Dear YMCA Friends,
Anytime we write our letter for the annual report, the preparation is spent reviewing the past year. In reflection, we try not to just focus on that our hair may be a little more grey or our joints hurt just a little more. It really is a great cathartic exercise to look with joy on how our YMCA Family, as it is truly blessed. Experience tells us that time does fly by and reflection is so important. The old country song by Kenny Chesney, Don’t Blink, rings true as we reflect.2008 seemed to speed by but in the words of one of the younger Y staff, “2008 was a really cool year!”
One thing that we do notice in this reflection is on the people that passed away. Every year, our Y Family loses such great friends. Two that specifically come to mind are Harvey Hamrick, Sr. and Brooks Piercy. Harvey was a generous benefactor and was a cornerstone to the success of the Dover Foundation YMCA. Brooks was a great friend and gave great advice and would allow me to just sit and listen for hours. These two and several others will forever be remembered for their generosity and leadership.
Reflection shows us that lives were not just transformed on the treadmill. Hundreds of kid’s lives were changed on the putting green and driving range at the River Bend YMCA Golf Course. The challenges of operating a golf course in 2008 were dwarfed by the joy of seeing a rejuvenated Junior Golf Tour. We are excited about and have expanded The First Tee program in several elementary schools for 2009. We were humbled by the support of the first Taylor Chitty Memorial Golf Tournament.
The Girls Club YMCA continues to change the lives of many young girls. We are so grateful for our relationship and support from the United Way. Providing adequate care for these young girls so parents can work would be impossible without the support of PPG, Baldor, Wal-Mart Distribution and First National Bank. The Girls Club year was high-lighted by building a new playground and hosting a Mother-Daughter Tea at North Lake Country Club.
The GW Student YMCA inspires us every day. As several more graduates get hired by YMCA’s across the southeast, we dream about the lives that will be transformed and how it all can be traced back to Boiling Springs, NC and GWU.
Our YMCA was not immune to the tough economy, but throughout it all we managed to grow our membership to an all-time high of over 5,000 families and 13,000 individuals. Almost 1 in 8 households across our county are members of the YMCA. We will scan over 300,000 visits to the YMCA each year. These numbers humble us because we see such power in the diverse relationships and lives being transformed. We also embrace the awesome responsibility that comes with serving such a large population.
The new Ruby C Hunt YMCA has been an overwhelming success. Combine this facility with a great Kings Mountain Family YMCA and the now 9 year old Dover Foundation YMCA. We challenge you to find a community that has such fine resources toward creating healthier kids, families and communities.
Regardless of challenges, we do know that we are blessed.
In 2009, we want to be more like our mission. We know that Jesus saw things in High Definition and saw great things in all people. Our dream is to help you realize your potential. For your YMCA, it is all about SERVING you the member, you the community, you the donor, you the friend. Our culture of servant leadership means our YMCA will be informational, inspirational, confrontational and transformational in your life and the life of our region. All of that, wrapped in forging deeper relationships formed in love.
We pray for truth and grace as we seek clarity in our mission and we thank God for his many blessings. To view our complete 2008 Annual report, visit our website at
www.clevecoymca.org/annualreport
See You at the Y Soon!
Cameron Corder, CEO; Robert Arey, Past CVO and Sallie Craig, 2009 CVO