Spring Break Offers Lasting Lessons

This article by Stacy Chandler appeared in the May 17 edition of the News & Observer's Thumbs Up section.

While many of her classmates were looking forward to getting a tan on spring break, Kim Geiger was eager to get something else during her time off from school: perspective.

With about 40 fellow members of the Leaders Club from YMCAs across the Triangle, she traveled to Washington, D.C., for a volunteer mission to help that city's hungry and homeless.



Feeding Others

 
The volunteers packed meals and toiletries and served dinners, but their work went beyond handouts. They also engaged with the people they helped, sitting down for one-on-one conversations that helped pass the time but also told the stories of lives gone off-course.



YMCA Spring Break

 "Over my trip I learned that these people grew up maybe not just like I did, but similar, and one bad choice and they ended up like this," Kim, 16, said a couple weeks after returning to her home in Cary. "So I learned that these people were not any less of a human than I was, and I really appreciated that fact by the time I was heading home."

The Leaders Club students worked hard during their trip, but Kim said the hardest part of their mission was when the work was over. 

"The hardest part was walking away," she said. "We would be doing something that was really beneficial and really making a person happy, and then the activity was over and they would go back to being on the streets, not knowing when their next meal would be."

One night, she added, the volunteers cooked dinner for a group of homeless people.

"When we walked home that night, back to our hostel," she said, "we saw some of the people who had eaten dinner with us still with their nametags on, sleeping on benches."
 
Heartwrenching as that scene was for Kim, she knows she gained as much from the trip as the people she was able to help.

"I feel that if I'm helping another person and helping to benefit another one's life, I've done something with my life that's meaningful," she said.

The YMCA of the Triangle's Leaders Club provides middle and high school students with opportunities to receive leadership training that enhances personal growth while teaching the importance of social responsibility and service to others. Click here to learn more.

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.”

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.