Champaign County YMCA

The Champaign County YMCA is committed to strengthening and enriching the development of kids, adults, families, and the community. It is located on the corner of Elm St. and Wright St. The YMCA has numerous areas with activities for all ages, whether it is a swimming pool, excersize machines, free weights, basketball courts, and running tracks. I have been a member at the YMCA for most of my life and when I came to Champaign, if it had not been for the state of the art recreation centers on campus, I would still be an active member there today.

When Senator William B. McKinley passed away in 1927, he left a generous sum to start a YMCA for Champaign-Urbana. By the time the will was probated in 1929, the depression hit and plans for the new YMCA were postponed until 1937. The YMCA struggled for years to be a legit recreation center in Champaign but in the 1980s and 1990s, saw the Y emerge stronger financially. Programs were busting at the seams, as evidenced by the new gymnastics program, youth sports, summer day camps, and after school programs. Proclaiming a new name, the Champaign County YMCA, which more accurately reflected the area served, the Y is in a position to continue to grow to meet important needs of the whole county. The YMCA's strategic vision is to provide accessibility to the YMCA, to strengthen our membership community, to develop strong teen participation and programs, and to strengthen children and family participation and programs.

One of the major reasons I went to the YMCA back home in Bourbonnais was to participate in activities on the indoor, well kept basketball courts. There was always some activity going on in the gym, whether it be basketball, indoor hockey, indoor soccer, or a variety of random sports. The main thing I did on these courts was play pick-up basketball games with other local kids rather than play at worse courts outside with basketball hoops that were nowhere near as good. There was always high level of competition but it was well known that the games were all for fun so there was always a high level of respect for each other and the courts that you played on.

One of the best things about the YMCA is the after school programs they offer to children when there parents can not pick them up from school until later in the afternoon. YChildCare is a school age child care program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Administered by the YMCA, YChildCare provides children with safe, nuturing care in a healthy and caring environment after school. YChildCare is full of excitement and challenges for children. Activities center around age, interest, cultural and educational themes and seasonal happenings that vary week to week. It is a great service that the YMCA offers to the community because these programs are keeping youth off the streets, out of trouble, and under the supervision of trained employees.

Another popular portion of the YMCA is the swimming pool. This has always been a staple of the YMCA and has attracted millions of people nationwide. The YMCA has been America's leading swim instructor for more than 100 years. The Y's aquatics programs extend beyond instruction. They also provide recreational, competitive and specialty aquatics programs for all ages and abilities, including parent-child classes, water exercise and therapy, water safety and rescue, and water sports. Also, they provide simple water arobics classes for children learning to swim and to keep senior citizens in shape when they can not use the excercise machines available in a different part of the Y.

Along with the after school programs for youth, the YMCA also offers a variety of youth sports league for both boys and girls. Their sports programs develop more than skills, they develop character. They offer a variety of programs for youth, including recreation and league sports. Coaches often volunteer, including many parents, emphasize teamwork, cooperation, and developing good values. Such leagues consist of youth basketball, indoor soccer, indoor hockey, and even volleyball. I played in a number of these leagues when I was younger and can say that I learned a lot from these leagues, it just wasn't always about winning and losing. It's good that I learned this at a young age rather than be extremely competetive and disrespectful at the same time.

Synopsis: After this assignment I realized all the things that the YMCA offers and understand how important it is to the community. It was a very interesting assignment and also made me realize how much I would want to work for a recreational agency such as one like this. It impacts the community in such a positive way that you enjoy your job and at the same time, it is still a full-time job. Also, since physical fitness is such an important part of my life, I realized this is one of the jobs that would best suit my lifestyle because I also like to work with kids. In doing all this research, I see hardly any cons working in a recreation center and look forward to possibly having a career just like this one.

-Mike Montemayor