• $5 will buy a pumpkin pie for 8 people.
• $10 will buy rolls and butter for 10 people.
• $25 will buy a tray of mashed potatoes to feed 15 people.
• $50 will buy a turkey that feeds 16 people.
• $75 will buy enough ham to feed 18 people.

Click here to make your gift online or stop by our front desk with your check, credit card or cash. Gifts of all sizes are welcome and are tax deductible. You can even make your gift in honor or memory of a friend or family member.

Residence Holiday Wish List

In addition to financial donations, your gift of food or other holiday items will also make a difference during the holiday season. Below are just some of the items on our wish list:

Thank you for your generoisty and have a wonderful holiday season!

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.

In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

Led by by Ronald T. Ackermann of the Feinberg School of Medicine, the study will also allow at least 90 of those individuals to volunteer for a more detailed evaluation that will check each participant’s blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol, and will provide updated community resource information every 6 months for two years. One of these programs, a more intensive diet and physical activity program, will be delivered by trained McGaw YMCA employees.

The goal of this part of the study is to determine if community-based weight management programs can help adults living with type 2 diabetes improve their health and prevent heart disease – the number one killer of people with type 2 diabetes.

Children’s Summer Projects Bring New Murals to Evanston

Two independent mural projects from the Justin Wynn Fund and McGaw Y summer camps are in the works as a way for Evanston children to contribute to their community through long-lasting art.

Justin Wynn Mural

The idea of the Justin Wynn Fund (JWF) mural came about when organization members wanted to celebrate the fund’s 25th year, said program director Elaine Clemens.

The JWF was created in 1987 when 9-year-old Justin Wynn died in an accident. At an early age, Justin had exhibited leadership qualities which the fund has tried to encourage in Evanston’s youth.

“Each faculty [from District 65’s 12 elementary schools] is invited to pick two fourth-graders who show strong sportsmanship, citizenship and leadership,” said Ms. Clemens. “These kids are then invited to be part of the Justin Wynn Leadership Academy, where their leadership qualities are encouraged and developed.”

Lead artists Dustin Harris and Lea Pinsky worked with the children throughout the fall to compile their ideas for the mural, Ms. Clemens said.

“Just like they worked as a team to come up with the ideas for the mural, they will work as a team to paint the mural and celebrate our 25th year,” she said.

At the end of June the children came to Mr. Harris and Ms. Pinsky’s home where the artists talked with them about painting murals – how much paint to put on the brushes, the different kinds of strokes, and how to paint slowly and carefully within the lines. After that, they spent two hours a day working on the mural.

The mural shows images of “moving forward, looking up, and growing onwards,” said Ms. Clemens. “We want to let the community know how our organization is involved with the growth of our children and their involvement in the community.”

The warm-colored mural depicts children helping the elderly, working at soup kitchens, playing basketball and taking care of pets. It is surrounded with imagery of upward movement and growth, such as an arrow, a ladder and many floating bubbles.

Gustavo Sanchez, an artist and installation contractor with the Chicago Public Art Group, will work with Mr. Harris and Ms. Pinsky to apply the finishing touches on the mural as well as continue with any maintenance it may need in the future.

The mural was painted on five panels of plywood and will be installed with concrete screws. Ms. Clemens is waiting for Metra to give official approval for the mural’s location, which is planned for the northwest end of the Metra viaduct at Church Street and Maple Avenue.

McGaw Y Mural

More than 350 children from the McGaw Y summer camps have helped paint another new city mural, targeted for the north side of the Greenwood Street viaduct.

Children ages 2 through 14 painted. Toddlers used finger paint to contribute to the grass image and the older kids were in charge of the larger-scale pieces.

“We want our middle school kids to get involved in a project so that 10 years from now they can walk by it and say, ‘I did that for the City of Evanston,’” said the Y’s School Age Director Kenzi Huelskoetter.

The location for the mural was specifically chosen to be walking distance from the Y, she said.

Earlier this year, artists submitted proposals for the mural that highlighted the facets of the Y’s summer day camp programs, including “relationship-building, outdoor activities, crafts, sports and fun,” said Ms. Huelskoetter.

The mural has three main themes: grow, learn and play. It depicts cartoon-like children playing outdoors, riding bicycles, playing basketball, reading books, painting pictures and playing instruments. The name of the camps and the Y logo are included in the mural.

Colin Grimm and Enzo Moscarella, lead managing artists for the project, outlined the sketch for the children to fill in. They will supervise the painting and organization throughout the summer.

The project was put on hold for a time because of the heat wave that hit earlier this summer. Mr. Grimm and Mr. Moscarella say they plan, however, to put the finishing touches on the mural by the end of August and intend to visit the site every three months after completion to perform maintenance if needed.

In addition to custom YMCA tee shirts being given to online participants and Spring Annual Fund campaigners, prizes were awarded to the top fundraising volunteers:

• 2012 Annual Fund co-chairs Tom Walder and Elena Garcia Ansani announced that the Chairman’s Round Table appeal met it’s $799,000 fundraising goal and awarded breakfast with President/CEO Bill Geiger to the team that raised the most during the appeal.
• Spring Annual Fund chair Alexa Hand recognized the Children’s Center team for raising the most during the phone appeal and was, herself, recognized as the top individual fundraiser. The Spring Appeal surpassed it’s $25,000 goal.
• McGaw staff member Brian M. Worrall announced that the second annual Spring Into Wellness online appeal surpassed it’s 2012 goal with nearly $8,250 raised. Board member Doug Honnold won top individual fundraiser with President/CEO Bill Geiger receiving special recognition.

Thank you to all our volunteers and Spring Into Wellness participants for your time and talents in making the 2012 Spring Annual Fund Campaign the success that it was. And thank you to all our members, Board of Directors, staff and volunteers for your dedication and service to the McGaw YMCA during our 2011-2012 Fiscal Year!

I have just retired from the McGaw YMCA after 20 years of service. I have watched people of all ages benefit from their affiliation with the Y – whether it be preschoolers learning independence as well as their ABC’s and learning to swim.

School-aged and highschool students reaping the benefits of community service, social skills and a healthy lifestyle. For seniors, the joys of staying fit and strong as we age.

And what a huge community commitment that the Y continues to offer to all kinds of organizations and projects.

And what a wonderful organization to work for. The undying support given to each employee is more than I ever thought possible — more like a family.

I have been blessed to have been in such a loving and appreciative setting these past two decades. Thank you, McGaw YMCA.

Community forum entry by: Ruth Stern

Move over, City of the Big Shoulders, and make way for the City that flexes and bends. The city of second chances, variegated paths and seamless services. The city that turns away no one and chisels a niche for everyone, adding another contour to the chaotic quilt of the city that works.

Without you, Evanston, a young woman who came to the U.S. five years ago as a refugee from West Africa would be paralyzed by seismic cultural shifts and profound gaps in education. Without the lifelines you extended through your schools, health services, and community programs, she may have been consigned to the Cinderella role her relatives assigned her in their “Coming to America” script.

With less than a year of education in her former refugee camp, this young lady came to the U.S. unable to read, to add, or to name the food groups from which she chose her family’s dinner ingredients. Told by some family members that, considering her deficits, pursuing an education was a hopeless cause, she contemplated giving up.

But you, Evanston, worked with her – and with me, her Tutor From Another Suburb – and because of our partnership, we gave her the training wheels that spun into wings, propelling her ever higher. Granted, the resources didn’t fall voluntarily from your towering elms, but every Evanston door we knocked on swung open in a wide arc.

The McGaw Y subsidized memberships for her and many of her family members to use the pool and other facilities. One lifeguard, impressed by her spirit, even tutored her in math for a few months.

[McGaw YMCA] Camp Echo subsidized scholarships and welcomed her four summers straight, even though she could barely communicate with other campers or read a food menu her first year. They took her on as a CIT last summer, affording her just the sort of leadership opportunity she needed. Those two weeks away from home for four summers accelerated her development of both language and culture as they bolstered her self-confidence.

The Dept. of Recreation provided beach passes the first summer she moved to Evanston, affording her and her sisters a life-saving break from the sweltering apartment where they were confined most of the day. The Fire Department and Red Cross put the family up in a hotel for several days after an apartment building fire forced their evacuation.

When the young lady expressed interest in performance arts, Shun Tucker welcomed her into a Brillianteen [a McGaw YMCA program] musical theater production, often driving her home after late-night rehearsals. No matter that the dance steps were out of synch or the lyrics ad–libbed, the show’s directors praised and facilitated her participation.

The Loft at the Evanston Library, where I tutored this student for four years, was our second home every week, the librarians going out of their way to help her find resources. One librarian even enrolled her in a special 8-week photography workshop for teens.

The outpost coordinator at Evanston’s Youth Job Center helped her find jobs and apprised us of valuable community services. The School-Based Health Center, sponsored by the Evanston Health Dept., provided a full array of health services, including immunizations and health check-ups.

ETHS – the backbone of this young lady’s success – at first wasn’t quite sure how best to educate her. After all, how many high schools are equipped to teach a 9th-grade curriculum to a student with less than a first-grade education? But no one flinched, and a few key teachers and staff members built a network of support that buoyed my tutee through a whirlpool of crises, both academic and personal. One faculty member who saw her in the halls regularly sent me shopping bags stuffed with donations of her stylish clothes. Most importantly, her teachers held her to course standards while accommodating her gaps in knowledge and developing skill, lending teeth to the school’s mission statement: “Embracing its diversity, ETHS dedicates itself to educating all students to their fullest potential.” Hats off to you, ETHS.

Other suburbs may talk a good game of opportunity and diversity, but you, Evanston, play it for real. And thanks to you, the girl they said could never do it, will walk proudly among ETHS’s 2012 graduates next Sunday. Of course, she deserves most of the credit for the insurmountable challenges she took on with grace and grit, but, as they say in her homeland, “It takes a village.”

Community forum entry by: Sherry Medwin

The 12 week Shed Weight Not Tears challenge started March 12 and concluded June 6.  142 participants on 30 teams were a complimentary 3-month membership to the YMCA and teams shared resources to motivate each other.

“The challenge is intended to push the participants toward their health and wellness goals, ” said David Harper, Group Wellness Manager for the McGaw YMCA, “and connect them to a community that is working towards the same goals.”

During the challenge, participants were encouraged to utilize all the YMCA had to offer and many of them took advantage of exercise classes and facilities including the pool and workout rooms.

“We had an initial weigh in, a mid-point weigh in, and a final weigh in – all here at the YMCA, ” continued Harper, “and the total weight lose was 465.2 pounds.”  The winning team was Le Team #2 with a weight loss percentage of 4.10% (27.8 lbs).  The winning individual was Anna Pienkowska with a weight loss percentage of 12.18 %.  ”We also had an ‘honorable mention’ – William Mendez.  William actually lost the most weight, but because he started at a much higher weight, his percentage was not as much as the winner.” The winners received their choice of prizes donated by the McGaw YMCA, including six-month memberships, massages sessions, and time with a personal trainer.

The first Shed Weight Not Tears challenge took place January-March of this year in partnership with the District 65 Wellness Council. Over 170 faculty and staff members from Evanston/Skokie School District 65 lost a total of 868.2 pounds.  Future partner challenges are being planned, with the next involving staff of the City of Evanston.

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.