A Look Inside...
 
  :: Health and Wellness  
  :: A Message From The Board Chair
  :: Meet the Executive Director
  :: Y-Arts
  :: Meet The Staff: Yolanda Gonzalez
  :: Volunteer Star: Cynthia Martinez

Health and Wellness
The end of the 2006-07 school year has come to a close, and we have many exciting stories to tell. This school year marked the completion of the second year of our physical education intervention, funded by a Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Through the grant, we were able to train 58 elementary school teachers (in Santa Ana and Fullerton) in the delivery of a developmentally-appropriate physical education curriculum, CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health). In addition to the trainings, teachers received physical education equipment, as well as ongoing support from YMCA Physical Education Specialists throughout the school year. Next school year we will be working with a new set of schools and teachers.

Here’s what one of the students had to say about, Matt Collette, one of our PE Specialists:

“Thanks for being with us and supporting us. You are a really kind and hard working guys. What you helped me on is that you told me to never stop trying and to never say that you can’t do it. For me those words mean a lot to me. When we found out that you are leaving we where sad that you are leaving and we thought that we where not going to have P.E. any more. Then are teacher told us that she was going to keep teaching us P.E. She will teach us the same games that you showed us which by the way they where really fun. This letter is gust me saying good buy.”

Fifth grade student
Jefferson Elementary
Santa Ana

A Message From The Board Chair
Hello, my name is Steve Sharpe and I have been Chairman of the Board at YCS for the past three years. Believe it or not, I have never volunteered for any organization outside of my church before joining the YCS Board. It has been an incredible experience for me. From a very rough and tenuous start when I joined back in the latter part of 2003, YCS has grown to over 100 employees and contractors with a budget of approximately $5,000,000 per year (up from a $700,000 budget and 25 employees/contractors)! We grew over 50% last year alone!! Our Board has exploded from 5 members to over 25 members. Because of this growth and energy from the volunteers and staff, we have touched the lives of over 80,000 kids in Orange County last year alone… That’s up from 2,500 or so when we began this journey a little three years ago! That’s in THREE years…Pretty Amazing!! We currently work with families and kids that have been abused, run mentoring programs for Foster Kids and single parent kids, help the developmentally disabled, and work with autistic kids, teachers and parents throughout Orange County through our inclusion programs. Add to that school programs that promote healthy living, art summer camps, and fitness programs, YCS has made an INCREDIBLE impact in Orange County. My thanks to all staff, members, and volunteers who work tirelessly to make this all possible! You are truly a special and unique group!

Meet the Executive Director
Welcome to our 1st YMCA Community Services (YCS) newsletter!  I am thrilled that we now have a vehicle to communicate some of the stories and highlight the wonderful things happening with our programs, staff and volunteers.  As Executive Director, I frequently have the opportunity to inform members of our community about our unique programs and services.  I continue to hear “Wow, I had no idea the Y did that!”  My personal mission is to educate and expand awareness of the need for our programs and services.  We hope that this newsletter is just one more way to raise awareness about YCS and the critical need for our programs in this community.  We are about offering hope to those most in need in Orange County:  hope for the child that has experienced a life of abuse and neglect; hope for the family that has just experienced the death of a loved one; hope for the child that is at risk of obesity; hope for a family struggling with raising a child with a disability.  I invite you to contact me to learn more about the impact we are making in our communities.  I can be reached at: kthompson@ymcaoc.net or by phone at (714) 852-6008.

Y-Arts
A new Division of YCS, Arts and Humanities Programs offer classes for all ages with a focus on after school programming. These programs began in 2005 and have rapidly grown due to community demand for arts education. And it's no wonder- according to the California Arts Council, in a national sample of 25,000 students, those with high levels of arts learning experiences earned higher grades and scored better on standardized tests than those with little or no involvement in the arts, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Over the past two years Arts and Humanities have quickly expanded from only offering fine arts to offering performing arts and Writer's Voice programs. To create quality that stands out, program leadership and instructors are comprised of arts professionals, artists, educators, and musicians. Additionally, the programs implement the latest arts education and studio practices. It’s an exciting time for the arts in the YMCA!

Volunteer Star: Cynthia Martinez

The Youth Achievers Mentoring Program is a great way to make a positive difference in the community and Cynthia Martinez has definitely done so.  Cynthia is a student at Santa Ana College, a mother, and a mentor to Nancy Sandoval at Willard Intermediate in Santa Ana.  As a volunteer in the after-school program, one of her goals is to "make changes in others lives" and she does so by being a positive role model, providing homework assistance, and by visiting her mentee on weekly basis without fail.  Nancy is appreciative of her mentor because “she is nice, she smiles a lot and is funny”.  Cynthia and Nancy have overcome a few obstacles throughout the school year but their relationship continues to grow strong.  Cynthia has truly given her all in helping a young person to develop the knowledge and skills needed in reaching their full potential.

1633 E. 4th Street, Suite 184
Santa Ana, CA 92701
714-838-0181 :: YMCAOC.org