Summer learning loss is the loss in academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation. The loss in learning varies across grade level, subject matter, and family income. A common finding across numerous studies is that on average, students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do at the beginning of summer (on the same test).  In general, low-income students lose around 3 months of grade-level equivalency during the summer months. Middle income students lose about 1 month of grade-level equivalency over the summer. Thus, the achievement gap widens, due to out-of-school influences and lack of summer learning opportunities.

The pilot progam is modeled on the very successful YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s Y Readers Program, which was selected by the YMCA of the USA after an extensive nationwide search for YMCA summer programs proven to combat summer learning loss.  Over 13 years, Charlotte’s program has demonstrated clear evidence of impact, collaboration, commitment and scalability needed to help YMCAs of all sizes further nurture the academic potential of children.

In addition to the McGaw YMCA and Greater Charlotte, only four other YMCAs across the country were selected to pilot the program – YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee , YMCA of Silicon Valley, YMCA of Central Maryland, and Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA.

The focus and commitment of the McGaw YMCA’s Board, President / CEO, staff and participating Evanston schools will enable us to rally the community in support of improving the educational outcomes of its youth. We are proud to pilot another Signature Program partnering with our community, just like the successful Pioneering Healthier Communities – Evanston launched in 2011.

Addressing childhood obesity requires action not only by parents and children themselves, but all sectors of a community. An expression of this commitment to youth development is our Pioneering Healthier Communities work impacting the childhood obesity epidemic in Evanston. In June 2011, the McGaw YMCA was awarded a grant under the YMCA of the USA’s Activate America-Pioneering Healthier Communities initiative to help our community make policy and environmental changes to reduce childhood obesity.  As the initiating collaborator, a team of leaders from the Evanston community was assembled to consider what Evanston needs to improve the health of its children, then develop and implement a Community Action Plan before the end of 2011.

The PHC Evanston team members are: Martha Arntson, Executive Director, Childcare Network of Evanston; Rev. Mark A. Dennis, Jr., Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Church of Evanston, Mary H. Gavin, Publisher, Evanston RoundTable, Bill Geiger, President/CEO, McGaw YMCA; Seth Green, Executive Director, Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc.; Sandra Hill, Partner Coach; Matt Johnson, VP, Marketing & Development, McGaw YMCA; Janine Lewis, MPH, Executive Director, Illinois Maternal & Child Health Coalition; Hardy Murphy, Superintendent, Evanston/Skokie School District 65; Jeffrey Murphy, Executive VP / CEO, Saint Francis Hospital; Monique Parsons, COO, McGaw YMCA; Sharon Robinson, MD, Pediatrician, NorthShore University HealthSystem; Jordan Ryan, RD, SNS, Coordinator of Food and Nutrition Services, Evanston Township High School; Tim Sanborn, Head, Division of Cardiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem; Sara Schastok, President & CEO, Evanston Community Foundation; Mark Schroeder, Director, Community Relations, NorthShore University HealthSystem; Sandra Waller Shelton, PhD, MBA, CPA, Professor, Links Representative; William (Bill) Stafford, CFO, Evanston Township High School; Evonda Thomas, RN, MSN, Director, Health Department, City of Evanston; and Dorothy Williams, Executive Director, Family Focus Evanston.

The PHC Evanston team will hold its next meeting December 1 to finalize and approve the Community Action Plan, specifically focusing on early childhood obesity. For more background and information on the process, please view our recent Breakfast With Bill session held in September.

The Evanston Pride Youth Group was initiated by the McGaw YMCA in June 2011 in partnership with Links – North Shore Youth Health Services to provide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) high school students with a weekly leadership and support group.  The McGaw YMCA is committed to providing LGBTQ youth and their friends a confidential and supportive space in which to meet.

For more information about the Evanston Pride Youth Group or the tree-lighting event, please contact Lawrence Carter, Youth Leadership Manager, at lawrencec@mcgawymca.org.

In the months leading up to her swim, Aurora has spoken often about the Y. “I’ve found some great people at the McGaw YMCA in Evanston, who not only keep me on track with my goals, but are amazing friends. It seems I can’t turn around there, without seeing someone I know.”

She started her swim from Dover, England at about 7:00am and made it to the coast of France near Calais about 9:00pm. Michelle Milne and Craig Strong were with her on the boat and also spent some time in the water with her.

Craig Strong, professional trainer and coach at McGaw and Precision Multisport, is known for his many years of experience working one-on-one with athletes of all ages and abilities. “I think Craig is just excited as I am to be there while I swim. He’s been telling more and more, about how fun it is to see the history of the Channel in real life.”

Fellow Y member and swimmer Michelle Milne, “is super cool, actively supporting swimmers and their beloved sport, and her husband Dave Kuhn always pushes me. He’s incredibly fast in the pool and I have learned so much from him. I swim with them at Masters at the Y on Tuesdays.”

“Another friend from the Y who I’m thankful for is Madison Graham,” a former MYST swimmer and longtime coach with the team. “She’s always leaving cool or inspirational things on a kick board to keep me going during my long swims. I’m lucky to have her as a friend and mentor.”

Madison, who is part of Aurora’s local support team, and a host of many others have supported her training efforts. Through her swim, Gore raised about $500 in donations for the NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center, in memory of her stepfather who died from cancer in 2001.

Read more about Aurora’s amazing accomplishment in the local press.

The promotion was truly a facility-wide activity, with staff from across the Y volunteering to help scan cards and warmly greet our members in our lobby. That allowed our Member Relations staff to better focus on our prospective members, sit down and discuss their needs, tour the facility, and give them the best possible welcome to the McGaw YMCA.

Member Relations also played an important role in explaining our philanthropic mission to new members. Membership fees only cover operating costs and program delivery. Gifts to our Annual Fund help other members – adults, families, and kids – experience all the same benefits of the McGaw YMCA to strengthen our community. 52 new members made gifts totaling nearly $1,700, including 19 new recurring monthly donors who received a black Y baseball cap as a token of our appreciation.

At the McGaw Y, you’re not just a member of a facility; you’re part of a cause. Your donations help us provide over $1.4 million each year to support scholarships and program subsidies to keep our services available to ALL regardless of their ability to pay.  Thank you!

On December 10, 2011, the McGaw YMCA’s International Family Festival will take families on a fun and interactive journey around the globe without even leaving our building! For over 16 years, this annual tradition has given our community the chance to see what we share in common and what makes us unique.

Travelers will visit over 25 different international booths to learn about other cultures, countries, and holiday traditions. Arts and crafts, activities, a gingerbread village, and live performances make this educational experience entertaining for kids and parents alike. Performers last year included Chicago Spirit Brigade, youth band ONI, and Evanston Escola de Samba.

This event is free to all and last year included a hot dog lunch provided by the Kiwanis Clubs of Evanston, holiday nail sets and hair styles by the students at Pivot Point Academy, pictures with Santa, and over $500 worth of giveaways.

Thank You to our 2010 Event Sponsors!

The day featured interactive entertainment from the Piven Theatre Workshop, Foster Dance Studios, and the band Turn Left at Albuquerque. The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian hosted a crafts area. Games, including our version of Minute to Win It, a massive bounce house/climbing wall/maze, snacks, and other activities rounded out the day.

Family Fun Day also led to our annual kick-off event for Adventure Guides – an overnight Lakefront Campout.

This YMCA father-child program is purposefully designed to accompany the parent and child on a journey of discovery, encourage parents to “get to know your kid while your kid is still a kid,” and build memories to last a lifetime. For dads and their kids ages 5-9, it was a great opportunity to get to know other dads and learn more about the program.

The McGaw YMCA has a long history of bringing parents and children together for life enriching experiences. This history has left a legacy of strengthened relationships and close bonds in many families in our community and beyond. Thank you to all the volunteers and donors who made this year’s event a success!

SCAPE (Serving Communities And Promoting Engagement) is a first-of-its-kind service day for all new Northwestern students and Peer Advisers held during Wildcat Welcome. After an address from Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, 2,400 students spread out across Evanston and Chicagoland that Sunday to serve organizations in the communities they will call home during their tenure at Northwestern.

Students who came to the McGaw YMCA helped with cleaning projects in our main building, our Children’s Center, and our Health and Wellness facility. In addition, another group installed commemorative street signs to honor and remember our Emerson Street Branch YMCA.

Northwestern University, a Premier Sponsor of our recent 125th Anniversary year, has long been a partner of the YMCA in Evanston. Since 1991, work-study students have been paired with local youth in long-term mentoring relationships as part of our Project SOAR (Serving Our Adolescents Responsibly) program. The mentors’ fundamental task is to support and be a friend to their younger counterparts, expanding their horizons and giving them a more ambitious sense of what they might achieve.

Our Children’s Center has served as a preferred provider to University parents since 1995, offering discounted memberships, baby sitting, full-day infant and toddler care, preschool for children 2-5 years, and after school care. In turn, the University generously supports the arts and music curricula at the Center.

McGaw also benefits from Northwestern’s Ticket Turnaround program, which gives others a chance to attend a game that they otherwise would be unable to see in person – thanks to the many Wildcat fans who donate their tickets for football, basketball, and other sports.

Northwestern University is just one member of the broad network of partnerships and community relationships that the McGaw YMCA fosters in our commitment to Social Responsibility. This network promotes a greater community-wide understanding and appreciation of all the different aspects of the Evanston area, and the growth of cooperative approaches to support its residents.

We appreciate the efforts from these students and hope they will continue to be engaged with our YMCA throughout their time at Northwestern and beyond! Thank you to all our hard working volunteers!

The initial community team members are: Martha Arntson, Executive Director, Childcare Network of Evanston; Bill Geiger, President and CEO, McGaw YMCA; Seth Green, Executive Director, Youth Organizations Umbrella, Inc.; Sandra Hill; Matt Johnson, VP, Marketing & Development, McGaw YMCA; Hardy Murphy, Superintendent, Evanston/Skokie School District 65; Jeffrey Murphy, Executive Vice President / CEO, Saint Francis Hospital; Monique Parsons, COO & McGaw YMCA 1000 Grove Branch Exec. Director; Tim Sanborn, Head, Division of Cardiology, NorthShore University HealthSystems; Sara Schastok, President & CEO, Evanston Community Foundation; Evonda Thomas, RN, MSN, Director, Health Department, City of Evanston; and Dorothy Williams, Executive Director, Family Focus.

These organizations, along with others to be identified, will work together to develop and implement a Community Action Plan, specifically focusing on early childhood obesity. Addressing childhood obesity requires action not only by parents and children themselves, but all sectors of a community. The places where children live, learn and play influence the foods they eat and the amount of activity they receive. Therefore, promoting policies and creating environments and systems that support healthy eating and improve physical activity patterns can have a profound impact.

This initiative has been funded in part by the generosity of the Sam’s Club Foundation, which has made a local contribution to the Y, and by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Bill Geiger, commenting on the goals of this initiative, said “the Y believes that everyone should have the same opportunities for healthy living, and that this is best achieved through fostering community connections and providing real resources and practical solutions for families.”

Childhood obesity can set a child up for a lifetime of health problems, as well as a shortened lifespan, yet it is a problem that is on the rise. According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.

Since 1980, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled. For more information on the Pioneering Healthier Communities initiative, visit www.ymca.net/healthier-communities.