| “Historically, we’ve successfully created a lot of micro-communities at the Y. And it always manifests in important, supportive relationships. For example, we have a group that comes to lift weights at 5 a.m. And when somebody from the group doesn’t show up for a couple of days, people are worried – and they come to my office to find out how to check up on that person.“ |
| When Mike Kapuscinski’s family of three moved from Poland to the US in the 1980s, they had no spare money for sports or after-school activities. But there was a YMCA 10 blocks away that kept its doors open on Friday and Saturday nights so kids could play basketball until 2 a.m. Looking back, Kapuscinski can see how this simple gesture provided him with a crucial lifeline. “The Y knew it would keep kids in our neighborhood out of trouble, simply by creating a space where we could hang out and shoot hoops. And it did,” he recalls. Kapuscinski is currently on a mission to create more programming to bring more teens through the Y’s doors at all four locations in the Treasure Valley and make sure everyone knows how the Y is so much more than a gym. And he’s partnering with You. Me. We. All to do it. Read the full article here. |
