CELEBRATING DAD AT THE Y

Did you know that Father’s Day got its start at the YMCA?

In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon honoring mothers. She wondered why there was no similar tribute for fathers. Dodd’s father, William Jackson Smart, was a Civil War veteran who raised his six children on his own after his wife’s death.

Smart Dodd launched the first Father's Day celebration at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. In 1972, President Nixon signed Father’s Day into law. The day dedicated to Dads has become an opportunity to lavish gifts and loving gestures on one’s father.

Today, fathers play an enormous role in the lives of their children. We see them daily, acting as coaches, teachers, role models and confidants. Our Y, as a leading community service organization, is totally committed in supporting and reassuring them.

On June 17, the YMCA of the Triangle joins the nation in celebrating Father’s Day and recognizing the impact fathers and adult male role models make in children’s lives.

Thanks, Sonora. And, thank you, Dad.

Lost 100 Pounds: Gained a New Attitude!

When we say we're for healthy living at the Y, we mean it. Just ask one of our members who lost weight and gained a new life.

Midge Cangelosi’s journey to weight loss was not an easy one, but a new body and a new attitude made it worth every step of the way.

Her journey began over three years ago. A former IBM manager and now a substitute teacher, Midge came to the A.E. Finley YMCA to bask in the motivation from others, work out on the elliptical, do strength training and water aerobics.

Though Midge exercised in college, ice skated and danced as a teenager, the 100 pounds she had to lose and her love of cooking became big obstacles as she got older. With a family history of heart disease and diabetes, she knew it was just a matter of time before the extra pounds would take their toll. 

 

Before the Y

TAKING IT SLOW

Midge decided to take her time to lose and joined Weight Watchers. She started out slow, lost some weight and then gained some back. She knew the long-term answer involved a combination of diet and exercise so she decided to delve deeper and find the unique combination that worked for her. She started recording how her body reacted to certain foods and did lots of reading.


“I came to realize that there were just certain things I could not put in my body,” she said. She started growing her own herbs, buying grass-fed meat and organic vegetables. She began cutting out artificial sweeteners, preservatives and hydrogenated oils. With her two grown sons out of the house, she could cook her way.

  

After the Y

One hundred pounds later and still losing, it’s become part of her life.

“I feel so much better. Now my health is what keeps me focused. I’m so much more aware of what I consume. Many people want to lose weight instantly. But it’s a long journey. And it involves a commitment to change ourselves, change our minds and become wiser consumers.”

STAYING MOTIVATED

The Y is also a big part of her motivation.  Her circle of Y friends meets for lunch and coffee regularly and they share low-calorie recipes.

“I love the Y and I love the instructors. Part of staying motivated involves going consistently to class and taking part in the positive atmosphere of the Y. Folks there are always upbeat. They’re all an inspiration to me.”

HER ADVICE

"Be aware of what goes in your body. How are you feeling? How are you sleeping? Don’t deprive yourself, but don’t make excuses. Find supporters (my husband is my biggest one!) and hang around folks with a positive attitude. It’s easy to say ‘Poor me,’ but everyone has to start somewhere.”

Engaging Members Through Generosity

This April 20 blog post on Donor by Design spotlights our April 5 Walk a Mile in Our Shoes events throughout the Triangle. Bruce Bergland is president of the professional services firm that works for not-for-profit organizations.

Board and member engagement are two topics that I am asked about almost every day. We all agree that there is great philanthropic potential in our membership. After all, these are the people who regularly access our facilities, our programs and should be most closely connected to our mission.

As member engagement increases, so does our fundraising. Consider asking your members to live beyond themselves and partner with your Y to help another agency doing great work. What? Help another not-for-profit? I can hear your outraged gasps from here. Shouldn’t we be lifting up our own work?

Some of you may know the TOMS Shoes story. This amazing organization gives new shoes to kids and families in under-resourced countries.  Their premise is simple. For every pair of shoes purchased, they give a pair away.

On April 5, TOMS hosted their annual One Day Without Shoes, where people around the world go barefoot to lift up their case. That very day I had the privilege to visit Kraft Family YMCA (Apex) and the Downtown YMCA – both branches of the YMCA of the Triangle (Raleigh-Durham, NC).

Cary Family YMCA TOMS Walk

As an association, this Y decided to lift up the important work of TOMS by creating donation stations for shoes, highlighting various facts underscoring the health and social issues of kids and families not having shoes, and basically had lots of fun creatively lifting up the TOMS case and activating their members. 

The evening of April 5, the Y encouraged their members and families to “walk a mile in our shoes” where families got active and walked (barefoot) together.

Walking in Cary's Bond Park

I was so proud of this Y!  They were engaging their members through acts of generosity - doing something beyond themselves.

This is Y

Why the Y? Seems like simple question, doesn't it? But when you hear how the YMCA of the Triangle helps our community, you'll realize there isn't just one answer.

Through this blog you'll hear from real people: parents, kids, staff members and volunteers. You'll hear from folks who wanted to lose weight and others who wanted to gain friends. All of them can tell you why the Y.