For a Better Us
The YMCA exists to strengthen the foundations of our community through Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility. Teaching kids new skills that build self-confidence, character values, and leadership creates future leaders. Helping our community lead healthy lifestyles enhances well-being for all. We connect older adults to an active support network.
We stand by volunteerism as a way to give back to the Abilene community. People engage with the Y on one level, but they soon find a deeper meaning to their activities and a connection to those around them. Here is an example of a YMCA program helping to strengthen the Abilene area:
Elevate Quality of Life in Central Texas:
- Improving individual and community well-being
- Leverage the excitement and passion around recreational and competitive programming to create a healthy outlet for children to gain new skills, develop a sense of teamwork and connect with positive role models.
- Bride the gap in the delivery of swim lessons and water safety education in the U.S.—especially in underserved communities.
- Work with community leaders to make the healthy choice an easy choice in all places where people live, work, learn and play.
- Create a space where families can find respite from social, economic and educational challenges while learning how to overcome them.
- Strengthen the alliance between traditional health care and community-based prevention strategies in order to help individuals prevent, delay or live better with chronic conditions.
- Provide opportunities for every family to build stronger bonds, achieve greater work-life balance and become more engaged within their communities.
Address critical gaps in health education.
Empower & Educate Young People
- Empowering young people to reach their full potential
- Provide a stimulating environment for preschool-age children to play and learn while developing the physical, verbal and social skills they’ll need to start school ready to succeed.
- Focus on holistically nurturing child development by providing a safe and healthy place to learn foundational skills, develop healthy, trusting relationships and build self-reliance.
- Help kids reach their full potential by providing free access to healthy snacks and meals during out-of-school time.
- Coordinate efforts to bridge the growing disconnect between young people and the great outdoors by creating meaningful connections to nature.
Create an environment in which students can increase their political awareness and understanding while learning the meaning of social action through hands-on experience.
Expand Equitable Access for All
Providing support and inspiring action in our communities
- Continue and expand equitable access to Y memberships and programs for all members of our community.
- Respond to society’s most pressing needs by developing innovative, community-based solutions to help those in need to reach their full potential.
- Inspire a spirit of service by uniting individuals from all walks of life to participate in and work for positive social change.
- Help young people to develop cultural competencies for thriving in an increasingly globalized society, support newcomers’ integration into their local communities and to connect vulnerable populations around the world to life-changing resources and support.
- Organize grassroots efforts and influence public policy around a range of humanitarian issues including child welfare, education and public health.
- Invest in salaries and benefits for Y professionals to strengthen the local economy.
Provide Y members with fun, convenient and rewarding ways to give back and support their neighbors through volunteerism.
Energize a Sustainable Future
- Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future
- Take action to ensure environmental and financial sustainability for future generations.
- Create new sustainable environmental practices and re-energize our existing ones.
- Work relentlessly to protect our natural resources and incorporate environmental education into all of our programs and experiences.
- Grow our philanthropic support and refine our financial model to ensure financial sustainability, creating more resources to invest in innovation and growth, providing equitable access to programs, and strengthening our resiliency planning.
Help Fundraise - Your efforts enable us to deliver memberships and programs to more of our neighbors through financial assistance and program subsidies.
Become a Volunteer - The Y offers a variety of enriching volunteer opportunities from advocacy, program support and coaching to special events and one-day projects.
Make a Donation - We invite you to support our vital work, empowering our talented team to provide the programs our community deserves and reach those who need us most.
Become a Sponsor - Partnering with the Y through sponsorship provides visibility to your company and lets your employees give back to their community in a meaningful way.
