Living 43,199,469 43,199,469
Social Responsibility 2,308,611 2,308,611
Supporting Services 29,542,076 29,542,076
Total Expenses 124,743,146 124,743,146
Change In Net Assets Before Non-Operating 2,469,880 10,764,295 484,320 13,718,495
Non-Operating Income (Expenses) 10,121,955 (3,731,859) (26,401) 6,363,695
Excess Of Revenue Over Expenses 12,591,835 7,032,436 457,919 20,082,190

Statement of Activities

For the Year Ending December 31, 2013

Revenue Unrestricted Temporarily Restricted Permanently Restricted Total
Contributions, United Way, Grants 3,314,664 9,639,318 1,766,916 14,720,898
Youth Development 43,835,833 43,835,833
Healthy Living 58,911,519 58,911,519
Social Responsibility 2,099,082 2,099,082
Other Revenue 4,476,336 1,044,679 5,521,015
Net Assets Released From Restrictions 7,061,409 (7,061,409)
Total Revenue 119,698,843 3,622,588 1,766,916 125,088,347
Expenses Unrestricted Temporarily Restricted Permanently Restricted Total
Youth Development 49,877,894 49,877,894
Healthy Living 40,313,026 40,313,026
Social Responsibility 2,349,026 2,349,026
Supporting Services 26,331,124 26,331,124
Total Expenses 118,871,070 118,871,070
Change In Net Assets Before Non-Operating 827,773 3,622,588 1,766,916 6,217,277
Non-Operating Income (Expenses) 7,781,884 167,243 311,303 8,260,430
Excess Of Revenue Over Expenses 8,609,657 3,789,831 2,078,219 14,477,707

Thank You

Photo of Glen Gunderson and David Graff

Thriving – another word for the YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities. With your help, we’re strengthening our communities, one person at a time. And we’re relentless.

Our programs change lives and give our members and participants hope for a brighter future. Whether we’re striving to close the academic achievement gap or creating meaningful outdoor experiences to stretch toward individual potentials or increasing water safety skills, children’s lives are becoming stronger and more resilient. With programs to enrich and empower youth and adults, we’re seeing change daily. As we work to combat chronic diseases and to engage active older adults, we’re building strength in spirit, mind and body within the diverse communities we serve.

Thank you for your support in 2014. Together we are impacting individuals and strengthening communities. Your support along with funders such as Youthprise, UnitedHealth Group, Microsoft and United Way ensure we continue to offer vital programming and services in the Twin Cities.

We look forward to serving relentlessly with you in 2015 so all can thrive in each stage of life.

David Graff
Board Chair

Glen Gunderson
CEO and President


©2015 YMCA of the North

The YMCA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit social services organization dedicated to Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility