YMCA's significant contribution
Posted by Stephen Rhodes
The venerable YMCA invented basketball, volleyball, racquet ball and Father's Day. It built the first ever indoor pool, ran the first residential campaign and operated the first night schools at the secondary and college levels. The Y founded three universities Carleton, Concodia and York. And in the U.S, it founded the boy scouts.
The YMCA of Greater Toronto, since 9/11, is the largest in North America and its President and CEO Scott Haldane was our guest speaker last Monday.
Most people know the YMCA for health, fitness and recreation but it's more than just the facilities; it's about "bringing the community together," Scott told Rotary.
The Y operates in three main areas - fitness and health, child care and employer and community service, says Scott.
"We are now the largest provider of licensed child care with 180 centres across the GTA serving 10,000 children"
Scott says child care can have a significant impact on social assistance, reducing dependency by half the number of mothers who come to rely on it.
Through employer services, the Y works with 140,000 kids in transition from education to employment, helping them with placements and upgrading academic skills.
The Y also operates camps and new comer centres, where 43,000 immigrants are helped in the transition to a new country. They also work with youth at risk, counselling kids with substance abuse or gambling problems.
This year the YMCA of Greater Toronto is celebrating its 150 year anniversary. Clearly it has come a long way from its original mission - "to improve the lives of young men in drapery and other trades with the introduction of religion among them."
Pictured Wendell thanking speaker Scott Haldane.
Most people know the YMCA for health, fitness and recreation but it's more than just the facilities; it's about "bringing the community together," Scott told Rotary.
The Y operates in three main areas - fitness and health, child care and employer and community service, says Scott.
"We are now the largest provider of licensed child care with 180 centres across the GTA serving 10,000 children"
Scott says child care can have a significant impact on social assistance, reducing dependency by half the number of mothers who come to rely on it.
Through employer services, the Y works with 140,000 kids in transition from education to employment, helping them with placements and upgrading academic skills.
The Y also operates camps and new comer centres, where 43,000 immigrants are helped in the transition to a new country. They also work with youth at risk, counselling kids with substance abuse or gambling problems.
This year the YMCA of Greater Toronto is celebrating its 150 year anniversary. Clearly it has come a long way from its original mission - "to improve the lives of young men in drapery and other trades with the introduction of religion among them."
Pictured Wendell thanking speaker Scott Haldane.