W E I N G A R T E A S T L O S A N G E L E S Y M C A S U M M E R 2 0 1 3 N E W S L E T T E R V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Hello Friends of the Y, On behalf of the staff, volunteers and the Board of the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA, we hope you enjoy reading this newsletter, which will provide you with an update on the ever increasing scope of our impact in the East Los Angeles community. As you'll see, 2013 continues to be a great year for the Y as we introduce new, innovative and impactful programs like SPLASHBALL and expand existing programs such as our Youth Institute, Youth & Government and Early Learning Readiness program.

In addition, the Board of Managers and I are excited to announce that a new, dynamic group of professionals has been elected as the class of 2013 to serve on the board. We were impressed with the new class, its success in a wide variety of professions and willingness to be engaged in our cause-driven organization. I am very excited to work in partnership with our new Board Members and Board of Managers to continue to advance our Y and to strengthen the East Los Angeles Community. 2013 Elected Board Members Dr. Rafael Amezcua – Bienvenidos Carla Cruz – Loyola Marymount University Dr. Melissa Gaeke – University of Southern California Johnny Gonzalez – Farmer John Luis Juarez – Panda Restaurant Group Sevanne Sarkis – Keck Medical Center Hugo Sibrian – Benefits & Risk Solutions, Inc. The YMCA has a long tradition of service in the communities of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. In fact, the Y built the first sports field in Los Angeles. This year we are excited to continue celebrating 102 years of high quality, dynamic and passionate service to our community. Our area encompasses the vibrant historic core of the city’s Latino community and our aim is to continue to serve it with greater precision by providing targeted programs and opportunities for this largely underserved segment of the population. As the most recent data shows, the WELA YMCA has become the central meeting place for families in our community. Our facilities now sustain close to 7000 youth and families who have found both a center to support their efforts towards greater health and wellness as well as a hub where civic and community connections are made. This last point is important because we know that lasting personal and social change only comes about when we all work together. That’s why at the Y, our ultimate mission is strengthening the community’s foundation. Every day, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. We look forward to hearing from you and your continued or future engagement in advancing our cause-driven organization. Victor A. Dominguez, Executive Director & Vice President of Community Development

WEINGART EAST LOS ANGELES YMCA

2900 Whittier Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90023

Summer 2013

www.ymcala.org/wela

DONOR DOLLARS

AT WORK

IN THIS ISSUE

MEND, Healthy Kids Day and Camp Round Meadow

Youth Development

Aquatics : Splash Week

A Y&G Story: Angel Flores

Youth & Government

Chairman’s Round Table

Youth Institute

Brothers, Sons, Selves Coali-tion

Catching up with the kids in Pre-School

ENJOY THIS ISSUE?

Feel free to share this news-letter with anyone who you think may find it useful.

SAVE THE DATE!

9th Annual “Heart of the Family” Luncheon

October 17, 2013

Los Angeles , CA

The Millennium Biltmore Hotel

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MIND, EXERCISE, NUTRITION, DO IT! (MEND)

This year the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it! (MEND) Program has created partnerships with California’s Child Health, Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program and AltaMed Health Services in order to reach families who are most in need of obesity prevention education.

HEALTHY KIDS DAY 2013

Healthy Kids Day 2013 welcomed nearly 300 visitors from our commu-nity. Twenty-five community organiza-tions and businesses participated by providing information, partaking in giveaways and demonstrations, as well as health screenings such as blood pressure and glucose readings. Chil-dren were especially thrilled with ac-tivities such as a visit inside a LA Fire Department fire truck, an obstacle course and our 3rd Annual K-9 “Wagathon."

CAMP ROUND MEADOW This summer (June 21-July 6), 120 boys and girls from the Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles communities em-barked on a life-changing, week-long residence camp trip to Big Bear Moun-tain. It was a week filled with a variety of programs such as rock-climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, archery and other heart-pumping activities. For many campers, this was their first time away from home, away from the noisy city, free from their electronic devices, free from social pressures that at times restrict kids from being exactly that…kids! Camp is more than a week filled with activities - camp is an experience. It is a week where kids accomplish chal-lenges, establish friendships, conquer fears, and grow to appreciate the peace found in nature and the diver-sity in people.

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This summer, Splash Week served 314 children, 72% of which were non-members and for whom this was their first swim lesson. One of the highlights of Splash Week was a six year-old girl who was taking her first swim lesson. When she had swam halfway across the pool, the girl climbed out of the water and ecstatically yelled at her mother’s cell phone “Daddy! Daddy! Did you see me!?” Upon looking at the phone, we saw the girl’s father, dressed in a U.S. Army uniform giving both the staff and his daughter a “thumbs up." It was heartwarming to see that although her father was halfway around the world in Afghanistan, he was still able to make it to his daughter‘s first swim lesson. It was amazing to witness this and countless other families grow stronger through Splash Week. INTRODUCING...Splashball™

Early childhood is a time for physical development, experimentation and skill building. Splashball is designed to introduce the sport of water polo to children through water safety and swimming skills. It harnesses all the fun and dynamic aspects of the game in a safe, easy-to-learn experience that help kids learn to swim, make new friends and stay fit.

SPLASH WEEK

AQUATICS

Angel Flores came into our YMCA as a high school sophomore looking to fulfill a simple community service hour requirement to check off from his list of things to do for graduation. However, It has been two years since Angel initially came through our doors and he has become a model for what we strive to do with youth that come to our YMCA. His simple checklist led him to become the kid at our Y that is always eager to participate in any activity that comes his way, with an in-fectious “can-do attitude” and constant willingness to help others. Coming into our YMCA, Angel was timid and continuously struggled to find his voice. This was set to change as Angel’s exposure and participation in volunteer and community engagement efforts grew exponentially. Angel’s commitment to his community has led him to become a key player in developing a Running Club at our YMCA and in ensuring that recruitment for our Youth and Government program never fell short and continuously grew. Angel has been instrumental in ensuring that Y youth are active participants in community engagement activities through the Building Healthy Communities – Boyle Heights (BHC-BH) initiative, a 10‐year plan of The California Endowment to help communities develop into places where children are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. In the BHC-BH, Angel is active when it comes to planning events with the Youth Engagement Committee or through the Alliance of California Traditional Arts by documenting cultural treasures in the community. Currently, Angel is a youth representative of Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition, a group that uses community-based participatory research and community organizing to identify issues to help improve the lives of young men of color. In the coalition, Angel serves as a youth advocate and he is resolute in ensuring that the youth in his community are not pushed out of school due to the punitive discipline measures that are currently in place. His work within the coalition is to target policy changes to fight for, implement new practices, support youth and to learn new strategies in order to be heard by elected officials, government agencies and voters. In the Youth and Government program, Angel used his knowledge from his work in the coalition to author a bill that sought to remove willful defiance as an expellable offense because it disproportionately affects young men of color in his commu-nity. Angel truly embodies social responsibility in all he does in and outside our Y. He initially came to the Y because he was required to complete community service hours, but stayed at the Y because he knew that he could never stop putting hours toward bettering his community. For these reasons and more, we awarded Angel Flores the Civic Commitment Award.

A Y&G STORY: ANGEL FLORES YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT

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YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

BACK IN SACRAMENTO: YOUTH & GOVERNMENT

The WELA YMCA Delegation is in the process of developing a strong core of youth over the summer to ensure a successful program launch when the program restarts in the fall. The delegation has worked diligently to secure strong leadership and has voted in both its Vice President and President. The delegation’s Vice President will be Itzumi Gutierrez who grew up with the Y and will be entering her third year in high school and in the program this fall. The delegation’s president is Sabrina Ruiz, also a long-time Y kid and an award-winning delegate, recipient of the Rising Star in the Lobbyist Program Area. With this strong leadership deeply rooted in Y culture, the WELA Y is looking to have one of our most successful years yet in the Model Legislature and Court Program!

The Weingart East Los Angeles Board and Staff celebrated and recognized the great sup-

CRT Dinner provides the Y an opportunity to recognize and thank its donors and friends for their contribution to a cause-driven organization. This year, 100 friends of the Y joined the celebration at Luminarias Restaurant in Monterey Park. The Weingart East Los Angeles Board and Staff are thankful and appreciative of donors and friends as they help us continue to advance our cause and impact in the East Los Angeles community.

WEINGART YMCA EAST LOS ANGELES YMCA EVENTS

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The last week of June saw the launch of our second "New Class" of the Youth Institute program. The group included 20 new participants and 10 returning alumni joining us for the summer of 2013. Along with staff, everyone traveled to Mammoth Lakes, CA for a Wilderness Re-treat, encouraging team-building and good old fashioned camping in the great outdoors. We use this retreat as an opportunity to unplug from the city and many of the students raved about being away from the sounds of Los Angeles. Some of them were experiencing camping for the first time and we are thrilled that the Y was the place for them to do it! Starting in July and running all summer long, the group will be learning about technology through our curriculum. The emphasis is around film-making programs and creative applications. The summer will culminate with a film festival on Saturday, August 17, 2013. We hope many of you can join us to celebrate these young filmmakers and their films! Earlier this year, one of our youth-produced short films won Best Youth Produced Film at the 20th Anniversary of the San Diego Latino Film Fes-tival!. The festival took place March 7-17, 2013 at the DigiPlex in Mis-sion Valley. The selected film was titled “Latino Life” and was developed by LELA Productions, with original lyrics by Xavier Cardiel. Xavier is an upcoming songwriter and poet who wrote the song “Latino Life” as a reflection of his Boyle Heights community. Supporting Xavier Cardiel were four other youth who contributed to the production of the film: Raul Jimenez (Editor), Adaena Aviles (Graphic Designer), Erick Flores (Sound Designer) and Sandy Ahumada (Director). Congratulations, film-makers! Check out YI videos at www.vimeo.com/welaymca

YOUTH INSTITUTE

YOUTH INSTITUE: PROVIDING

SKILLS, CHANGING A COMMUNITY

DID YOU KNOW…

Drowning is the leading

cause of accidental death for

children ages 1-4.

Drowning is the second

leading cause of accidental

death for children under 14

years of age.

Children under age one most

often drown in a bath tub,

toilet or bucket.

Drowning is a silent event.

Children will rarely scream,

call out or splash for help.

Submersion takes less than

10 seconds. Losing

consciousness takes 2

minutes. Permanent brain

damage takes only 4-6

minutes.

For every child who dies by

drowning, another four are

hospitalized. Many never

recover from brain damage

that occurs while they are

under water.

Most young children who

drown in pools were last seen

inside the house, had been out

of sight less than 5 minutes

and were in the care of one or

both parents at the time of the

event.

The Truth

As the weather warms, more

families will retreat to what has

become a summer past time -

swimming. At the Y, we love the

water and have been an advocate

for safe swimming for over 100

years, as a matter of fact the Y is

considered America’s favorite and

FIRST swim instructor. However,

we also understand that if not

properly trained, the water can

be a parent’s worst nightmare.

Know Before You Go

Safe swimming starts with

awareness. Schedule a free

swim assessment at the Y to

test your child’s swim ability.

Visit www.knowbeforeyougo.org t

o learn three simple tips that

could save your child’s life.

Register for swim lessons at the

Y. We offer classes for beginner,

intermediate and advanced

swimmers.

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COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

BROTHERS, SONS,

SELVES COALITION

The Weingart East Los An-geles YMCA has been working hard, dedicating its efforts into improving the health and opportuni-ties of students across Los Angeles and Long Beach through the Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition. It was truly inspiring and mo-tivating to see over 300 students work on march-ing, chanting, dancing and demanding the passage of the School Climate Bill of Rights at the Los Angeles School Board of Educators meeting on May 14, 2013. A lot of hard work went into the transforma-tion of boys and young men into leaders in this struggle, from coming to consensus on shared goals and outcomes to engaging systems leaders and elected officials and devel-oping/executing a commu-nications strategy. Their most important task was organizing and mobilizing a base of students to let LAUSD know that “Every Student Matters”. With the passage of the School Cli-mate Bill of Rights on May 14th, our youth were able to pass a policy that met their vision for ensuring a school climate that keeps students in the classroom and not out of the class-room.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

CATCHING UP WITH PRE-SCHOOL

Graduation

This past 2012-2013 school year, 39 children graduated from our pro-gram. It’s been inspiring to watch the kids grow and take advantage of learning opportunities presented by the program while being supported by family every step of the way - a truly amazing experience for teach-ers and students alike. We are now planning for the next school year, when we will welcome 38 new kids to our Y. Day Camp

This summer, day camp will serve fifty 6-12 years-olds from the Boyle Heights community on a weekly basis. We are a very physical day camp, offering a variety of fun summer activities while teaching the children about the importance of living healthy.

Early Learning Readiness Program

The Early Learning Readiness Program graduated a total of eighteen 2-5 year-olds who were supported by 15 mothers along the way. The pro-gram offers caregivers the opportunity to learn how to help children de-velop the necessary physical, educational and social skills necessary to be school-ready.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

Our Annual Luncheon is a time to celebrate family and commu-nity, the very pillars of our mission. Every program at the Wein-gart East Los Angeles YMCA serves to reinforce these values. This family- and community-focused approach has been the ba-sis of our success, and the funds raised at our Annual Luncheon are central to ensuring that these successes continue. To this end, we recognize fellow Los Angeles community members and partners who have supported families and promoted our commu-nity through both their personal and professional work. We have recognized supporters such as famed former boxer Oscar de la Hoya and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley.

As a supporter of our Y, we hope you will make plans to attend this year's event and help us spread the word through your professional and personal networks. The 9th Annual Heart of the family Award Luncheon is scheduled for October 17, 2013 at The Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. We expect 600 attendees from business, government and industry circles across greater Los Angeles. Entertainment, silent auction and a full-service lunch will accompany the awards presentation.

To find out how to get involved, please visit http://www.ymcala.org/weingart-east-los-angeles/pages/get-involved

9TH ANNUAL HEART OF THE FAMILY LUNCHEON

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