The YMCA Day of Giving is a chance to change the trajectory of a child’s life through youth development programs at the Y!

I started the YMCA of Greater Charlotte in November of 2018. I was a new mom with a 3 month old little boy. I saw that the YMCA of Greater Charlotte was hiring and thought this would be a great place to work to have my son grow up and participate in. I will admit, I thought the YMCA was just a swim and gym rec center.

Once I got into the Y and saw that they are SO much more, I couldn't be happier knowing I picked the right place for me to work at, have my son learn and grow in the programs, and how supportive they have been to my family and I, as well as the community.

During the pandemic, everyone was scared and not knowing what was going to happen, but who was there to help the community? The YMCA of Greater Charlotte with emergency childcare and the virtual learning for the fall school year to help those parents in need to work.

One thing that always sticks out for me with the virtual learning is our Y Readers program. If you are not familiar with that program, it helps kids K-3rd grade with reading and is a free program to help them be on their grade level. I was so worried that they were not able to have it the summer of 2020, but again we were there and adapted to make sure those babies were not falling even more behind and did the program virtually.

This is just one of the programs that melts my heart. We were also there for the community for food shares and helping children learn how to swim with our Safety Around Water program. Something that is a viable life skill that everyone should learn.

There are many issues facing our community, but thankfully the Y is uniquely positioned to help meet many of these needs. In 2024:

• The Y will provide over $2 million in financial scholarships for programs like preschool, afterschool and summer camp.

• Over 3,000 children will be served with literacy instruction through programs like Y Readers, which is offered at no charge to students.

• Over 1,500 children will receive swim lessons at affordable rates for their families.

To continue serving the community, we need your support! I hope that you are able to Give today so we can provide these services for all.