Happy February. How did that happen?
Each year since I've been here, I have written a blog about the benefits of having a giving heart. This usually lines up with the Impact Foundation, Dakota Medical Foundation, and the Alex Stern Foundation’s Giving Hearts Day event where they help raise funds of around $20,000,000 for regional nonprofits across the state and northern Minnesota in one day. The energy around this day is huge and brings up great conversations with members, volunteers, and staff each year. We are thankful to the three foundations for their hard work and leadership on this day.
While I am thrilled to receive a portion of that large number to support the work of the YMCA each year, I am also blessed to be able to watch 'Giving Hearts' happen each and every day around our community. The region has more than a one-day Giving Hearts Day experience.
In my line of work, I get to spend quality time with volunteers at all levels of our organization. Each brings their time and talent to the table.
We have basketball coaches, often parents who played basketball in their youth, who spend hours each winter teaching four-year-olds how to bounce the ball, what traveling is while looking the other way, and how to take a shot at the basket, and yes, celebrate every 27th shot that goes in like it's the winning three-pointer in the last second during the NBA Finals.
We have food servers who spend time each week handing out nearly 2,000 meals to youth and helping us provide meals with Valley Senior Services for the Meals on Wheels program at each of our facilities. I get to see them give the food to our senior population with a smile, engage in great conversations with those that eat the meal with us, and provide a social interaction that, unfortunately, not everyone in our community is able to receive. And, don’t get me started on the Summer Food Program work that we do at the Y with both seniors and kids who eat together like they are long lost relatives…
We have board members and committee members who write policy, provide advice, and keep the Y moving forward towards our goals. We wouldn’t be able to do the work without them, and in my role, we are blessed to walk this path with them. I often tell people that I am the temporary driver of the car, but the board for the Y is the long-term driver and can see where we have been and help guide where we are going. They spend countless hours helping bring all of the above, plus way more, to our community.
So, 'Giving Hearts' is more than just cash on one day. We see it all year. We are thankful for the trust of our community and donors who give to us on this day each year. But know that when you make a gift to the Y, or other organizations like the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, our sister organization the YWCA, Church’s United for the Homeless, or the local animal shelter (and the list goes on and on), you are saying to these volunteers, 'We are with you! We believe in you! We trust you! And, we thank you!'
Please remember to give generously to your important organizations on Thursday, February 9th. A 'Giving Heart' goes a long way!
See you at the Y!
Steve Smith, President and CEO
Posted on: February 2nd, 2023