Community Hero Sheila Oliver on FOX9

Last week FOX9 Vice President Sheila Oliver was named a Community Hero by the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis. Sheila has been tireless in her support of the Y, and in her leadesrhip of the citywide Y Partners campaign. And to top it all off, the presentation was featured on FOX9's 5:30 news.

You can see the presentation at the FOX9 website by clicking here. And thanks again to Sheila, a deserving Community Hero!

Above: Community Hero Sheila Oliver (center), with Minneapolis YMCA President and CEO Harold Mezile and VP of Financial Development Christa Getchell.

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!

Does My Contribution Really Make a Difference?

Sometimes it's hard to tell, until you get a note like this:

THANK YOU so much! I really appreciate your help and this program as a whole! The YMCA organization does great things! My kids really like going to SACC [School Age Child Care] and I'm so glad I don't have to worry about their care. I would not be able to afford it if it weren't for this assistance. Thanks again for everything!

Let this be encouragement to you - your efforts do make a difference!

Youth in Government - Your Y Partners Contributions In Action!

For those of you who wonder if your Y Partners contribution really makes that much of a difference, check out this testimonial from a parent whose child recently received a scholarship to Youth in Government:

I just received word that my daughter received a scholarship and I am so very thankful for the help. I am recently divorced and am struggling to keep life "normal" , as much as possible, for my daughters. I truly truly appreciate this wonderful Thanksgiving Gift! Your generosity means very much to me. I know I will be
offering a prayer of Thanks for this and for this program. My daughter is learning so much already and I am very impressed with the way it is run.

Again, I thank you so very very much for your help. I have been blessed beyond measure. I pray that your kindness will be returned to you 10x!

The Minnesota YMCA Youth in Government program is among the top programs, nationally, in terms of quality and number of students. 60% of participants and 55% of youth program leaders are girls. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of all eligible students return the next year.

Minnesota YMCA Youth in Government builds a sense of responsibility and passion for issues, the desire to make a difference, citizenship skills, and values in the lives of teens. Ultimately, Youth in Government programs help mold character in students with a strong focus on leadership development and citizenship-building.

Check out more about this program here. And remember that your contribution to the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis really does make a difference!

John R. Mott - Living the Mission of the YMCA

One of the great leaders in YMCA history is John R. Mott. During the late 19th and 20th centuries, Mott was a living representation of both the work and mission of the YMCA, and his legacy unsurpassed. Here is a brief excerpt from the Rev. Tom Welch's "Spiritual Legacy Series" biography of Mott:

In September of 1888 he began a service of twenty-seven years as national secretary of the Intercollegiate Y.M.C.A. of the U.S.A. and Canada, a position requiring visits to colleges to address students concerning Christian activities.

From 1915 to 1928, Mott was general-secretary of the International Committee of the Y.M.C.A. and from 1926 to 1937 president of the Y.M.C.A.'s World Committee. During World War I, when the Y.M.C.A. offered its services to President Wilson, Mott became general secretary of the National War Work Council, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal for his work. For the Y.M.C.A. he kept up international contacts as circumstances allowed and helped to conduct relief work for prisoners of war in various countries. He had already declined President Wilson's offer of the ambassadorship to China, but he served in 1916 as a member of the Mexican Commission, and in 1917 as a member of the Special Diplomatic Mission to Russia.

The sum of Mott's work makes an impressive record: he wrote sixteen books in his chosen field; crossed the Atlantic over one hundred times and the Pacific fourteen times, averaging thirty-four days on the ocean per year for fifty years; delivered thousands of speeches; chaired innumerable conferences, and received dozens of awards. At 81, the Nobel committee awarded him one of the highest honors given on earth - the Nobel Peace Prize. He died at his home in Orlando, Florida at the age of eighty-nine.

Jolee Molitor - Andover Community Hero!

Jolee Molitor received the Andover YMCA’s Community Hero Award at this morning’s Andover YMCA Community Board Meeting. Jolee joined the Community Board last winter, and proceeded to jump right in to Chair Andover’s Y Partner’s Wine Tasting event. This “Signature Event”, held on October 24th, attracted over 140 participants and netted over $11,000 in support of Andover’s Y Partner’s campaign. Jolee facilitated the efforts of 7 volunteers as Chair of the event.

Jolee’s commitment to the Andover YMCA, and Y Partners, became even more evident when she volunteered to Chair the event again in ’09!!

Thank you, Jolee for your dedicated service to the YMCA!!

Pictured from left to right: Raquel Berg (community board chair), Jolee Molitor and Greg Voss (Executive Director)