When most people think of the YMCA, they think of a gym, a camp, or a dance from decades ago. We’ve gotten familiar with Y camps over the years conducting staff trainings, presenting at YMCA camp conferences, and customizing Flop Balls for their programs or camp stores. We’ve always been impressed by the camp professionals we interact with and their passion for creating a safe space for kids to thrive.

But little did we know how much else Y’s do for their communities. Dawn recently began getting a crash course when she started serving on the advisory board of the Kerr Family YMCA in Raleigh, NC a few months ago. We first met the branch’s Executive Director, Shane Brown, over ten years ago at YMCA Campfire Conference. He became a fan of skill toys and so we had the chance to partner at several of the camps he worked at before he came to Kerr Y.

Happy to support the Y community, Dawn said yes when asked to serve on the board and has been amazed ever since to learn about its impact on the community - especially this past year and half during Covid. Our branch along with the other branches in the area delivered over 1 million meals to families in need since Sept 2020. In addition to the more well known summer camps and after school programs held at the Y facility, they run programs in the community such as Camp High Hopes serving 1131 campers from under-resourced communities and Y Learning, an after school academic support program for over 800 students.

Dawn looks forward to continuing to learn more. If you have a Y in your community, we encourage you to find out more about the work they’re doing and what you can do to support it.