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Dear fellow Leaning Tower YMCA member,
John. Mark. Judy. Ruth. They are all part of your Leaning Tower YMCA community, even if you don’t know them personally.
- John. An LTY scholarship for a one-year Family Membership was given to John, his wife and his two children after he lost his job. The membership has allowed them to swim and play basketball together as a family. Though his recent job loss is a source of stress, John says that his family has never been stronger.
- Mark. Mark has been homeless and sleeping in his car for the past six months. The three-month membership given to him by LTY has provided him a place to shower every day and to get out of the cold this past winter.
- Judy. Born with Down Syndrome, Judy has been able to participate in our Adaptive Swim Program thanks to the membership given to her by LTY.
- Ruth. At ninety, Ruth had been depressed from many years of being home alone. The scholarship offered to her by LTY permits her to socialize with other seniors. Now Ruth has something to look forward to every day.
We are writing to you to let you know about the annual Strong Kids Campaign which raises money to fund scholarships and memberships for individuals and families in need. You may not know Y scholarship recipients personally, but their well-being impacts the well-being of the YMCA community as a whole. Times are difficult right now, but we can make them easier to bear in the long run by reaching out and supporting each other: if we remain a community.
There are probably several reasons that you are a Y member including, but not limited to, affordability, great fitness classes, family involvement or the variety of opportunities available for your children. However, what keeps many of our members renewing, year after year, is the sense of community and belonging that a Leaning Tower membership provides. One of the key elements of community is a sense of mutual caring for one another. It is this sense of caring that sets the YMCA apart from other fitness organizations. As psychiatrist Scott Peck has said, “There can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.”
The Y, of course, is part of an even larger community, that of our country. On the minds of all of us in that larger community is the precarious state of our economy. For some of us, these economic times are especially hard hitting, with the loss of jobs and homes having dire consequences for individuals and families of our community—the larger community of country, yes, but also here within our Leaning Tower Y community: the need for scholarships for members to attend programs here has gone up five times since this time last year and has increased twofold for membership scholarships.
Communities are not made up of statistics: they are made up of people. You can help the Leaning Tower YMCA remain a community—help keep a struggling family together or provide someone less fortunate with a place to shower—by donating to the LTY scholarship program. This is our year to shine: let’s make the LTY a stellar example of what a community can be and show our support for one another. Whether you can afford $5, $25, $125 or more, your gift—combined with those of your fellow Y community members—can help build strong kids, strong families—and a stronger community.
Sincerely,
Kathleen A. Forde Nancy Weisling
Strong Kids Campaign Co-Chair Strong Kids Campaign Co-Chair
Are you ready to make a difference this year?
The Leaning Tower YMCA, an affiliate of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is a 501(c)3 and like most charities, we depend on your donations to keep our programs and services available to those who need us.
We never turn anyone away. We’ll find a way to make it work. In 2008, we awarded over $85,000 in scholarships for membership and programming. Thanks to all of you.
In recognition of the financial strain the current economy has had on many of our members, the Leaning Tower YMCA will work hard in 2009 to raise more funds, so we can continue to provide affordable services to our members. Your help is needed to make this happen.
If you donate online, your tax receipt will be emailed to you. If you donate by any other method or need a plicate receipt, please contact: Denise Lam at 847.410.5106 or email
If you want to learn more about our donor philosophy, click here.