Greendale Family Branch

One of our campers last week, Abdullah, had a rough start to our summer camp program. We quickly discovered that Abdullah didn’t speak much English (his primary language is Portuguese). His parent’s had requested that he and his siblings be placed in different groups so that they all could practice overcoming the language barrier. Regardless of being only six years old, Abdullah joined our older camp group called the Seekers (8 & 9 year old group), so that he wouldn’t be grouped with one of his siblings.

Confused by some of our activities, separated from his siblings and trying to overcome the language obstacle, Abdullah became overwhelmed and upset on his first day of camp. Even with great efforts from his counselors, Abdullah only spent his time with one other camper named Diego. The next day, one of his counselors, Kim Conrad, noticed that Abdulla’s only friend Diego was absent. Instantly, Kim took aside two other campers, Yaa and Anna. These two campers had been wonderful all week. Yaa and Anna were excited about our camp activities, always eager to listen, cooperate with staff and were kind to their fellow campers.  Kim informed the campers about Abdullah’s struggles and asked them to help assist her in making Abdullah have a great camp experience. Both campers were eager to help.

All day, Kim observed the campers as they took Abdullah under their wings. The girls asked him questions, ate with him, held his hand to guide him to activities, and checked up with Kim every now and then excitedly saying, “We think he’s having fun!”  It warmed Kim’s heart to see these campers reaching out so happily and selflessly, that before the day was over, she had presented each of the girls with a “Caring” Value Necklace, which they couldn’t have worn more proudly.

Boroughs Family Branch

We are for Healthy Living: Fifty YMCA Active Older Adults headed to Boston with Fox Tours for a lovely day cruising the Charles.  These seniors are regulars at our Cardio Circuit, MSROM and Senior Cycling classes.  In addition to their normal exercise routines, they all seem to find a little time to socialize over coffee while they are here at the Y.  The beauty of this trip was that it allowed members to connect on a more relaxed level – without the sense of urgency to rush off to their normal class.   Some of the members brought guests including family members.   Their adult children particularly enjoyed getting a chance to meet the staff who spends so much time keeping their parents healthy and active.  One daughter even joked that it was nice to get to know Kristen, the instructor who keeps her mother’s legs so strong!  It was a nice opportunity to relax with old friends while connecting with new ones.

At the Y we believe in building the health and well-being of our members and community.  It is enjoyable when we can take time out of our busy days to become better acquainted and be grateful for the wonderful relationships that exist at the Y.