In October, the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA and four additional YMCAs sent staff to participate in the Puerto Rico Coalition as part of The YMCA of the USA's Global Advancement initiative.
For more than 178 years, the YMCA has nurtured the power and potential of individuals worldwide to create lasting change in their communities and beyond. The Y currently serves more than 40 million people across 120 countries, supporting young leaders and initiatives that address health, employment civic engagement, climate action and more.
Robyn Ostrem, Senior Vice President of Operations; Tonina Rodriguez, Early Head Start Senior Director and Anne Jeffrey, Senior Program Director, represented the Tampa Y association at the Puerto Rico Coalition conference. The women visited the San Juan and Ponce YMCA, where they met with leadership teams and discussed best practices around preschool quality, philanthropy, summer day camp, membership, and active older adult programming.
When our YMCAs collaborate, each providing their unique experiences and perspectives, people are able to reach their full potential.
"Collaboration is an essential part of the YMCA," shares Robyn. She adds, "When YMCAs collaborate, the Y network is able to achieve collective goals, foster innovation, and maximize resources for positive outcomes."
In the spirit of collaboration and connection, this November, Sixto Reyes, the Ponce YMCA Board Treasurer, and his family came to visit the Tampa and South Tampa YMCA. Sixto saw firsthand how our programs and initiatives operate, which were discussed back in October during the Puerto Rico Coalition visit.
In addition to the tours, the Tampa YMCA Hispanic Latino Employee Resource Group hosted Sixto and his family for breakfast. We are honored to continue to grow professional and personal relationships with our Y colleagues throughout the global network.
You can join us today and help us work at home and abroad to provide opportunities to transform lives and strengthen our communities.
Published Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.