Nake a Donation

Your Gift will allow us to:

  • Tackle childhood and adult obesity
  • Provide safe places for youth & teens
  • Reduce chronic disease
  • Promote healthy living, youth development, and social responsibility
  • Be a beacon for collaboration, diversity and inclusion
  • Provide additional community programs
  • Expand our nurturing, affordable child care

NEED FOR THE CAMPAIGN

The YMCA of Greater Cleveland is for Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility.

Our Capital Campaign, “Strengthening the Foundation of Community,” is tied directly to our strategic plan.

From now through 2015, the YMCA, through that strategic initiative, plans to address the critical issues facing our community including:

  • Childhood and Adult Obesity
  • The lack of safe places for youth & teens
  • Meeting the needs of communities
  • Reducing chronic disease
  • Promoting healthy living
  • The Need for Collaboration

There is a growing need for the services that the Greater Cleveland YMCA provides

To deliver more programs to more people, we must increase our presence in both communities of need and communities of means.

Campaign projects over the next five years include:

• Continue to develop our City Agenda/Urban Initiatives plan
• Provide additional scholarship assistance
• Provide additional community programs
• Expand our nurturing, affordable child care programs
• Provide drug prevention and anti-gang programs
• Continue to provide support for families of those serving in the
military.

As we continue our important work and increase our efforts in communities of need, a wide array of sources tell us we’re doing the right thing.

Childhood Obesity
Forty percent of fifth graders and 26 percent of kindergartners in 15 of Cleveland’s inner
ring school districts are overweight - Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/10/2010.

Education
Cleveland’s graduation rate fell to 51 percent in 2010 - Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/2010.

Youth Values and Lack of Teen Programming
Underage drinking has become more normalized - 40 percent of those who start drinking
at age 14 or younger develop alcohol dependence; over the past 3 years, there has been
marked increase in teen use of marijuana and Ecstasy - Join Together Staff, 4/19/2011.

Diversity and Inclusion
Inclusion and diversity is best summed up by these six words: Seek similarities...Understand
Differences...Celebrate Diversity. Today, our inclusion and diversity vision is one of national
proportions - The Pulte Group, 2011.

Health and Wellness
Three-quarters of our health-care costs are attributable to chronic, preventable diseases -
Time Magazine, 2009.

Need for Collaboration
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller

When we act individually, whether with a political motivation, as part of our jobs, or as an
artistic endeavor, we are limited by our weaknesses.