2025

Evanstonians bike cross-country to support McGaw YMCA

Miles that Matter /

Published by the Evanston RoundTable on August 25th, 2025 Jeff Balch The cross-country trek began on Sunday, Aug. 24 with a traditional dip of rear wheels into the Pacific Ocean. After that, Evanston bicyclists Mark Metz and Noreen Edwards began rolling from the Oregon coast across the continent, with an additional goal of raising awareness of the McGaw YMCA’s efforts to provide affordable housing. Metz, a former financial planner — and chair of the McGaw YMCA board — and his wife Edwards, a landscape designer, aim to pedal more than 4,000 miles in three months. They plan to visit seven states west of the Mississippi, meet a new grandchild in central Illinois in October, then cross Kentucky and Virginia en route to the Atlantic. Their journey is set to conclude in mid-November at Yorktown, Virginia. Read full article on the Evanston RoundTable website

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Staff Spotlight: Liette

News, Staff Spotlight /
Liette is wearing a blue short sleeved Y staff shirt while holding a pickleball paddle in her hand.

Staff Spotlight: Meet Liette, a Pickleball Ambassador at McGaw YMCA! Liette sets up the courts, welcomes players, and teaches beginners. As a natural connector, she ensures everyone feels included and has fun on the court. A longtime member, Liette’s family has deep roots at the Y. After losing her husband during the pandemic, she found healing through a Y pickleball clinic. “Simply said, pickleball at our McGaw Y saved my life.” Fun fact: Liette volunteers as a River Ranger on Chicago’s Wild Mile—picking up trash while kayaking along the river! Whether you catch her in the Sebring-Lewis Center or at a group fitness class, be sure to say hi!

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Miles that Matter: A Cross-Country Bike Ride to Support YMCA Men’s Residence

Miles that Matter, News /

Mark Metz and Noreen Edwards are riding 4,100 Miles to build support for the McGaw YMCA’s Men’s Residence housing program and upcoming renovation project. Evanston, IL — This summer, four wheels will carry a mission across the country. From August 24 through mid-November 2025, McGaw YMCA Board Chair Mark Metz and his wife, Noreen Edwards, will embark on a 4,100-mile self-supported ride along the TransAmerica Trail from the Pacific to the Atlantic on their recumbent bicycles. Their purpose? To raise awareness and vital funds for the McGaw YMCA Men’s Residence, one of the last remaining YMCA Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing programs in the United States. For more than a century, the Men’s Residence has been a beacon of hope, offering safe, affordable housing to men in Evanston, Illinois. At a time when affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce, Metz and Edwards are taking bold action to help preserve and

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