Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South Charlotte.
Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Ep. #59 Empowering Lives and Communities Through the YMCA
Join us as we welcome Rachel Lewis, a senior project manager at the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, to celebrate an astonishing 150 years of community service and engagement. Discover how the YMCA has fostered a healthy spirit, mind, and body through its expansive network of 15 centers and two vibrant resident camps, Camp Thunderbird and Camp Harrison. Rachel takes us on a journey through their impactful programs like Y Readers, which promotes literacy, and Safety Around Water, aiming to reduce drowning rates. These initiatives highlight the YMCA's unwavering commitment to building a supportive and inclusive community, ensuring access for all, regardless of financial means.
As we look toward the future, Rachel shares her enthusiasm for the innovative projects and initiatives that her team is planning. From collaborating with local businesses for food shares to addressing vital community needs, the YMCA continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing community engagement and collaboration. Get inspired by stories of growth and opportunity that promise an exciting year ahead for the YMCA and the communities it serves. This episode is a celebration of resilience, community spirit, and the transformative power of coming together for a common cause.
YMCA of Greater Charlotte
Morrison Family YMCA
Rachel Lewis
9405 Bryant Farms Rd
Charlotte, NC 28277
704.716.6500
MorrisonYMCA@ymcacharlotte.org
ymcacharlotte.org/branches/morrison
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Regina Lee.
Speaker 2:Hello everybody and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast here in South Charlotte, and today I'm talking with Rachel Lewis. She is a senior project manager with the Greater Charlotte YMCA. Welcome, Rachel, how are you today?
Speaker 3:I'm good, regina, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. The? Y has such such a rich history in Charlotte and until a few minutes ago, when I was doing some research, I didn't realize how rich you are. Celebrating 150 years in Charlotte, my goodness, tell us about that.
Speaker 3:Yes, that's right. So the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has been around for 150 years. Officially, this year 2024, we are celebrating our birthday all year long and just looking back on our history, you know we've been in Charlotte ever since 150 years ago, starting with the YMCA and what's now Uptown Charlotte and growing from there. So serving our community for 150 years is pretty special and we're excited.
Speaker 2:Yeah, how many locations are there in the greater Charlotte area now? 15 centers and we have two resident camps. Okay, what is a resident camp? I'm not familiar with that.
Speaker 3:Sure. So a resident camp is like a sleepaway camp. So we have YMCA Camp Thunderbird on the shores of Lake Wiley, which is a part of our association, and then we also have Camp Harrison up in Herring Ridge in Boomer, north Carolina. So those are our two sleepaway camps where you can send your children for a week or two week session, and then we also. So it's a little bit different from our day camp, which is where you drop off in the morning and then pick up in the afternoon.
Speaker 2:So, even though most of us have heard of the Y, you know our whole lives. What is the mission statement for the YMCA?
Speaker 3:Sure. So the mission of the Y is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
Speaker 2:And then you have programs that are just incredible. Talk a little bit about some of the local programs right here.
Speaker 3:Sure Gosh, we offer a whole gamut of programming. Really there's something for everyone at the Y, all the way down to our youngest baby members, 12 weeks old, can, you know, be a part of our drop-in child care or kids' morning out programming. We offer preschool, a traditional four-hour preschool model. We have after-school programming for the kids. After the school day they come here for some fun and some studying and some arts and crafts. So really we really are intentional about the curriculum for our youth. And then, outside of that, of course, we have recreational sports at the Y, everything from soccer, flag football, volleyball let's see basketball. We do swim lessons, we have swim team. There's something for everyone, truly with the kids. And then as our members grow, we have some team programming. Volunteer opportunities YMCA Leaders Club is a wonderful program for teenagers I actually grew up in the program myself and then, you know, for our adults there's everything from personal training sessions we have free group exercise classes with your membership, lots of small groups, volunteering opportunities there's tons.
Speaker 2:Well, I know one thing you said to me the why is so much more than a swim and a gym, and it really is. You have to go inside. I'm thinking right now the Morrison Y, for example. Talk about that for a minute. All the things that are offered there.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. So. You know, we try to get away from the stereotype of being just a swim and gym, because from the outside it may look that way, but truly the Y is a community, it's a family, and when you step into the Y whether it's your home center that you're used to going to every day, or even when traveling there's a feeling that comes with that when you come into the YMCA. We have so many longtime members and new guests who end up meeting people at the Y and making friends here. So outside, yes, you can come here to work out and you can come here to swim laps or to play basketball, but really it's more about the community that you meet and being a part of something bigger.
Speaker 3:What's unique about our facility and our membership is that we're supporting the community around us. Um, so we're a nonprofit and um, the Y gives back a lot to the community and we never turn anybody away. So, um, you know, no matter your needs or struggles, um, the YMCA truly supports those who, um can't, who maybe can't afford after school for their child. We make sure that they have the ability to bring them anyways.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that is one of the ways the Y supports the local community. Can you think of any others?
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely. We have so many programs that truly support the whole person. So one of them is called why Readers, and that is a program supporting literacy across Charlotte offer this program in schools during the school year and then also as a summer camp model. Literacy is one of our big initiatives, really, because it sets the tone for much of your childhood and growing up. And then another program we do is called Safety Around Water, which is focused on teaching children to swim to cut down on the drowning rates in our community.
Speaker 3:I think Charlotte is one of the highest in the state of North Carolina, which I don't remember the exact statistic, but it's alarming considering you know how many, just how many pools are in our community when you really think about it. So apartment complexes and you know parks and ponds and things like that. So that's something also that the Y focuses on providing those swim lessons for the community. What else? We are a host of food shares in the community. So with Loaves and Fishes and another group as well, we will host the food shares where families can come onto our property and then we pack up meals for them to take away with them.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's good to know. So, going into fourth quarter of this year, thinking about Christmas, thanksgiving, what are some of the ways our listeners can support some of those initiatives?
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Thank you for asking. So really, towards the end of the year we have several opportunities. We are, of course, still working towards our yearly goal.
Speaker 3:The money that we raise each year goes directly back to the community, supporting families through those financial aid scholarships that we talked about and in other ways. Specifically, here at the Morrison Y we run a Christmas tree lot every year and the family actually they live in Western North Carolina and they were impacted by Hurricane Helene, so we were blessed to find out that they are OK and their home and their farm are OK, but we're um excited to still be able to support them. And then in turn they give back to the Y, which is really neat. So if you need a Christmas tree, you can um purchase that from the PNC Valentine lot right over in Valentine village Um and in turn that supports the Y Um we do um offer a giving tree typically each each year. So if folks are interested in making an end of the year gift, we will certainly um put it to good use and then just in honor of our 150th birthday.
Speaker 3:Really, we're excited to highlight, you know, some of the stories and the staff and the people who make the Y what it is.
Speaker 2:So let's talk about that 150 years and more of the kinds of things that you're going to do to celebrate.
Speaker 3:Sure. So actually each center is able to kind of throw their own celebration within the Y for their members and the community. But then also we will celebrate the official birthday for the Y for their members and the community. But then also we will celebrate the official birthday for the Y on November 14th. Here in the Ballantyne community we're going to throw a community birthday party on November 11th. We will have vendors and music and games and fun for everyone here in our building.
Speaker 2:That is so exciting. Wow, wow, very excited. That is a lot to be proud of. Thank you, is there? So the healthy living aspect is that for adults. Just on your website, you have an area called Healthy Living for Athletes, aquatics, community Health Fitness Programs. You said you do have personal trainers.
Speaker 3:We do yeah, so Healthy Living really encompasses everything from our fitness center, which is where you'll find traditional cardio equipment weight machines, free weights, stretching area, and then we also have group exercise classes, which are included with your membership. So that's a really, really neat thing. You can come and take anything from yoga, hot yoga, pilates, athletic conditioning, any kind of strength class, and then we also do offer personal training, we offer small group training and we have CrossFit and then. So that's kind of the adult side of things. We do also have youth fitness options. One of the more popular ones is called Ninjastics, which is like ninja gymnastics. They do musical courses and, um fun things, and we have just some kids fitness areas as well very fun.
Speaker 2:Well, I know I've been to sarah's why, um, that's adult only is that correct?
Speaker 3:yes, so the sarah's ymca is an adult only more express facility, so it's 16 and up there. It's a beautiful facility. One of our newer just opened in 2018, right over in the Valentine Corporate Park, so, but there there's a full fitness center and we have two group exercise studios and we offer specialty hot yoga at Sarah's Y is very popular. We also have the outdoor training yard over at Sarah's TRX.
Speaker 2:It's a beautiful, beautiful facility so how does the membership program work, and when you become a member, are you able to go to other locations?
Speaker 3:yes, that's a great question, um. So we are one under the ymca of greater charlotte, um, and when you join the y you have access to all of the wise and um you know, resident camps within the ymca of greater charlotte as a member. Now we do also partner with other ymcas across the country. No-transcript.
Speaker 2:Very, very cool. Well, you've got truly something for everybody and for a family you know to get to go together and then to kind of divide and do what they want makes it so, so special and unique.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and I've gotten to witness that firsthand, growing up within the Y myself and now raising my family here is really special.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's amazing. So tell us again your 150 celebration is on November 11th.
Speaker 3:So yes, at the Morrison Y we're celebrating on November 11th. I know that centers around Charlotte are having their own celebrations and we will do a larger event on November 14th and there will be some more information coming out about that soon.
Speaker 2:Very, very exciting. Well, rachel, it's been a pleasure getting to know you today and learning more about the why and how you guys support our community, and just amazing to be able to celebrate 150 years. That's just something, quite an achievement. So, if our listeners want to learn more, is there a central number or do they need to call one of the local offices or locations?
Speaker 3:I would suggest calling the location closest to you, but also stopping in for a visit. We offer tours daily and it's really nice to be able to see the space. We're very active on social media as well. I would absolutely check out our Facebook pages and Instagram. So it's YMCA Charlotte on Instagram and then specifically we have the Morrison Family YMCA Instagram page, and all of our centers are also on Facebook where we share upcoming events highlights around the community. It's a great place to stay in the know about what's coming up here at the Y.
Speaker 2:Well, you guys are certainly active and I participate in a lot of it locally as well. So, rachel, thank you so much for your time, very excited for what's ahead in this coming year for you guys. Got a lot of fun stuff going on.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I'll see you soon, okay, bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPSouthCharlotte. com. That's GNPSouthCharlotte. com, or call 980-351-5719.