Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of stories profiling United Way agency providers in Northern New Mexico and Santa Fe. The profiles were developed by the Community Relations (CRO) Office. The profiles will publish periodically in the Daily Newsbulletin during the Lab's 2006 United Way giving campaign.
United Way supports local agency
For 50 years, the Los Alamos Family YMCA has been providing a place for children to go after school and during the summer. With funding from the United Way of Northern New Mexico/Los Alamos, the “Family Y” supports a number of after-school and summer programs geared towards helping children grow and mature into contributing members of the community.
Los Alamos Family YMCA Executive Director Linda Daly said, “Our hope is that the kids learn what it means to give back. We couldn’t do that without the support from the United Way.”
United Way funds, Daly said, allow the YMCA to offer its services at a low cost or through scholarships to children across the region. Their programs care for children while also teaching them about volunteerism and leadership. The “Leaders in Training” program teaches youths skills they need to become leaders in the community. “They learn what it means to give,” Daly said.
The YMCA isn’t only about making children’s time there fun, but educational as well. Youths who participate in summer programs at the YMCA leave the program with an extensive background in community service and training in leadership, cooperation and collaboration, Daly explained.
The experience children gain while participating in programs at the Los Alamos Family YMCA make a difference in their lives as they also learn skills crucial to growing and working with others to achieve a similar goal, she added.
Daly came to the Los Alamos Family YMCA because of the positive impact she saw the Los Alamos Family YMCA was making in the community. “I was committed to the mission of the YMCA,” Daly said. “We do great work in this community. I feel like I’m making a difference.
“This is a place where people come in and they are happy when they leave,” Daly continued.
And Daly said she also sees the children’s desire to give back. They now take the initiative to work and help others in need. “We make a tremendous impact on serving youths and families,” Daly said.
