Thursday, November 21, 2024
Dear Friends,
I share this the day after our annual Community Impact Celebration which was held at the beautiful and historic Tampa Theatre. Last night, we had the honor of highlighting outstanding community volunteers - without whom the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA would not be the impactful organization that it is today. And, if you were in attendance, you saw the heart-warming stories of how the YMCA changes lives each and every day. Congratulations to our 11 outstanding Volunteers of the Year who were honored. You undoubtedly make the Tampa YMCA stronger.
In addition to our Volunteers of the Year…we also honored Bob Gilbertson with the 2024 Red Triangle Award. The Award is given to a key YMCA stakeholder whose leadership and service have left a lasting impact on our community. Bob truly did transform countless lives with innumerable initiatives. As our longest-serving President & CEO – Bob led the Tampa Y from 1981 until 2007. A champion of advancing the Y mission, underserved communities and youth, Bob always focused on where the Y was needed the most. Under his leadership, the Tampa Y grew from serving 5,000 individuals to over 130,000 individuals annually and from 5 Ys to 14 YMCA Centers. He also led a robust capital campaign for the Central City YMCA, which aptly bears his name.
We also presented the 2024 Community Impact Award to Clara Reynolds, President & CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. A distinguished executive leader with over 19 years of experience in managing Tampa Bay nonprofits, Clara oversees a large operation that provides invaluable services to over 160,000 individuals annually. Under her guidance, the Crisis Center has achieved exceptional growth, expanding its services, community impact, and driving a remarkable increase in sustainable funding.
Again, last night was a tremendous evening and I thank you all for making all of our meaningful impact possible.
On a different topic, November is National Veteran and Military Families Month. We are so grateful to our military families for all they endure to ensure the rest of us can experience the benefits of freedom. We appreciate you and thank you for allowing us a life of safety and security. Our Strategic Plan, which was launched last year, has a major priority to become a local destination for our local veterans to grow in health and connectedness. To this end, we have recently launched Operation Strong Families. This program supports active military and veteran families, at no charge to them, and provides tools for stress management, wellness and a sense of community. See the complete story here.
Finally, as fall arrives, that means the launch of our Annual Giving Campaign. We have a goal of $2.7M this year and are confident you will help us achieve our giving target. Our Annual Giving Campaign helps to ensure that every child and family has access to the Y and its life-changing programs regardless of capacity to pay. Every kid deserves a great Y experience where they develop values and character and grow into productive adults in our society. We hope our campaign inspires you to Be the Change and help us fund subsidized programs and scholarships…so we can build a stronger community, together.
We have been Building Community in Tampa Since 1889. With your support, we will continue to do so for generations to come. Here’s the link to donate.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. I am thankful for all of you and your commitment to support the Tampa Metro YMCA. I hope you have a restful holiday with loved ones around you.
With appreciation,
Matt Mitchell
President & CEO