YMCA of GloCo Launches First-Ever Annual Campaign

The YMCA of Gloucester County kicked-off its first-ever Annual Campaign by celebrating Healthy Kids Day, recognized by YMCAs nationwide. More than 400 people attended the special day used to promote a healthy, active lifestyle for kids and families, on Saturday, April 25.

The free, family-friendly event included a bouncy castle, bouncy basketball challenge, sand-art table, karate demonstrations, a dance contest, healthy snacks, balloon artists, music from SoJO 104.9 and DJ TY, family photo booth, fish station, car design contest, and races. Winners of the contests received prizes. About 25 vendors at the three-hour event also promoted health and wellness activities, including one booth that featured a game in which children could guess the amount of sugar in kid-favorite drinks.

“Summer is the time for kids to get up, get out, and grow, but for some kids, exposure to activities that stimulate the body and mind ends with the school year,” said Melissa O’Neill Walczak, CEO of the YMCA of Gloucester County. “We thought Healthy Kids Day would be a great time to launch our first-ever Annual Campaign, because it is just one example of some of the great fun-for-the-whole-family activities that the YMCA of Gloucester County provides for the community, in addition to the numerous other types of services we offer.”

The Annual Campaign, themed “Together We Can Do So Much More”, will raise funds for the YMCA’s financial assistance program. In 2014, the YMCA of Gloucester County provided nearly $150,000 in financial assistance for families, individuals, seniors, and youth to ensure that everyone who wanted to participate in YMCA programs, such as life-savings swimming lessons, youth sports, before- and after-school care, or summer camp activities, was able to do so regardless of their financial situation. In the first week of the campaign this year, the YMCA raised 10 percent of its $65,000 goal.

The Annual Campaign, which will run through June, will include several more public events, such as Ride Across Gloucester County, in which bikers ride stationary bikes “through the county”, in the YMCA lobby, May 12 through 13, and the Cannonball Challenge, which invites supporters to challenge each other to donate to the YMCA and cannonball into a pool in the same vein as last summer’s popular “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.”

Supporters also can participate in Restaurant Week, from May 18 through 27, at various restaurants in Deptford and Woodbury on specific days, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the YMCA. For more details, visit www.ymcagloco.org and click on Get Involved. Every dollar donated helps the YMCA grow closer to their goal, so YMCA wristbands also will be sold in the lobby for $1 throughout the fundraising campaign.

Directly after the start of the Annual Campaign, O’Neill Walczak and members of the Board did the Cannonball Challenge in the YMCA’s pool, then challenged individual staff and family members, as well as friends, to contribute or participate in the challenge as well.

The YMCA of Gloucester County’s Board of Directors really are getting into the act; they have been divided up into teams that will face-off against each other to see who can raise the most money for the Annual Campaign. Board members’ and volunteers’ teams will go into the community to raise funds from local businesses, companies, and individuals.