President's Message
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Dear Friends,
Happy Back-to-School week! A new school year brings new opportunities for our kids to learn and grow. We wish all of our local youth a successful start to the academic year. The beginning of a new school year means the end to another great season of Summer Day Camp at the Y. Our camp counselors engaged over 19,800 camper weeks this summer! Our campers stayed busy as they enjoyed the outdoors, experienced social growth, learned new skills, made new friends, and partook in meaningful summer learning - which is a proven deterrent to summer learning loss. These are some of the many reasons we love Summer Camp. Thank you to our diligent camp counselors and leaders, who continuously go above and beyond to ensure we end the season safely and successfully for everyone involved.
We are also grateful to our members, who share their space with our campers during this time. We know our seniors especially love interacting with youth and find joy in the hustle and bustle these few weeks bring.
On a different note, National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month begins in a few weeks. A national challenge for too many years now, one in five children is still obese, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. They recommend preschool-aged children (ages 3 through 5 years) should be physically active throughout the day to enhance growth and development while children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 should do 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. The onus is on all of us to help our children. At the Tampa YMCA, we are doing just that as we foster youth development with a variety of programs including the kick-off to fall sports. From a diverse variety of options like basketball, golf and volleyball to cheerleading/dance, gymnastics, martial arts and flag football, to name a few, we are delighted to provide something for all young adults as we fulfill our strategic commitment to prepare youth for success.
The Tampa YMCA is a great place to participate in youth sports whether you're a beginner or an experienced player. We prioritize fun, inclusivity and enrichment in all our youth programs, and the sports program is no exception. Parents or guardians interested in coaching any one of these sports can contact their local YMCA. We always need volunteers to help us sustain programming and improve our communities.
Finally, as we look forward to celebrating the official end of summer with the Labor Day holiday on September 2nd, I’d like to thank each of you for your contributions to our community. We all play a part in making Tampa Bay the vibrant, prospering region that it is. Labor Day began in the 19th century to recognize the contributions American workers have made to our country’s strength, prosperity and well-being. I encourage you to take time to celebrate Labor Day and the contributions you have made… not only to the community, but also to organizations like the YMCA who are working every day to develop tomorrow’s leaders.
With Appreciation,
Matt Mitchell
President & CEO
Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA