CDYMCALB Highlighted in the March 2011 Y-USA International Group Newsletter

Story Text:

Global Program Ideas

World Service Fundraising and Education month long event led by Long Beach YMCA

During the month of November, the Community Development YMCA Branch in Downtown Long Beach organized a series of events that raised awareness of and financial support for World Service. It also provided time for families to get together and interact with each other while learning about the challenges and work of YMCA's in other countries . All of the events began with a PowerPoint that included pictures of YMCA's in other countries. Families were surprised and inspired to know that there were YMCA programs in their countries of origin. Following the PowerPoint presentation, the YMCA organized a series of events. Some of the events included a Bingo Night, a potluck with parents bringing their favorite dish from their country of origin and family nights with students creating mini presentations for the audience about the work of a specific country's YMCA. All of these events turned out to be extremely successful. The youth raised more than $800 and developed new connections of understanding and friendship within their community. They look forward to another successful World Service Campaign in 2011. Participate in our upcoming webinar to learn about the Long Beach approach to World Service and share your ideas in March.

Project headed by Al Rodriguez, Associate Program Director (Al.Rodriguez@lbymca.org)

For more info on YMCA World Service visit: www.ymca.net/world-service

After School Professional Development

On Monday, February 21, 2011, after school programs in Long Beach were closed in observance of Washington’s birthday. The Community Development branch took this opportunity to provide sixteen of our newest staff with training in the areas of Youth Development, Child Development, and Behavior Management. The staff were introduced to the Community Network for Youth Development model and participated in exercises designed to highlight the importance of the messages we send to our youth on a daily basis. The group then broke out into teams and assessed the current culture of Youth Development at their sites, discussing how to take the site from good to great!

After a short break, the staff came back together and explored the developmental theories of Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget, identifying how the work from these two theorists is relevant to our school-age programming. Following that, the staff worked in grade-level teams identifying both developmental markers for the age groups they work with and age-appropriate enrichment activities connected to state content standards. The workshop ended with a solution-driven conversation focused on responding to challenging behaviors. By the end of the three-hour session, everyone had the opportunity to learn something new, share a strategy that has been successful for them, and network with fellow after school colleagues!

By: Mark Marano, After School Program Coordinator/CASDP Director

Community Development YMCA Staff Commits to 5 Triathlons for Campaign

My name is Bobby Klein. I am an Associate Program Director with the Community Development YMCA in Long Beach and I have never done a Triathlon in my life. Some might think that I am crazy to commit to 5 Triathlons in 2011, but I say "Why Not?" I have come to learn that I will not do something unless I say that I am going to do it first. If I speak it into existence it is much more likely to happen. So what happens when you think it, speak it, tell others about it, write about it....you start doing it.

The Original Idea

The original idea was to do something special for this 2011 campaign year at the Y. This idea, along with a desire to get back in shape after a costly holiday eating season, turned into committing to 5 triathlons to raise money and awareness for a great cause. Yes, a GREAT cause, since I have worked here I have never been more inspired to have a positive affect on those around me. I have heard too many stories of families being helped through our family involvement program or student's lives changing because of one of our after-school programs. It is easy to give when you know what you are giving to (for more info about our programs click the Our Programs tab above).

Training

It seems like just yesterday, I was making that announcement that I was going to start training for the upcoming races and the next thing I know I am 2 weeks into a training regimen that has me swimming, running or cycling 5 days a week. I was a cross country runner in high school and I have been cycling for about 7 years now, but the swimming is what scares me the most. Fortunately, the YMCA of Greater Long Beach is a great network with work out facilities in every corner of Long Beach and some of these facilities have POOLS! My facility of choice...Los Altos YMCA 1720 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90815 mainly because it is close to where I live in Seal Beach. I have been swimming here for a couple weeks now and I couldn't be more happy with the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. I even signed up for private swim lessons with Dani, a high school swim coach and Y employee. I have trained in the past, I was a collegiate athlete (Baseball) and played 3 sports in high school. But in all my training, I have never trained with as much purpose as I have now. It is one thing to work out because, I will gain strength or I will compete better or I will get in shape...it is a whole other thing to train because in doing so I am raising money and awareness for a cause. It no longer is about what I gain, but about what others will gain and this is a great place to be. Albert Einstein was right when he said, "Only life lived for others is worth living." So when I am peddling my bike down PCH or making bubbles out of my nose under the heated water at the Los Altos YMCA pool, I am thinking about lives being changed because of each stroke.

Why 5?

I am not necessarily sure why I chose to do 5 triathlons as opposed to 4 or 6. Maybe because it is easy to times a donation by 5 :) or maybe I just figured 5 seemed like a logical goal, this puts me in a race almost every month of the season and there are plenty to choose from. I created an entire new calendar on my iCal with just triathlons, recording the length of the swim, bike and run. In researching different triathlons I could do, I realized that there are several different types, thankfully. From what I understand there are 3 different categories; Super Sprint, Sprint and Olympic. Super Sprint and Sprint being more for beginners and is what I will start out doing. The Olympic is the real deal and what my ending goal will be.

My 1st Triathlon:

My first triathlon will be in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. It is a Reverse Super Sprint Triathlon, which means you run first (5k), bike second(15k) and swim last(150m). Come out and cheer me on, hopefully my custom triathlon jersey will be ready by then!

March 19, 2011 8am

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The Others

I have several different options for the final 4 Triathlons, here they all are:

Spring Sprint Triathlon

Encinitas Spring Triathlon

OC International Triathlon

San Diego International Triathlon

Carlsbad Triathlon

Solana Beach Triathlon

Camp Pendleton Sprint Triathlon

Surf Town Triathlon

TriRock Triathlon San Diego

Pacific Coast Triathlon

San Diego Triathlon Classic

Mission Bay Triathlon

Long Beach Triathlon

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How You Can Give

I am asking to calculate your donation per a triathlon. If you would like to give $5, $10, $20, $40, $50, $100 or more, you will be giving this amount for each triathlon I compete in. The donation process is simple and outlined below.

1. Calculate your donation:

$_____ X 5 Triathlons = Total Donation

ie. $20 X 5 Triathlons = $100 Total Donation

2. Log on to www.lbymca.org/strongkids

3. Enter your donation (You can spread it out over time if you would like)

4. Select payment type (EFT or Credit Card) and enter information

5. On next drop down menu select: 2011 Strong Kids Campaign - Community Development

6. A list of campaigners will be generated, select Robert Klein as your campaigner.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THAT WILL GIVE!

MY GOAL IS TO RAISE $2000.00!

EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

By: Bobby Klein - Associate Program Director/PR & Marketing Coordinator

Bobby.Klein@lbymca.org

My "Y" Story

The following are real stories from students we serve at the Community Development YMCA...

The YMCA is a fun place to learn because we get to play games, pick our own clubs, and have water day with a huge waterslide. When we make good choices we get y-dollar store. I love the YMCA so much that I want to tell you about my story. The YMCA is a place where we have math, literacy, and stations to have fun. - Jamie S.

I like the YMCA because we had a water slide at school one day. We got to play, swim, and blow bubbles. We ate watermelon and brought a change of clothes. Water day was so much fun and I can’t wait till next year. - Jocelyn C.

I think the YMCA is a fun place for kids. You get to have fun while they help you with homework. Last summer I went to camp and I really loved riding the horses. My horse’s name was Bullet and he was really fast. The teachers are cool, active and really care about me. - Unknown

The YMCA is a special place for me because we learn how to do new stuff and explore all the subjects. One day I got a Student of the Week award and my mom and dad were so proud of me. - Unknown

To me, the YMCA is a place for learning about math, reading and writing. It’s also because I used to not get good math grades. When I came to the YMCA I started passing my tests. In reading I was in the middle of 3^rd grade and now I’m in the middle of 4^th. I used to write so sloppy that I couldn’t read my own writing. This is why I love the YMCA! Homework has been a lot easier now too. - Tais G.

I started the YMCA when I was in second grade. At first I didn’t know anyone but as I got to know the other kids we became friends. I don’t have a lot of friends on my street at home so it was really nice to have them to talk to and do my homework with. We have a lot of fun activities to do if we are good like movie nights, playing the Wii if we get Student of the Week, raffle prizes and clubs. - Jocelyn E.

The YMCA is a fun place to make true friends. That’s why we need people to donate money to the YMCA. So if you’re a millionaire and you’re reading this please give us money. - Diana C.

This is the best program that I have ever come to. It is a place to fill your brain with things to make you smart and care for other people. The YMCA makes reading fun for me and it takes me less time to do my homework. - Oscar M.

In the YMCA I learned how to build a car out of Legos. First we learned about the inside of a car and how it works. Then we made our cars and they came to life. I really like cars so this really made me happy. - Luis O.

When I think of the YMCA I am happy and grateful. In the YMCA we get to play Recreation where I can learn new games. One of my favorites is a soccer relay. Its fun to meet new friends and find out that we like the same things. The program leaders help us with our homework and projects that we have. We also have healthy lessons on Fridays - Brian C.

My mom put me in the YMCA so I could meet more people, have more friends, and be more active so I’m not sitting at home watching TV all the time. She also put me in the YMCA so they could help me with homework and make sure that I am safe. - Jo-Jo H.

I come to the YMCA everyday because it is fun. It is full of lessons and activities that we can learn from. The YMCA is cool because you learn science, computers, art, math, and music. The YMCA is super fun for sportsmanship games like basketball and kickball. This is why the YMCA is important to me. - Samantha G.

This is my story… the YMCA is fun for me. I come everyday after school. The YMCA is very safe for us kids. So far the YMCA is my best friend. It is a big opportunity for my classmates and me. It is good for growing too. You also get to learn great things that help you in life. I think I am going to be famous some day. It is very cool to me. - Olivia B.

When I come to the YMCA it is fun and interactive. The team leaders are so fun and you can tell that they care about us. When I went to Camp Oakes I was so scared when I got there. The counselors were so nice and welcoming that I forgot about all my fears. I made so many friends there and I can’t wait to go again next year. - Eilyn M.

Staff Spotlight: Roselynn (Rosie) Rios

Roselynn (Rosie) Rios, has been working with the YMCA/WRAP After school program since January of 2007. As a 1st grade Program Leader at Roosevelt Elementary, she has been able to help many students achieve their academic goals as well as instilling in them the YMCA Values. Rosie has also participated as a Camp Oakes Counselor and SKC Campaigner. A graduate from California State University, Dominguez Hills, she hopes to someday become an elementary school teacher. Her work ethic and dedication shows the true meaning of what it means to be a YMCA YOUTH DEVELOPER.

By: Eddie Gardiner - Associate Program Director

Campaign is Kicked Off

February marks the start of campaign season at the Community Development YMCA and on Feb. 3rd we joined our association counterparts and packed out the The Centre at Sycamore Plaza in Lakewood, CA. The purpose of the night is to inspire all campaigners in attendance to go tell our story. And this story materializes in so many ways... from the student whose life is significantly better because of the community she found in our Youth Institute program to the parent who received wisdom and support in a time of trouble from Marisol, our licensed social worker. This years campaign slogan is Tomorrow Starts Now, which couldn't fit better with the programs we offer. The work we are doing right now will change tomorrow.

The dedication of our branch to campaign was evident as our branch filled up all of our assigned seating and had to fill some of the empty seats around our designated area. Community Development's branch goal was announced at the dinner by Julie Mendell, our campaign chair. This year our goal is to raise $80,000 and we are more confident than ever that with the team we have this year this goal is well within reach.

This year Change Agent Productions offered their services to create the association's campaign video. The night ended with a dark room filled with hundreds of spectators glued to the presentation screen as they viewed some stories that have developed out of The YMCA of Greater Long Beach. This video will soon be available in the video section.

Making the Pieces Fit

“When I say TEAM, you say BUILDING!”

“TEAM!” - “BUILDING!"

“TEAM!” - “BUILDING!”

“TEAM!” - “BUILDING!”

After School University's Eddie Gardiner, Trang Truong and Sunny Im trained approximately 90 after school professionals throughout 3 one-half hour blocks on a sleepy Saturday January 29, 2011. By the time this training was over sleep was the last thing on their minds. The AU team showed them the importance of teambuilding with staff, students and a program as a whole.

During the OTJ (On The Job) sessions, the participants were able to see the importance of being able to facilitate solution driven discussions during staff meetings. They also had to come up with their own creative group names such as Monkeys, The Incredibles and Brainiacs. Another part of the training included “repeat after me” songs/chants as well as learning a variety of ways to get staff members to participate in a program wide assembly.

The teambuilding activity at the beginning of each session drove home the importance of working together towards a common goal. Activities like putting together jigsaw pieces, first in groups of about five individuals. They then discovered that the entire room had to work together as a team to solve the puzzle. The participants illustrated that working together and communicating are imperative in building a team.

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” ~Henry Ford

By: Sunny Im - Associate Program Director

LBUSD Superintendent Visits the CD YMCA's Community School

On January 25th, 2011 Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent Chris Steinhauser visited the Stevenson Elementary Community School along with Carolyn Denham, one of the grant writers for the Community School grant. During the visit, our guests got the opportunity to listen to various stories from the principal, YMCA staff and Stevenson parents, that demonstrated how our Community School model works and the different events and activities we have held for our community and families. Our visitors were very impressed with all of the great work that is being done at Stevenson Elementary. Go Stevenson Team!

In Photo: Chris Steinhauser and Al Rodriguez

By: Al Rodriguez - Associate Program Director