It is only appropriate that the Y’s annual rite of spring, Healthy Kids Day, coincides with Teacher Appreciation Week across the country. Healthy Kids Day celebrates the healthy development of young people and Teacher Appreciation Week recognizes those heroic souls who do the hard, important and joyful work required to ensure that it actually occurs!

Many thousands of families celebrated Healthy Kids Day at Ys across central Maryland and the country this past Saturday. With an abundance of family fitness activities, healthy snacks, games and sunshine, there was plenty to celebrate and no end of healthy family fun. Tastings and nutritious recipes were provided courtesy of McCormick Flavor For Life, who generously sponsored Healthy Kids Day at the Y in Central Maryland as a kickoff to their year-long sponsorship of Y activities and opportunities to promote healthy living alongside us.

Special thanks to McCormick Flavor For Life and to all the many Y volunteers and associates who make this much anticipated and popular free annual community event possible.

Some of the most remarkable people you’ll ever meet are the many Y associates who devote themselves to the critically important work of educating and supporting thousands of children and youth throughout the year.

Every day, in so many different ways, you can find Y professionals engaged in teaching, directing, encouraging, molding and developing young minds, building healthy bodies, and supporting healthy self-esteem.  Through our youth development programs we are acting on our commitment to support all young people achieve their fullest potential in school and in life. This vitally important cause is exquisitely carried out daily by our dedicated and talented Youth Development associates working in Y preschool, head start, summer programs and camp, before and after school, community school, mentoring, youth sports and swim programs across our region.

I can think of no more important work and no better team to do it!

Please join me in thanking our Youth Development associates today and every day!

All the best,

John

John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland