A brand new day
It’s just the Y now, officially, but don’t worry, the C is still there.
“I’ve heard from people with concerns about ‘dropping the C,’ as some have phrased it. But ‘Christian’ is still in our mission statement. It’s just not in the name anymore,” said Jeff Fife, the executive director of the Waynesboro Y.
The YMCA of the USA announced last month that it was updating its brand to now call itself the Y. Ys across the country will be transitioning to the new brand over the next five years.
The idea behind the change is to align the Y brand with the terminology that people usually use to refer to the organization.
“We are changing how we talk about ourselves so that people better understand the benefits of engaging with the Y,” said Kate Coleman, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of YMCA of the USA. “We are simplifying how we describe the programs we offer so that it is immediately apparent that everything we do is designed to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being and support our neighbors and the larger community.”
“The intent of this change is to bring us all together and refocus us better as to who we are as an organization,” Fife said.
The move was made after an exhaustive market analysis done by the YMCA of the USA that found as good news that the Y logo was the second most recognizable logo among consumers in the United States, and as the not-so-good news that people had a hard time explaining what the Y’s mission was.
The rollout of the new logo and brand coincides with a national effort aimed at raising public awareness of the Y’s core values in youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
“This is a very important, exciting time for the Y,” said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of YMCA of the USA. “For 160 years, we’ve focused on changing lives for the better. Our commitment to building greater awareness for the important work we do will enable us to expand our efforts and further strengthen communities across the country.”
“It’s not about changing who we are or what we do. We see this as an opportunity to celebrate who we are and to celebrate the diversity of our organization,” Fife said.
Annual Campaign
The YMCA is conducting its Annual Campaign in October, November and December.
Your generous contribution can be designated specifically for any program or scholarship for a youth or family that could normally not afford our programming or be undesignated and let the YMCA chose best where your gift can have the greatest impact.
The YMCA is always looking for dedicated volunteers to share they stories with family and friends and encourage gifting to benefit our organization.
For more information on our annual fund drive or to how to become a campaign volunteer, please contact Jeff Fife at 540.943.9622 or jefffife@ntelos.net.
Heritage Club
The Waynesboro Family YMCA will be hosting its third annual Heritage Club Dinner this fall for those individuals that have made an estate gift into the Waynesboro YMCA Endowment Fund.
The Endowment Fund currently has over 40 living members that have made a legacy gift to assist the YMCA mission to not only serve today’s youth and families but ensure future generations will have the opportunities for programming that impact the mind, body and spirit.
For more information on the dinner or to inquire on ways to make a lasting gift to the Waynesboro YMCA Endowment Fund please contact Jeff Fife at 540.943.9622. Read more
Fun, and structure, at Y Children’s Learning Center
The Waynesboro Y Children’s Learning Center has been busy this summer and is looking forward to an equally busy fall.
The 10-week summer program for children ages kindergarten through age 12 has given young Y members the opportunity to not only take walking field trips to the park pool, but they have also gone to Kline’s for ice cream, gone bowling, gone to the library, visited a peach orchard and ventured to the Safari Park. The staff also held an ’80s week for the kids.
The leaders of the summer camp have their hands full with about 70 children at the YMCA location and 25 kids at the satellite location at Berkeley Glenn Elementary School. For Rebecca Patton, the childcare director at the Y, who has been working with the program for 10 years, “it’s a lot of work, but the kids love the field trips.”
The youngsters are in for a treat when they go on their finale field trip to Massanutten Water Park. The younger kids will be heading to Pump It Up in Harrisonburg to play on the inflatables. There will also be a summer block party to end the summer that is open to the community.
The program does not stop when the summer ends. There is an afterschool program that will pick up students from all Waynesboro city schools, plus Ladd Elementary, Stump Elementary, Stuarts Draft Elementary, Hugh K. Cassell Elementary and Faith Primary.
The students will be picked up and brought back to the Waynesboro Y, where they will have time for homework, playing on the playground or in the gym, and snacks. Twice a week, the kids will be able to swim, and on days the school are closed, the program is open all day long for kids to come and hang out.
Tuition for the after school program is $41 per week if you are a member and your child will be attending full-time (4-5 days per week), and $47 if you are not a member and your child is attending full time. Part-time tuition (1-3 days per week) for members is $35 per week for members and $45 per week for those who are not members.
Water fitness at the Y
Information on water-fitness programs at the Waynesboro Family YMCA.
For more information on aquatics programs at the Y, contact aquatics director Denise Hill at 540.943.9622. Read more
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