YMCA News Archive

YMCA Announces New Members to Board of Directors

jeffrey.needham — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:18:04 +0000

YMCA Announces New Members to Board of Directors jeffrey.needham Thu, 06/27/2019 - 12:18

The newly elected members serving a three-year term as board directors for the class of 2022 include:

Whit Alexander, Chief Transformation Officer, Best Buy
Lori Carrell, Chancellor, University of Minnesota Rochester
Gloria Freeman, Founder and CEO, Olu’s Home, Inc.
Bob Gardner, CEO, Gardner Builders
David Royal, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Thrivent
Lica Tomizuka, Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
Michael Vekich, Chairperson, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU)

In addition, community board representatives were appointed to serve a one-year term to the General Board and include:

Jennifer Gale, River Heights Chamber of Commerce, West St. Paul YMCA Community Board
Bjorn Gunnerud, Community Leader, CycleHealth Community Board
Clarence Jones, Community Engagement Consultant, Cora McCorvey YMCA Community Board
Robert Thompson, Mairs & Powers, St. Paul Downtown YMCA Community Board
Tom Thompson, Community Leader, Hastings YMCA Community Board

"The appointment of these board members represents the best and brightest leaders in our community to help guide the YMCA to better serve the youth, adults, families and seniors in the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin so all can thrive,” said Glen Gunderson, president and CEO of the YMCA. “Their knowledge, skill and expertise along with their commitment to our community will be invaluable to the Y as we implement our strategic plan.”

About the YMCA of the North

The YMCA of the North is a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established 163 years ago, the Ys provide life-strengthening services across the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin communities. The 29 Y locations and program sites, eight overnight camps, 10 day camps, and more than 90 child care sites engage more than 370,000 men, women and children of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. To learn more about the Y’s mission and work, visit www.ymcamn.org.

YMCA and Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Support Teens with Free Summer Memberships

jeffrey.needham — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 14:50:50 +0000

YMCA and Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Support Teens with Free Summer Memberships jeffrey.needham Tue, 06/25/2019 - 09:50

According to Pew Research Center, only 20 percent of today’s 16 to 17 year-olds hold a summer job, and that rate is even lower among teens of color.
Statistics show that risky behaviors like violence, drinking and drug use increase during the summer when young people’s time is less structured.
Participation rates in camps and similar programs have remained stagnant or fallen in recent years.

The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and the YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, will offer free summer memberships for thousands of teens across the Twin Cities. From June 1 to August 31, youth entering grades nine through 12 can access a free membership to 26 YMCA locations throughout the Twin Cities.

Teens need a safe place to go in their communities that is flexible, engaging and accessible to all. The YMCA is positioned to help bridge this gap in the Twin Cities and ensure that youth of all backgrounds and incomes have access to learning opportunities outside of school. The Y’s locations cut across city, county and school district boundaries. More than 80 percent of Twin Cities teens live within 15 minutes of a YMCA location that offers opportunities for wellness, sports, leadership programs, pathways to part-time jobs at the Y and more.

“The YMCA is thrilled to partner with the Schulze Family Foundation to provide a safe environment for young people to engage in programs that promote healthy living, build character and leadership, and support success in school and in life,” said Glen Gunderson, president and chief executive officer for the YMCA of the North. “The Y is committed to eliminating barriers to participation so all have the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive during the summer months. This program is possible because of the generous donation from the Schulze family.”

This year the YMCA will increase the number of youth served with up to 400 per location for a total of up to 10,400 youth. There will be more teen specific programming added including:

health and wellbeing classes and youth specific fitness challenges using the Y app
leadership and character development programs including Leaders Club, Achievers and Youth in Government
job readiness workshops and courses designed to prepare youth for employment opportunities in their community and at the Y.

In addition, some teens do not have access to a nutritious meal during the summer. To meet the need, the program is also offering free meals at 12 Y locations including Blaisdell, Burnsville, Coon Rapids, East St. Paul, Hastings, Maplewood, Midway St. Paul, St. Paul Downtown, Southdale, Mounds View Community Center, New Hope and West St. Paul.

Learn about the benefits of the YMCA free summer memberships for teens – YMCA Get Summer Benefits Local Teens

Hear from youth sharing why the Get Summer program is important to them – Why YMCA Get Summer

Discover how the YMCA Get Summer program engages and enriches youth through a variety of programs – YMCA Get Summer

The Get Summer program is open to all students of all backgrounds and incomes. Youth entering grades nine through 12 can visit any participating Y location, or register online, by enrolling with a valid ID, class schedule or report card and the permission of an adult. Each participating location can accommodate up to 400 participants for over 10,000 teens in 2019. For more information, visit ymcamn.org/getsummer.

Because the Y is a leading nonprofit committed to helping all young people and their families thrive, financial assistance is available to those in need. To learn more about the Y’s programs, please visit ymcamn.org.

YMCA of the North Joins Six-City Partnership with Google to Bring Free Online Safety Workshops and Resources to Families Across the U.S.

jeffrey.needham — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 16:17:51 +0000

YMCA of the North Joins Six-City Partnership with Google to Bring Free Online Safety Workshops and Resources to Families Across the U.S. jeffrey.needham Tue, 06/18/2019 - 11:17

Y to host Google’s Be Internet Awesome workshops to underscore safe Internet use among local children during Internet Safety Month

Minneapolis, MN - The YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, is teaming up with Google to host free workshops for parents to help teach families about online safety and digital citizenship with its Be Internet Awesome program and help families create healthy digital habits with the Family Link app.

The partnership that began with the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago has expanded to include six U.S. cities. The YMCA Associations, including the Greater Twin Cities, have joined efforts with Google to offer thousands of families across the country resources from Google’s Be Internet Awesome online safety and digital citizenship program to help teach kids the basics of digital citizenship and safety to help them make the most of the Internet and be prepared to make smart decisions online. A total of 100 workshops have been scheduled at YMCA locations in the Twin Cities, Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Long Island. The YMCA of the North is hosting 12 events.

The workshops, designed for parents, coincide with June’s National Internet Safety Month and come at the start of the school summer holidays when screen time use typically surges and parents seek ways to best protect their children from unscrupulous online activity.

“As the Internet and technology become more and more ingrained in our daily lives, making sure that families are equipped with the necessary tools to establish safe and healthy online habits is crucial,” said Glen Gunderson, president and CEO of the YMCA of the North. “Google’s Be Internet Awesome program empowers families to have conversations about online at home with helpful information and we feel strongly that these resources need to reach our communities. We are honored to be partnering with Google to make this happen.”

“We are thrilled to bring the Be Internet Awesome program to families across the U.S. through parent workshops,” said Jessica Covarrubias, Google’s Be Internet Awesome lead. “We want to encourage families to navigate the Internet in a safe and confident manner. This is why we’ve developed Be Internet Awesome to help teach kids and families the fundamentals of online safety and digital citizenship. Parents have expressed the need for helpful information on these topics so we designed resources for families and created parent workshops to provide the tools and resources to guide conversations about online safety at home.”

The one-hour workshops are free and will focus on Be Internet Awesome’s “Internet Code of Awesome”: Be SMART, ALERT, STRONG, KIND and BRAVE. Families will learn to teach their children how to communicate responsibly, understand real from fake in the face of phishing and scams, build strong passwords, be positive and kind online, talk about questionable content with their family, and why building healthy tech habits is important. The workshops will give parents access to free bilingual resources, answers to questions about online safety and digital citizenship, and information to help facilitate discussions at home. Most centers are also offering child care services during the session for the convenience of parents.

The six-city collaboration emerged following the success of a pilot program between the YMCA of Metro Chicago and Google in April 2019 in hosting 18 BIA workshops at each of the Association’s centers. Parents showed a strong desire to learn more about Internet safety, and many described the workshop as “informative” and “helpful” and now feel comfortable initiating a discussion about digital safety with their children. As an established nonprofit organization who knows and understands the communities it serves, the YMCA has the unique ability to help partners connect directly with families.

See below for a list of upcoming YMCA of the North workshop locations and dates. For more info, contact the YMCA site directly. Visit yBIA.org for the complete list of 100 workshops in six cities.

June 24, 5:00 p.m.
St. Paul Eastside YMCA
875 Arcade Street
Saint Paul, MN 55106
612-230-9622

June 24, 6:00 p.m.
Forest Lake YMCA
19845 Forest Rd N
Forest Lake, MN 55025
612-230-9622

June 25, 5:00 p.m.
Harold Mezile YMCA
1711 West Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
612-230-9622

June 26, 5:00 p.m.
New Hope YMCA
7601 42nd Avenue North
New Hope, MN 55427
612-230-9622

July 8, 7:30 p.m.
New Hope YMCA
7601 42nd Avenue North
New Hope, MN 55427
612-230-9622

July 9, 3:00 p.m.
Mounds View Community Center
5394 Edgewood Dr.
Mounds View, MN 55112
612-230-9622

July 10, 5:00 p.m.
St. Paul Downtown YMCA
194 East 6th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55101
612-230-9622

July 11, 1:00 p.m.
Emma B Howe YMCA
8950 Springbrook Drive NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
612-230-9622

July 11, 5:00 p.m.
Eagan YMCA
550 Opperman Drive
Eagan, MN 55123
612-230-9622

July 11, 5:00 p.m.
St. Paul Midway YMCA
1761 University Avenue West
Saint Paul, MN 55104
612-230-9622

July 12, 1:00 p.m.
Southdale YMCA
7355 York Avenue South
Edina, MN 55435
612-230-9622

July 15, 1:00 p.m.
Shoreview YMCA
3760 Lexington Avenue North
Shoreview, MN 55126
612-230-9622

About the YMCA of the North

The YMCA of the North is a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established 162 years ago, the Ys provide life-strengthening services across the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin communities. The 29 Y locations and program sites, eight overnight camps, 10 day camps, and more than 90 child care sites engage more than 370,000 men, women and children of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. To learn more about the Y’s mission and work, visit www.ymcamn.org.

YMCA Youth Intervention Services Hosts Canoe Day Trip for Youth to Experience the Outdoors in Minneapolis June 20

jeffrey.needham — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 14:57:01 +0000

YMCA Youth Intervention Services Hosts Canoe Day Trip for Youth to Experience the Outdoors in Minneapolis June 20 jeffrey.needham Mon, 06/17/2019 - 09:57

Minneapolis, MN – The YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, will host an urban Mississippi canoe journey for 40 youth in partnership with Wilderness Inquiry, Mississippi Park Connection, National Parks Conservation Association, National Park Service and Heartland Realty on Thursday, June 20.

Youth ages 7-24 from the Y’s Youth Intervention Services, a program that supports youth facing barriers due to challenges like homelessness or involvement in the juvenile justice system, and YMCA Neighborhood Centers, will paddle over five miles down the Mississippi River starting at River Park Pavilion to Boom Island, with a stop at Durham Island to complete a service learning project focused on sustainability.

“Providing meaningful outdoor experiences for young people is a key tenet of the YMCA’s mission,” said Glen Gunderson, president and CEO of the YMCA. “The canoe trip held by Youth Intervention Services and our partners gives more youth in our community the opportunity to participate in enriching outdoor activities and engage in environmental education.”

WHO:
YMCA of the North Youth Intervention Services and partners Wilderness Inquiry, Mississippi Park Connection, National Parks Conservation Association, National Park Service and Heartland Realty.

WHAT:
Mississippi River Canoe Trip for Youth

WHEN AND WHERE:
Thursday, June 20, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Meet at River Park Pavilion at 101 83rd Avenue in Brooklyn Park, MN at 11:00 a.m.

About the YMCA of the North

The YMCA of the North is a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Established 162 years ago, the Ys provide life-strengthening services across 12 counties of the greater Twin Cities metro region, southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin communities. The 28 Y locations and program sites, eight overnight camps, 10 day camps, and more than 90 child care sites engage more than 370,000 men, women and children of all ages, incomes and backgrounds. To learn more about the Y’s mission and work, visit www.ymcamn.org.