The YMCA has been part of my life for nearly four decades.

I started working for the YMCA of Corpus Christi in 1989, working the front desk on weekends. I was young, and on slower days I can remember passing the time playing catch in the hallway with my younger brother. At the time, I certainly didn't know where my YMCA journey would take me - or how much the Y would eventually mean to my own family.

Years later, after my wife and I adopted our daughter in 2008, we were touring the historic YMCA in downtown San Diego. Our daughter was still little and sitting in her stroller when an older gentleman approached us. He looked at our family and simply said:

“The Y is a great place to raise a child.”

I have never forgotten those words.

Fast-forward 18 years, and I couldn't agree more.

The Y has been an amazing place to raise a child. It has been that for my wife and me as we've raised our two children, and for countless other families who are doing their very best to give their children opportunities to learn, grow, belong and become who they are meant to be.

That's why raising money for the YMCA of South Palm Beach County is so personal to me.

I know firsthand that the Y is more than swim lessons, summer camp, sports or after-school programs. Those programs matter tremendously - but what happens through them matters even more. Children gain confidence. Families build relationships. People find a place where they belong. And opportunities are opened for children who might not otherwise have them.

For me, supporting the Y is about making sure more families get to experience what my family has experienced.

The Y really is a great place to raise a child.

I hope you'll join me in making sure it can continue to be that place for every family in our community.