Racine Family YMCA Develops Strong Kids, Families and Communities

Live United Spotlight

Racine Family YMCA Develops Strong Kids, Families and Communities

Apr. 13, 2020

The Racine Family YMCA, founded in 1873, is a membership organization open to all people. The mission of the Racine Family (IMAGE DESCRIPTION) Volunteers work throughout a gymnasium filled with tables of donated food for the YMCA's free student lunch program. (END IMAGE DESCRIPTION)YMCA is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. It is dedicated to youth development, healthy living and social responsibility to positively affect the lives of youth and families throughout its community and beyond.

What makes the Racine Family YMCA stand out among other organizations?

The Racine Family YMCA is a leading nonprofit human service organization serving all of Racine County. For more than 146 years, the Y has played a unique and vital role in providing safe and caring environments, positive role models, creative activities and opportunities to serve the needs of others. The Y anticipates and meets the needs of each generation through its areas of focus: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. These are the essential building blocks to develop strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

Can you tell me a story about a time when you realized your organization’s impact?

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most recent example of how the Racine Family YMCA provided a rapid response to a challenging community need. After the mandated school shutdown, the Y took action to ensure that youth would continue to have healthy lunches during this closure.

We reached out through social networks and personal contacts for food donations, and the Racine community came through! Local companies, nonprofits, Y members and volunteers stepped up to donate needed items, services and cash contributions. The response was overwhelming—you can see some of the donations received in the embedded picture.

We launched the free lunch program on March 16, providing 107 lunches that day, and we have averaged 200 lunches each weekday since. Lunches are available at our Bray Neighborhood Y Branch and at drop-off sites throughout the city.

We are grateful to have the strong community relationships that made this program come together in only one week.

At this time the Y is set to launch Emergency Child Care to provide school-age child care for the children of first responders, health care providers and front line employees throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

What do you think most people would be surprised to learn about the Y?

Many people are surprised to learn that the Racine Family YMCA is so much more than “sweat socks and swimming pools.” It provides community services and programs that go well beyond traditional Y programming for people of all ages.

We provide:

  • after-school academic and leadership programming for youth, like the Young Leaders Academy;
  • a gang-diversion program in collaboration with the County, Credible Messengers, which serves middle- and high-school age students and families who have been touched by the juvenile justice system;
  • the Focus on Fathers program to reconnect non-custodial dads with their children;
  • job skills training to adults through First Choice Apprentice Program, which prepares and connects people for work in the construction industry;
  • Salsa Sabor y Salud, a nutrition and family activity initiative for Hispanic families with young children;
  • and programs such as LIVESTRONG to help cancer survivors, Parkinson’s patients, and people diagnosed with pre-diabetes, to name just a few.

These community-building programs make the Racine Family Y unique among YMCAs nationally.

Is there anything else you think the community should know about your work?

  • The Racine Family YMCA is here to serve all of Racine County.
  • We believe that young people need safe and enriching environments to try new things, develop skills, meet new people and show what they can accomplish.
  • Achieving and maintaining health in spirit, mind and body makes for a richer life, and giving back to neighbors and those in need is our responsibility as neighbors, colleagues and citizens.
  • We are a membership organization open to all people, welcoming people of all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, abilities and financial circumstances. YMCA programs embrace diversity, reflecting the needs and composition of the communities they serve.

At the time these responses were written, the Racine Family YMCA is following mandates from Wisconsin Governor Evers and Y-USA to temporarily close its wellness centers and community programs. The free lunch program and emergency childcare programs remain in operation.