#YDoMore Newsletter
Making a Difference in Our Community🌟
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NOT JUST A PLACE...A PROMISE FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Thank you for being a part of our YMCA community and contributing to the positive change we bring to the lives of individuals and families we serve every day.
As a little introduction, we wanted to share an overview about our Memphis & Mid-South association. These numbers represent more than just statistics; they embody the real impact of our collective efforts.
Grateful,
THE PHILANTHROPY TEAM
MISSION MOMENT
TEEN NIGHT AT THE GEORGETTE & CATO JOHNSON YMCA IN WHITEHAVEN
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WHAT IS TEEN NIGHT? |
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MEET MARKAVION & ISAIAH
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| MARKAVION "I've been part of Teen Night since they started. Teen Night is where we can come and be ourselves for three hours, and stay out of the streets. We have fun, play, eat, swim, dance, chill...Really do everything that you want to do in a safe space. The leaders that they bring in share how they found their right path and the mistakes they made, so we can learn and stay on the right track. And they are there for us if we need help. I can really say it [the Johnson YMCA] is my third home. If I ever have any problems, then I can come to coach Frazier because he has shared what he's gone through and he treats us equally. He sees that we all have a bright future and wants to keep us on the right path." |
THE WINNING DUNK |
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THE WINNING TEAM |
ISAIAH |
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AND FINALLY, WE WANT YOU TO MEET OUR TEEN DIRECTOR - RON FRAZIER, ALSO KNOWN AS COACH FRAZIER.
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| "I tap into their leadership potential and skills sets, gifts, so they can share them with their community members. I think every child, every youth, has untapped potential...and it's our job to help them navigate what their hidden gems are so they can share them with their community and with the world." |
RON FRAZIER |
MEET OUR NEW BOARD CHAIR
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I am always happy to see the fresh start of a new year. It’s like a blank page waiting on me to write the next fascinating chapter. The tasks that sounded so daunting just a few weeks ago now suddenly seem possible. Hope is in the air. A new page in my personal journey starts this month when I begin serving as the Chair of the YMCA Metro Board of Directors. With over a decade of service with the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South, I truly believe in its mission and am proud to represent a Christ-centered organization that places value in handing out hope. |
We are only a few weeks into 2024 and already, this is shaping up to be one of the busiest and most exciting years in the history of our YMCA association. The YMCA is poised for exponential growth across our region and with it an increased opportunity to impact more people than ever before.
An expanded footprint comes with a heightened responsibility for us to provide real solutions for everyday challenges people are facing. Today, more than ever, we have the potential to create roots-level change in the communities we serve. Being able to meet people where they are in life and lend a hand is what the YMCA does best.
In the coming months the YMCA has plans to construct new facilities and update current ones, enhance community programs and expand childcare sites.
Our to-do list is long and will involve a lot of hard work and commitment from our staff and our board. But in our efforts to meet more needs we have the ability to give an amazing gift. The gift of hope. Hope for stronger families. Hope for safer neighborhoods. Hope for a better tomorrow. And couldn’t we all use a little more of that these days?
Being able to move the needle in a positive way is the number one reason I support the YMCA with both my time and money. Plus, my mother didn’t name me Hope for nothing.
Whether it be by offering affordable childcare for working families, providing free meals to those who need one or implementing wellness programs designed for seniors, we can know that we are making a difference in the lives of those we touch.
I heard a sermon recently that pointed out that hope comes from above and is linked to our faith in God’s ability to deliver what we ask of Him.
So, this year, please pray for our Association and that we will accomplish the great plans God has for us in the Mid South.
When I think about the YMCA and the possibilities that lie ahead, perhaps Helen Keller sums it up best when she said, “Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”
I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together in 2024.
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