What do basketball and volleyball, Boy Scouts, the Red Cross,
swim instruction and child care have in common? The answer is the
YMCA. All were invented by or got their start through the YMCA. The
Y has been building developmental assets in young people for 160
years, helping them gain the experiences, skills and values they
need to thrive.
What do basketball and volleyball, Boy Scouts, the Red Cross, swim instruction and child care have in common? The answer is the YMCA. All were invented by or got their start through the YMCA. The Y has been building developmental assets in young people for 160 years, helping them gain the experiences, skills and values they need to thrive.
As it has vastly broadened the scope of those it serves, to include men and women, boys and girls of all ages and faiths, the focus of the Y has remained the same: to instill values, to boost self esteem, to teach skills, promote volunteerism and encourage wellness.
Youth and families in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy have benefited from Mt. Madonna YMCA programs and services through a YMCA presence in Morgan Hill since 1986. Attorney John Gerhardt spearheaded efforts to charter the Mt. Madonna branch and was the first board chair. He was joined by charter board members Marilyn Gadway, Henk Marselis and Gary Silacci.
Early programs included day camps and father/son, father/daughter clubs called Y Indian Guides and Y Indian Princesses (now Y Adventure Guides). Programming has been expanded over the 18-year history to include child care at schools in Morgan Hill and Gilroy; summer swim lessons and recreational swim; youth sports, including a baseball league for children of migrant farm workers and adult fitness. Youth from local communities also participate in summer and weekend camps at YMCA Camp Campbell in the Santa Cruz mountains.
The Mt. Madonna YMCA has always been community-based, for the first years operating out of storefronts in both Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
In 1991, Morgan Hill disbanded the city recreation department and asked the YMCA to assume the responsibilities, including operation of a senior center and senior lunch nutrition program. The YMCA moved to the current location, the city-owned “Friendly Inn” on Crest Avenue.
The summer baseball league at the Ochoa Migrant Center in Gilroy is an example of YMCA programming that fulfills community needs. Children of migrant families often are not in one place long enough to participate in a school-year sports program. So the YMCA began the summer baseball program to give these children the opportunity to learn skills and sportsmanship and to experience the fun of being on a sports team.
To fund programs like the baseball league and to provide scholarships to ensure YMCA programs are open to all children and families, the Mt. Madonna Y has an annual Community Support Campaign. Volunteers throughout Morgan Hill and Gilroy will be asking fellow residents and businesses for contributions to raise $80,000. All funds go directly to scholarships for local residents to participate in YMCA programs.
