The next time you hear someone refer to the Y as a “gym,” I have a few things for you to mention that can greatly broaden that person’s lens.  In just this past weekend alone, two major community engagement events took place that clearly differentiate us from any gym I’ve ever seen.

Ricky Myers Day of Service

This Saturday, for the second year in a row, the Y hosted a project for the Civic Works’ annual Ricky Myers Day of Service. This event is held in honor of

Ricky Myers, who worked with Civic Works for almost a year before he tragically lost his life. The service honors the impact Ricky had on Baltimore’s communities and Civic Works’ corps members. Out of the hundreds of volunteers that participated, the Y was grateful to have a group of 32 members from Old St. Paul Church return from last year’s Y activity to honor this day with us again. This year, Holabird Academy, a Y Community School, was the beneficiary. The group from Old St. Paul Church, representing a wide range of ages, spent the bulk of the time cleaning the campus, painting new hopscotch and foursquare games, and re-painting the lines of the outdoor community basketball court. In addition, they planted six trees, several dozen of tulip bulbs, and Iris outside of the middle school annex.

A big thanks goes out to the Y’s Community School Director at Holabird Academy, Cynthia Rodriguez, for helping to organize this opportunity.

Morgan State University Sports Day

Yesterday’s precipitation definitely didn’t stop 30 Morgan State University student-athletes from hosting a morning of skills and drills with Y youth

. As the Y’s relationship with Morgan State University continues to grow, so does the engagement with Morgan State students willing to take what could be a relaxing weekend to engage with their school community and impact the lives of younger generations. Sunday was the second annual Morgan State University Sports Day we’ve hosted at the Harry and

Jeanette Weinberg Y in Waverly. Students on the men’s and women’s basketball, tennis, cheer, and track teams came out to the Y to have a great time, paying it forward, and creating a fun day of sports for Y youth.

One of the Y parents present, who happened to be an alumnus of Morgan State, shared that his son, who was concerned that the raindrops might cancel the event, couldn’t have been more excited to be there!  The Y Dad said it was so great seeing his alma mater engaging so successfully with the community and his son being the happy beneficiary.

Many thanks to Robert Anderson from Morgan State University and Rebecca Winslow from the Y, who, along with their respective teams of associates, made sure the day’s activities went off without a hitch!  Additionally, a big thanks goes out to Y association board member and Morgan State University’s Vice President of Student Affairs, Kevin Banks, who has been a tremendous supporter of the collaboration between both of our organizations.

One of the six core objectives in our strategic plan, Impact 2020, states: “The Y will actively engage with the community and other organizations to drive higher levels of civic engagement and community investment.”

​While there’s nothing wrong with belonging to a “gym,” belonging to a Y means belonging to a community.

All the best,

John

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