April 4, 2022 – Rotary Club of Anaheim member Mr. Brent Finlay, President & CEO of the Anaheim Family YMCA, gave an overview of the Y’s expansion plans in Anaheim.
The Anaheim Family YMCA was founded in 1911 and currently impacts nearly 25,000 youth, teens and adults across the greater Anaheim Area. The Y has a long-standing community partnerships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver lasting personal and social change for a stronger community now and in the future.
They focus on several areas. Youth development: nurturing the potential of every child and teen. Heathy Living: improving people’s health and well-being. And Social Responsibility: working with their community to give back.
Their desired impact through involvement at the Y, people in their communities are spiritually, mentally, and physically healthy. The youth feel safe and empowered to lead significant lives. All relationships are nurtured, and people feel connected to one another and responsible in building a sense of community for all.
The Y serves 5 cities in the immediate area: Anaheim, La Palma, Stanton, Buena Park, and Cypress. This includes 20,000 enrollments, 765 volunteers, 458 employees, 50-plus program locations, and 6.8 million hours of impact.
Every day, the Anaheim Family YMCA takes on important challenges that shape the future for youth and adults in the community; challenges like closing the academic achievement gap, preventing childhood obesity, installing lifelong values, and giving back.
The YMCA Food Program has served over 2.6 million meals. Each of these meals contain a low-fat, two- serving of fruit, vegetables, protein and whole grain or wheat.
Twenty-four schools of The Anaheim Elementary School District receive supper and snacks. The meals are provided to students attending AESD’s Online Academy, ELO programs, Anaheim Archives students, anyone in the community 18 years or younger, and anyone with a disability regardless of their age.
In response to rising community needs, the YMCA proposes a new community space that will bring people of every age together to improve their health, well-being, and quality of life. The YMOC Community Complex is an exciting project that represents a historic moment in the history of the revitalization of Anaheim. The Y invites you to be a part of this living history and support its groundbreaking efforts as the beginning steps are taken to transform the space into a true oasis for the community.
The YMCA Community Complex will welcome more than 3000 residents though their doors each week. The proposed 30,000 square foot complex will feature everything from 6 outdoor soccer arenas and an indoor gymnasium to a teaching kitchen and community garden.
The new building will be located in Betsy Ross Park and will cost 23 million to build. It will serve 2000 per day and the fund-raising aspect of it should be completed in 15 to 24 months with a completion date in the next 3.5 years.
Thank you, Brent for your dedication to an organization for good and we are honored to have you amongst our ranks in Anaheim Rotary.
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