Downtown Family YMCA Winter 2012 Newsletter

Once again, Cleveland will host a handball tournament that pulls in players from the Midwest and beyond. Join us on Dec. 9 and 10 for the City of Cleveland Singles Handball Championship.  Based on past events, we expect to have participants join us from as far as Ireland and Canada.  Several hometown heroes are also expected.  Who will be the next Kirk, Frankenfield, Carner, or Corrrigan?  Come to play or mingle with past champions.  This is a great part of the Downtown YMCA tradition and also a Cleveland tradition.  To register or to get more information, please stop by the desk or call the Y at (216) 263-6805.

Community Recognition: Tanese Horton

There is a Cleveland State University staff member worthy of praise and thanks. Tanese Horton of CSU has committed herself to the youth of Cleveland. Her goal is to increase the graduation rate of children attending Cleveland Metropolitan schools by assisting these children in their efforts to get into college. Many of the students she works with are the first in their family to attend college. The Greater Cleveland Y has partnered with CSU in this effort by hosting College Readiness workshops, and we expect more than 500 families to learn financial literacy, complete college applications, adhere to admissions guidelines, and even visit college campuses. 

If you know of a family or ambitious young person who could benefit from this program, please ask them to call Malik Moore, director of the Downtown Family Y and Youth Services division, at (216) 263-6805 or email mmoore@clevelandymca.org.  College Readiness workshops are held every two weeks.  They last from one to two hours and cover topics including College Admissions Timeline, Using Technology to Research A College Campus, College Entrance Exams and Study Strategies, Financial Aid Basics/Scholarship Hunting, Admission Application Assistance, and College Tour: Been There, Done That.

Summit on Youth Violence held in Cleveland

While Cleveland and the rest of the country have seen big drops in violent crime over the last two decades, gangs and a culture of violence stubbornly persist in some of Cleveland's poorest neighborhoods. 

Cleveland City Council and Mayor Frank Jackson sponsored a forum to raise the issue of youth violence as a health and economic threat to the community.  Participants included Mayor Frank Jackson, U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach, Dr. Edward Barksdale, chief of pediatric surgery at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, and Marilyn Rice of the World Health Organization. 

Councilmen Joe Cimperman, Zack Reed and Jeff Johnson, and City Council President Martin Sweeney were present and engaged guests in discussions geared toward finding solutions to youth violence.  Cimperman, citing a statistic that the cost of one gunshot wound per person is $1 million, made the point that Cleveland can't afford violence.

Young people are more likely to be the victims and perpetrators of violent crime. Thirty people were killed in the city this summer, accounting for more than half of the city's murder total for the year.

A clear solution to this problem is Afterschool programs like Y-Achievers, Youth in Government, and Model UN, which engage young people by giving them a voice and a safe place to engage in constructive activities, and introduce them to mentors and community leaders. They offer a proven way to reduce a “culture of violence”.  In addition to these programs, the YMCA Teen Center, located in the Downtown Family Y building, is open Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The community forum is only the first step in "getting people to think a little differently" about youth violence, Cimperman said.  City Council and the Jackson administration are urging the city's corporate and medical communities to take a more prominent role in anti-violence initiatives.

During this summit, it was also pointed out that the ENTIRE community suffers from the presence of these small pockets of “violent culture”.  Please consider becoming a YMCA youth mentor or YMCA volunteer and do your part to make our community whole once again.

Founder of Fugees Family to speak in Dec.

The YMCA of Greater Cleveland, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Lakewood Community Relations Advisory Commission will host Fugees Family founder, author and coach Luma Mufleh on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m at the Garfield Middle School Auditorium, 13114 Detroit Avenue. 

Mufleh began the non-profit group Fugees Family five years ago to provide support to child survivors of war. She utuilized the sport of soccer to galvanize the original group of kids by giving them the support and structure they need to realize their vast potential.

Today her non-profit provides year-round soccer for 86 boys and girls aged 10-18, after-school tutoring and soccer for 50 elementary-aged students, a private academy serving 36 students, and an academic enrichment summer camp. The Fugees Family provides a space for the kids to heal and meet others like them, from different countries, who have been through similar experiences. Read about The Fugees Family here.

If you are interested in joining us for this event, please give branch director Malik Moore a call at (216) 263-6805 or email him at mmoore@clevelandymca.org.

How will YOU stay active this Winter?
Will you be working with a YMCA personal trainer, add swimming to your workout, or attend one of the new self-defense classes that will be offered at the Downtown branch?  We are adding new classes and plan several other new services to help you with your desire to stay healthy and well in 2012.

Is your parking permit placard the most current? 
Cleveland State University’s team of parking and safety officials patrol the lot frequently. Make sure your parking permit is up to date to avoid tickets. Stop by the front desk to get a new permit.
 
So close to our Strong Kids Campaign Goal
The community has come together this year and shown great support for the Downtown YMCA through donations to our Strong Kids Campaign. The Strong Kids Campaign is launched each year to support the Downtown YMCA's pledge to be socially responsible.  Money raised locally at this Y allows us to offer member and program scholarships to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a YMCA membership. Can you help us to get closer to our goal? Log onto http://clevelandymca.org/giving/donate.html  today to make a donation. Your gift will go a long way.

Please share a Healthy Holiday Recipe
You can share it with your favorite YMCA staff member, turn it in to the Front Desk - or email it directly to Malik Moore, Branch Director.  We will share your recipes at the Front Desk for the duration of the Holiday Season.

Malik Moore, Director

The Downtown YMCA continues to be a very busy place. The pace of growth within the YMCA of Greater Cleveland has been amazingly fast for the last 6 months and this pace will not let up in the near future.

Two new YMCA facilities will be opening in the near future. Our Leadership Team, branch advisory boards, and the Association’s Board of Directors continue to look for a new home for the Downtown YMCA deep in the heart of Cleveland’s business district. The Euclid Family YMCA and the West Park Family YMCA are also in the early stages of planned renovations. These changes reflect the health of our organization.

You may have noticed that the YMCA logo has changed but, rest assured, we remain focused on Healthy Living, Social Responsibility, and Youth Development, as we always have.

Since its start in 1844, the YMCA has worked to improve each of the communities we are asked to serve. With your assistance, we have been able to provide more than 200 hours of tutoring to Cleveland Metropolitan School District students, and 250 hours of GED instruction. We have served 5,374 meals to needy children, and provided $65,000 in financial assistance to individuals and families. We have provided more than 500 free health screenings to Cleveland residents in the last year, and residents are now moving as a result of YMCA walking clubs and Zumba classes operating in neighborhood community centers. And, YMCA youth programs have a 100% graduation rate for all high-school seniors who participate in them.

Many of these initiatives have been launched under the leadership of the Downtown YMCA board chair and long-time member, Ray Weeden. Ray is committed to making sure that members remain at the center of all that we do.  As a result, we are building new partnerships based on long-time relationships he has with organizations looking to make a positive community impact. 

We also have a diverse team of committed individuals that volunteer their time each month to make our YMCA community more inclusive and better prepared to meet the needs of our members.The community knows we are here. They have called on us to provide them with a service and to be responsible stewards of the resources we manage. We proudly accept this privilege and the many responsibilities it comes with. Please continue communicating with us – send us emails, call us, visit our Membership Service Desk, and stop by our offices to talk. Keep challenging us to meet your expectations.  This is YOUR Y, and we are One Community.

Downtown Family Y
2200 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Phone: (216) 344-7700
Fax: (216) 344-0596