If you haven't had the chance, please take a few minutes to watch these impressive videos, created by our Y & G delegates and sponsored by KPCC, to learn more about this terrific program.

Looking into the eyes of 250 proud youth delegates at the dinner, I was inspired by these remarkable teens who eloquently shared how their Y & G experience taught them the skills to be effective leaders and create positive change among their communities.

State Senator Kevin de León offered words of encouragement to our delegates while Samuel Leichenger of our Westside Family Y -- recently elected California's 66th Youth Governor -- spoke passionately about his commitment to improving communities and helping others. Master of Ceremonies Mark Helm, who was elected Youth Governor as a teen, was also a stellar reminder of how Y & G leadership can remain with you for a lifetime, as he now serves as the Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors for the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.

We honored six extraordinary students who personify the merits of the Y & G program, and were treated to videos produced by the talented delegates of Weingart East LA and Weingart Wellness, which showcased their personal Y & G experiences.

As our delegates venture forward, I have no doubt they will change the world for the better. With your continued support, we will encourage the next generation to follow their lead.

Thanks for being a part of the Y's mission which makes important programs like Y & G possible.

That spirit -- one of compassion, leadership, equality and social responsibility -- has been a critical part of the Y's mission since our founding. That spirit is within each of us, helping us reach for our better selves and achieve the dreams of our community.

You can help us honor Dr. King this month. Share with us someone you know who shows a commitment to social responsibility through their actions.

We'll highlight our favorite submissions on our website and in social media.

Earlier this month, members of the Y family gathered for our 42nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Brotherhood Breakfast. We honored Dr. James London and Patricia London, whose foundation has helped thousands of inner city high school students get accepted, succeed and graduate from top colleges, with the YMCA Brotherhood Award.

County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose public service has improved the health, wellness and lives of residents throughout the county, was honored with the YMCA Human Dignity Award.

We were joined for the festivities by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who shared with us some wise words from her own experiences. When she said of the problems still facing this nation, "Don't throw up your hands -- roll up your sleeves," I felt it in my heart.

And what should make us all proud was Heaven Saunders' invocation, a Y kid her whole life and now a freshman at USC. She shared that the Y has always been where "people loved me for me," -- where she realized she had "something to say, something to stand for." Inspired by her time at the Y, Heaven believes she can change the world for the better. I believe her and I hope you do, too.

Like these honored figures, each of us can affect change in small, positive ways. Tell us how someone is making a difference in your community:

http://www.ymcala.org/share-with-us

Thanks for your continuing support for our mission and all that we do. Want to see more from the MLK Brotherhood Breakfast? Check out our gallery from the event.

Through Y programs, Bev and Dick learned how impactful the Y could be not only for their own kids, but for the entire community. Through the years their passion for the Y grew and Bev joined the staff of the Y in 1968.

Through hard work and dedication, Bev made L.A. YMCA history as the first female executive director in the Los Angeles region and later took on even greater leadership roles at Metro.

Wanting to give back even more to the Y, Bev and Dick decided to join the President's Club by including the Y in their estate plans.

For decades, Bev and Dick have been members, and they recently expanded their support for the Y by participating in our new charitable gift annuity program. This will continue their legacy at the Westchester Family Y, where they began their philanthropic journey.

The Y honored Bev and Dick at our 40th Annual President's Club Dinner last month, and we thank them again -- and all our President's Club members -- for being a vital part of our tradition and growth.

The teens in our Youth Institute program took photos at the annual dinner. Check out their gallery from this memorable evening:

http://www.ymcala.org/meet-bev-and-dick

Thanks for your continuing support for our mission and all that we do.

During the first four weeks of the program, teens learn an array of technical skills and work together to create something truly substantial: they write, edit, design and publish a magazine all on their own. Then, in teams of five, they produce short films about issues of their choice.

Programs like the Youth Institute show how the Y can be a creator of hope in our communities, helping teens build self-confidence and skills to succeed in the world.

From serious youth issues like teen pregnancy and bullying to celebrations of Boyle Heights and photography, these teens tackle incredibly personal issues with intelligence and creativity.

The broader aim here is to provide mentorship and professional training for these teens, preparing them for college and careers. Since finishing the program, one initially shy student, Rodrigo, has even started his own filmmaking class at his high school. Leo, another student, aspires to go to college and study aerospace engineering.

I've met these kids and I can tell you they are alive with possibilities, hopes, and dreams. They see the future of their community in one another -- and they know that future will be built by their own skills and ideas, through their caring, kindness and compassion.

See how the Y is inspiring these teens to new heights by reading their personal essays in YI Magazine:

http://www.ymcala.org/Read-the-Magazine

Thanks for your continuing support of our Y, which allows hope to thrive and develop in the lives of youth throughout Los Angeles.

The Y is mobile. The Y travels to the places that need it most, strengthening those communities. Today, by partnering with schools, the Y is making an impact in over 100 campuses, delivering licensed child enrichment centers, fitness and physical education programs, and after-school opportunities.

The "Y without walls" concept is a success because of partnerships with schools, hospitals, and other organizations who also want to make a difference.

How would you like to see the Y further its impact in your community? Click here to let us know your thoughts.

In the face of a tough economy, partnerships are more essential than ever in helping the Y positively change lives outside of facility walls.

Consider Xcaret, a talented 12-year-old girl from East Los Angeles. Over two years ago, drastic state-wide cuts to youth physical education and enrichment programs left Xcaret and thousands like her with fewer opportunities to keep them active and healthy.

Then, the Y stepped in with the PLAY program, partnering with LAUSD and Cal State Northridge to provide students with positive opportunities for physical enrichment and activity. Xcaret signed up and found a mentor who encouraged her. Today, she continues to develop her talent in the PLAY program and is studying how to be a dance instructor:

"I am learning to teach others with my PLAY mentor, Ms. Gracia. I have already asked my teachers what I have to do to get my dance degree so I am working on that. I am working to be closer to my goals by going to the school and to the Y."

Xcaret's dreams of opening a dance company are becoming a reality, thanks to the Y and its partnerships. She plans to give back and help other young dreamers earn their chance to prosper and live active lives in the years to come.

PLAY, which now serves 33 school campuses across the region, is just one example that began with someone who saw a need in their community and spoke up. That's what I'm asking you to do today. Tell us how the Y can be more involved in your community:

http://www.ymcala.org/how-can-the-y-help

Thank you all for your continuing support of our Y movement in Los Angeles and for believing in our mission and cause.

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and we'd like to engage you in this important conversation.

We can blame this health crisis on any number of factors. Yet these reasons aren't enough to stop the need to positively change lives, to offer youth and families in our communities the opportunity to get healthy and make real, genuine life changes.

Earlier this month I was with our Wilmington YMCA, celebrating the plans for a new pool that will provide the community access to year-round swimming lessons, water therapy for seniors and serve as another place for families to come together.

My visit reminded me about the power of the Y in changing people's diets, health, and lives. I'd like to share an inspiring story of one family who's been impacted by our work.

Stressed and recently laid off, Eduardo Hernandez and his wife Rosy came to the Y in 2007, looking for a safe place where their children could grow and thrive. Quickly, they got involved in a wide range of programs at the Wilmington YMCA along with their three children, Juan Pablo, 11, Ximena, 9, and Dana, 20 months.

Soon enough, through the Y's influence, Eduardo and Rosy decided their family needed to eat better. With the goal to cook together twice a week using new recipes, the whole family joined nutrition classes at the Y, where they learned to prepare healthy meals.

Today, Rosy enjoys making banana pops, chicken fingers, and baked sweet potato fries, just a few of the recipes from class. The kids enjoy them, and she feels much better knowing that they are eating healthier and spending dinnertime together as a family.

"As parents, we must set an example for our children," Rosy told us. "That's why we joined the Y. It was about families coming together, teaching children the importance of healthy eating and physical activity."

Let's keep encouraging one another.

Please join our conversation about healthy lifestyles -- just share a healthy tip or your favorite recipe with our Y community:

http://www.ymcala.org/share-tips-and-recipes

Healthy bodies and healthy hearts lead to healthier communities.

After closing in 2010, the story of how Round Meadow was reborn -- with the addition of a beautiful, new pool and the remodeling and upgrading of the camp bathhouse and restrooms -- begins 50 years ago, with a young boy named Jerry Marcil.

A member of the Torrance-South Bay YMCA, Jerry loved attending camp. In 1962, one of his counselors was Fred Griffin. Deeply committed to Round Meadow, Fred had an incredible impact on Jerry and many other campers, inspiring them to enjoy the outdoors and give back to their community.

When Fred passed away last year, Jerry decided to honor this incredible volunteer who had served camp every year since 1958: He made a generous gift that allowed us to re-open Camp Round Meadow and ensure the life-changing experience of Y camp for thousands of youth for years to come.

Take a moment to see our new YMCA Camp gallery, including photos from the Camp Round Meadow re-opening celebration!

Earlier this summer, the Torrance Y's Men's Club helped prepare Round Meadow with a work weekend. Thanks to their efforts and Jerry's gift, now the camp is fully operational, and already hundreds of kids from our Y branches all across Southern California are enjoying an unplugged week of nature and fun at camp.

Beyond the pool and re-opened camp, Fred's legacy lives on in the people whose lives he changed: His son Morgan, a volunteer director at the camp, met his wife Laurie, also a camp volunteer, at Round Meadow. Jerry himself spent a week as a camp counselor in the 1990s and has become one of the Y's most dedicated supporters, serving tirelessly in numerous leadership capacities and being named to the Y's Golden Book of Distinguished Service.

Jessica's journey to the games began at her local YMCA, where the support of the Y community helped develop her skills and nurture her Olympic-sized dreams.

Last month, Jessica gave back to the Y by visiting the Weingart YMCA in South Los Angeles as a part of the U.S. Olympic Committee's "Team for Tomorrow" program. Our Y kids had the chance to learn about Jessica's Olympic journey, ask questions, and even get professional tips on preparing for competition.

Whether it's a dream of winning Olympic gold, or a summer learning the fundamentals of the breaststroke, more than 70,000 kids participating in Y youth sports programs across Los Angeles will build confidence, values, character, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

Giving all youth access to practice hours and weekend games with a coach and a team means a chance to win -- or lose -- with character, a chance for a future bigger than one can imagine.

Jessica swam her first laps at the Y, and it's the support of the Y community that helped her flourish. Perhaps the next Olympic star will emerge from this summer's Y basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, or swim program because of your support today.

None of that could exist without the countless volunteers who have kept the Y thriving throughout our communities for over a century.  Four of those very special individuals were recognized at the Los Angeles YMCA’s 130th Anniversary Dinner, held May 16, 2012.  Their names were inscribed in The Golden Book, a tradition that dates back to 1934.  Developed as a way of recognizing volunteers for long and remarkable service, the Golden Book of Distinguished Service now holds 324 precious names.  

Golden Book recognition comes in the form of a printed document.  One copy is presented to the honoree, another to the branch for prominent display and a third permanently bound in the Book itself.

The YMCA’s 2012 Golden Book honorees are:
 

Christopher Sherman
Chris Sherman is a highly motivated and strong leader who is committed to ensuring the Pasadena YMCA will be here to build healthy, confident, connected and secure children, adults and families for generations to come.  His involvement with the Y dates back to 1989, when he and his family became members of the South Pasadena San Marino YMCA. Chris and his sons joined the Indian Guides and his wife Carol taught group fitness classes.  Chris soon started volunteering for the annual fundraising campaign and, ever since, he has stepped forward to help whenever the Y has asked and for whatever the Y needs. 

In 2001 during the reformation of the Pasadena Y as a branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, Chris was asked to serve on the Board of Managers.  He gladly accepted and went right to work on building the Pasadena Y.  It is very easy to volunteer for an organization that is doing well, but it takes a leader with tenacity and commitment to volunteer for an organization that has struggled.  Chris Sherman is this leader as he has persevered and guided the Pasadena Y through its challenges without a second thought and with a positive, can-do attitude. 

Since 2001 Chris has served as the Chairman of the Board of Managers, as well as serving on the Board Development and Financial Development Committee and chairing the Property Acquisition and Executive Committees.  Under Chris’ leadership, the Pasadena Y has reestablished itself in the community and is working to locate land for a youth and family program center.  He is the top fundraiser and one of the most generous donors.  Chris never hesitates to call or visit potential donors to share the good works of the Pasadena Y to members of the community.  He also currently serves on the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles Strategic Planning Task Force for the Association.

Mike Arias
Mike Arias exemplifies the mission and spirit of the Westchester Family YMCA. He has dedicated his time, legal expertise and made significant contributions to a variety of Y programs over the past 20 years. Mike is “the face of the Y in our community.”  

The Arias family has been part of the Y since 1992. The whole family, including his children Stephanie and Michael, made the Y their second home. Mike played basketball and bonded with both children in Y-Guides program, family camp, swim team and swim lessons. 

Tenacity is a word that comes to mind when thinking of how Mike gets new contributors for the annual support campaign and new sponsors for the golf tournament.  Mike began campaigning for the Westchester Y in 1995 and has never let up. He was the chair for over five years raising significant dollars in the last two years of his chairmanship. He has also chaired the Golf Tournament Committee for the past 14 years.  He has also served on the Board of Managers for over 16 years with six of those as the Board Chair.

Under Mike’s leadership, the Y flourished despite a series of challenges, including a devastating fire.  Mike rolled up his sleeves, lending his considerable legal expertise and advice to guarantee the Y fully recovered from the crushing blow.  Because of Mike’s diligent efforts, the Y was able to negotiate with a woman’s club and purchase the property behind the current facility that is now the Y Annex. He helped work with community leaders to ensure the land acquisition through capital contributions of over $1.8 million from generous donors. Mike is now working with the board to develop a plan for a future capital campaign. 

Mike is very forward thinking. His vision of what the future of the Y might look like — and how to prepare for that future — keeps other volunteers and staff thinking and preparing for action.  Mike pushes the envelope when others hesitate and never fails to accomplish what he says he will do.

Ray Frew
Ray Frew has put his heart and soul into the YMCA over the past 14 years. His leadership as Chair of the Building for Tomorrow Capital Development Program and major gift contributions are an inspiration to many.  Like many fathers, Ray’s YMCA story starts when he joined the Torrance-South Bay Y Guides parent-child program. Then in 1998, he took on the challenge of leading the Y’s third capital campaign.

Over the next five years he oversaw the planning, recruiting and fundraising of a $4 million capital campaign. Ray personally called on dozens of donors as the campaign progressed and reached a critical point in November 2001.  The campaign was $300,000 short of its goal and facing a deadline to qualify for a matching gift from the Weingart Foundation for $350,000.  Challenging the Board of Managers and the community to reach the goal, Ray re-doubled his efforts to secure new donors and asked the Board to increase their pledges by the deadline.

Ray’s perseverance and passion to ensure the Y was on the forefront of building healthy, confident, connected children and families in the South Bay motivated others to step up and the goal was accomplished.  Not only was the $4 million goal met, the campaign exceeded $4.6 million. 

While leading a capital campaign takes tremendous volunteer commitment and effort, Ray then took on an additional leadership role to become Chairman of the Board of Managers from 2000 to 2002.  He led the Board admirably during the critical “Finish the Job” phase of the campaign and construction of new facilities.

Ray and his wife Vivian are also proud members of the President’s Club, which helps ensure a strong YMCA for future generations.  Ray’s other volunteer leadership roles include: Finance Committee Chair, Major Gifts Campaigner and Team Captain from 1995 to present, Board Member from 1995 to 2011.  Ray also chaired the Board Development Committee from 2005 to 2011. 

Recently Ray orchestrated a partnership with the Y and USC to develop a Military Family Support program.  In the true Y spirit, Ray spearheaded this innovative partnership to support the men and women who serve our country and their loved ones.

Cathy Hession
Cathy’s Y story began more than 40 years ago when she gave a speech on behalf of youth at a Community Support Campaign Kickoff event for the Westside Family YMCA. She worked summers as a day camp counselor while she was in college, and after graduation, became a full time program director, recruited by her mentor, Lew Stroh, then Executive Director of the West branch.  Cathy was an extremely effective youth director, developing the summer day camp program into the largest in the nation.

Those early Y experiences helped shape Cathy’s life-long dedication to philanthropy and desire to lead others to do the same.  She joined the Board of Managers in 1979 and served for a decade before taking a break to focus on motherhood. From the start, Cathy and her husband, Ed, allowed the Y to influence their daughter, Natalie, in all the Y programs, and she went on to become a member of the Youth & Government delegation. Now a young adult, Natalie continues to volunteer as a counselor at Camp Whittle every summer.

Cathy rejoined the board in 1998 and has continued to be an inspiration to all those around her. She is a shining example of a dedicated board member who can always be relied upon to fill in at the last moment and participate in extra-curricular board projects.  Her leadership extended to the Community Support Campaign, Community Operations Committee and Board Chair in 2004. 

As a dedicated fundraiser and through many years of selfless devotion and connections in the philanthropy community, Cathy has donated and solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars for the benefit of the Westside Family YMCA programs and its new facility.  Most recently, Cathy has been an integral leader for the Building a Healthy Community Together Capital Campaign to build a new facility on the campus of University High School. She was involved in the project early on as a member of the Capital Campaign Cabinet. In addition to that role, she chairs the Community Gifts Committee and is involved in engaging Y members, the community, and University High students, faculty and alumni.

The name of her father, James Collins, was inscribed in the Golden Book of Distinguished Service in 1977, and so Cathy has the added distinction of being the very first daughter of a Golden Book honoree to receive this fitting tribute.

Cristina Rose assumed the leadership role from Jim Ellison, who has served the organization as Chair since 2008.

“We owe a debt to the people who made this movement relevant enough in its purpose and vision to last 130 years,” said Alan Hostrup, President and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles.  “Through very challenging years, Jim Ellison has carefully and thoughtfully carried on the Y’s legacy and created a foundation upon which we can build.  By passing leadership to Cristina, Jim gives us invigorating strength as we work to accelerate our cause.”

Ellison, who is Chairman and CEO of Ellison Machinery Company, joined the Board of Directors for the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles in 1991.

At the 130th Anniversary event, Ellison said of the Y’s history in Los Angeles, “We don’t measure success in the number of members or branches we have 130 years later. Success is measured by the positive impact the Y has in our communities.  That success is absolutely not possible without all the people in this room working together.  As one movement, as one Y.”

With that, Ellison welcomed the Y’s next volunteer leader, Cristina Rose.  Rose was one of California’s first women lobbyists in Sacramento when she began advocating on behalf of California’s consumers in 1972.  Today, she is widely recognized as an expert in the California legislative and political process by industry, academia, current and prospective officeholders, and media.

In 1987, Rose co-founded Rose & Kindel, a leading California public affairs firm providing governmental, community and media relations services through its offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento. She served as Chair until the firm was acquired in 2004 by a publicly traded international public affairs and public relations company, Huntsworth plc.; and, following the acquisition, served as Senior Managing Director and CEO of Rose & Kindel and of Grayling, the firm’s communications offering.   Among the more than 700 clients the firm represented during her tenure are: AT&T, the Recording Industry Association of America, Google, the L.A. Dodgers, United Airlines, JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, the City and County of Los Angeles, and American Express.

Rose currently serves as President and CEO of Rose Policy Solutions, providing strategic counsel, issues management, and reputation management to clients on a variety of public policy and crisis management projects.

In June 2006, Rose joined the L.A. YMCA Board of Directors and has been on the Nominating and Board Development Committee, Personnel and Staff Development Committee, and the Good Friday Breakfast Committee.

Among her many honors, Rose was given the first and only "Trailblazer Award" at the annual Statewide Women's Conference, sponsored by California's women legislators; and in 2010 she received the prestigious Coro Crystal Eagle award for extraordinary contribution to the civic life of the State of California.

 A native of California, Rose holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from UCLA.  She lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband of 30 years, Scott FitzRandolph. 

“It is fitting, on the occasion of our 130th anniversary, that the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles welcomes our new Board of Directors Chair, Cristina Rose,” said Alan Hostrup, President and CEO.  “Cristina is a leader of exemplary character, and her strong vision will guide the Y’s cause-driven movement to strengthen the foundations of our community.”

The Y and the national charter school network, Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), have been partners for three years now -- ever since KIPP LA Prep moved next to the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA.

There, KIPP students have benefitted from both after-school Y activities and the on-site P.L.A.Y. program. KIPPsters enjoy classes like dance, aerobics and swimming, and participate in enrichment activities that build the character, confidence and academic skills needed to succeed in school and life.

In one of the nation's most under-resourced and under-performing communities for educational attainment, KIPP LA Prep is now the top-ranking middle school in all of LAUSD.

Marcia Aaron, Executive Director of KIPP LA Schools, shares her views on why the partnership has such dramatic results:

"When we were first considering relocating KIPP LA Prep, a significant consideration was the location of the YMCA immediately adjacent to our proposed school location. We recognized that if we were able to develop a partnership with the Y, we would be able to offer a more comprehensive program for our students -- not just about education and healthy meals but about healthy lifestyles. Physical education and community programming is an important part of serving under-served communities.

When organizations work together we can better serve our under-resourced communities and help to transform them. There is great strength in collaborative partnerships."

Our partnership with KIPP is expanding. Next up is co-locating the KIPP Academy of Opportunity within Weingart YMCA Wellness & Aquatic Center. Stay tuned for more collaboration news!