Qwest Announces Support of YMCA Beacons

On Tuesday, February 3rd, Qwest presented the YMCA of Metro Minneapolis a check for $7,500.00 to support the YMCA Beacons sites in leadership development. Six Qwest employees, from all aspects of the business, including line workers and the main office, attended a short check ceremony and a went on an extensive tour of the Beacon sites.

Employees interacted with youth and shared their job responsibilities, years of service, and personal testimonies on the importance of graduating, looking for career opportunities in areas where your passion lies, and the importance of volunteering in your community.

Needless to say, Qwest and the Beacons students had a terrific and memorable time together!!

Thank you John Stanoch, President of Qwest and Minneapolis General Board member, for supporting community service and financially supporting the local community.

Exergaming Comes to the YMCA

It’s the latest in exercise technology. It’s an investment in the fitness of the young video game-loving generation known as the “millenials.” And it’s coming to the YMCA. So just what is “exergaming”?

Exergaming is the latest fitness activity that uses the human body as a “joystick” to physically drive, and compete with others if one desires, on computer-assisted games, simulating activities such as snowboarding, upright or recumbent bicycling, kick-boxing and dancing . It’s done using handheld remote control devices, or by standing on special electronic mats and directing movements toward a wall screen or console. In the bicycling game, for example, riders control options and track performance while speeding like a race car or experiencing bumpy off-road and mountainous terrain.

The blog PETER (Physical Education Teacher's Exergaming Resource) has several articles on the benefits of exergaming, including this piece that points out how exergaming is breaking link between video games and childhood obesity (one of the five critical community needs that are addressed by the Minneapolis YMCA through our Y Partners annual support campaign).

The Y has already introduced exergaming at the new Elk River branch, with plans to be up and running at the Blaisdell and North Community locations this winter. The goal is to promote fitness and physical activity particularly for children ages eight through ten – an age group considered a critical audience for the Y.

It's another example of how the YMCA continues to invest in the needs of our communities. A big thank-you goes to United Healthcare, whose financial support makes installation of the equipment possible.

Tim Hyde, YMCA Community Hero!

We're pleased to present Tim Hyde, the most recent YMCA Community Hero!

Tim is the Promotions Director at KFAN AM-1130 and was instrumental in the establishment of the KFAN/YMCA Celebrity Poker Tournament. The inaugural tournament was held last August 11th at Canterbury Park.

(And let's take a moment here to point out what a terrific event last year's tournament was. The FAN was well represented in the tournament with the like of Paul Allen, Chad Hartman, Dan Barreiro, Mike Morris, Sludge, Tenna-B, Phil Mackey, the Common Man Dan Cole and many others. Former Minnesota Timberwolves player and current front office member Fred Hoiberg joined in the fun. Fellow listeners and poker players came out to play and support the event. It was the "Battle for the Golden Bracelet" Great prizes were awarded and a good time was had by all.)

In making the presentation, Robie Wayne, Senior Vice President of Financial Development, praised Tim for his involvement with the YMCA. "Tim is typical of the people we work with here at the YMCA - people who want to make a difference, and who want to give back to the communities we serve. We are so very pleased to have Tim and KFAN on board with the Y, and we look forward to continuing our partnership."

Tim has been at The FAN for 5 years, beginning as a promotions intern and through hard work (and, he added with typical humility, surrounding himself with great people) moved up to Promotions Director.

For him, the the partnership between KFAN and the YMCA was a natural. He recalled as a child that many neighborhood kids were highly involved with YMCA activities. "It's all about reaching out and helping kids and a great organization that is the YMCA," he said. "We look forward to organizing the Celebrity Poker Tournament again in 2009."

Thanks again to Tim Hyde - a true YMCA Communty Hero!

Operation Holiday Basket 2008

First of all, a Happy New Year to all of you from all of us here in the Financial Development Department. We wish for the best for you and your family in 2009.

You may remember a piece we did last year on Operation Holiday Basket, a community service project held at the Hiawatha YMCA. We wanted to give you an update on that program, which had its 39th edition on December 19 of last year. About 300 needy families received a turkey meal basket, courtesy of our corporate supporters Cub Foods and SuperValu.

In the picture at left, you can see some of the volunteers gathered at the Hiawatha YMCA, ready to provide a helping hand for those in need. As Gedric Merritt, an Intervention Specialist with the YMCA, put it, "I love helping folks."

Below, we offer a couple of pictures demonstrating the scene at the Y, as volunteers prepare to assemble the baskets of donated food. In looking at this, one is struck not only by the dedication of the volunteers, but by the generosity of those who donated to this cause.

Once again, we offer our appreciation to our corporate partners, and to all those who gave freely of their time and efforts to make Operation Holiday Basket a success once again!

Water Safety Week at the YMCA

We live in a state famous for all its lakes, not to mention our many ponds, rivers, creeks—and backyard swimming pools! It’s definitely a place where water safety is important, especially for children. Statistics point out that children from minority and immigrant backgrounds are the most vulnerable to drowning and water accidents.

The Minneapolis YMCA is doing something about that! You may know that the Y invented organized lessons more than a century ago, and that our local YMCAs teach thousands of people of all ages to swim every year. But did you know that in partnership with Hawkins Inc., a locally-based chemical firm, the YMCA offers water safety lessons to more than a thousand Twin Cities kids each summer? And that those lessons are free to all the kids?

Some of the children participating in this year’s water safety courses had never been in a pool. Many begin with lots of fear and trepidation, but by the end of the week they’re brimming with new confidence and big smiles! Most important they’ve learned basic water safety skills that build a foundation for a lifetime of safe swimming, good exercise, and lots of fun. Thank you, Hawkins, for helping the YMCA provide this critically-needed service to our community.