73933 Annual Report Docv7 - YMCA of Edmonton, AB

one day at a time...
7 AM
CHILD CARE GETS STARTED
“The YMCA child care has been
part of our family experience for the
last four years. Our oldest daughter,
Bryna, came into the YMCA when
she was 3 years old. She has multiple
life threatening food allergies, asthma
and severe eczema.
The YMCA child care was
phenomenal about maintaining her
safety. The staff were very aware of
her health issues and very cautious
yet let her experience everything in
a safe manner.
What has comforted us as we let go
of that hug in the morning is that
Bryna is going into open arms and
open hearts of staff that care for her
and love her as family would.
We feel part of the YMCA family
and they are in our hearts forever
for caring for our beautiful and
wonderful little Bryna. We will
continue to be the biggest fans of
our YMCA!”
Arlene & Jeff Gibbons
Castle Downs YMCA
• In 2006 the YMCA of
Edmonton Child Care served
over 1,460 children everyday.
• The YMCA of Edmonton is
the largest provider of not-forprofit
Child Care in our city.
10 AM
COLLECTIVE KITCHEN
“The Collective Kitchen is a program
offered through the YMCA Enterprise
Centre in which we come together to
cook and prepare meals.
I have been a participant in the
Collective Kitchen for over two years
and it is the best investment I ever
made for myself and my children. A
$3.00 investment; that is what I pay.
The rest of the program is supported
by various community partners.
We learn how to prepare healthy
meals, shopping on a budget, and
making healthy life choices.
Other bonuses are the socializing and
coming together to experience each
others customs and crafts. In the
Collective Kitchen we learn to accept
each others differences and embrace
those differences through the
expression of our food.”
Sharon Benusic
YMCA Collective Kitchen
Participant
• In 2006, 1,200 meals were
prepared in the Collective
Kitchen program.
4 PM
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
“When the Kids Club after school
program started in February our kids
were all excited, except for one girl,
Joanne (name changed), who refused
to take part in the activities.
It became clear that the reason
Joanne did not want to be at Kids
Club was because she had anxiety
and difficulties with reading aloud.
I explained to Joanne that Kids Club
was a safe place for kids to work
together toward becoming better readers.
As Joanne continued to have difficulty,
I noticed that she wasn’t stopping
between sentences to breathe. After
pointing this out, her reading
improved and the change was so
impressive that we all erupted in
applause after she finished reading.
Now Joanne is excited to come to
Kids Club and every morning she
asks if it is a “YMCA day today?”
Natalie Smotkowicz
Program Instructor at the YMCA
Enterprise Centre
• YMCA Kids Club has been
in operation for six years.
• In 2006, 113 elementary
school children from low
income households have
developed better reading and
social skills as a result of the
YMCA Kids Club.
one life at a time!
We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities.