April 8, 2019
My son Liam was home from college last weekend to celebrate his birthday, and as usual he spent a good amount of the weekend at the Orokawa Y in Towson lifting a curiously large amount of weight. When he came home from the Y on Sunday, he reported that there were “a lot of very enthusiastic people cycling in the lobby.” He wasn’t quite sure what they were doing in the lobby or why they were so excited, but they certainly caught his attention.
Well, those enthusiastic people in the lobby of the Orokawa Y were members, program participants, associates and volunteers powering through their annual weekend “Cycle a Kid to Camp” event. Incredibly, they raised over $17,000 by their sheer force of will, ensuring that many, many kids won’t face a financial obstacle to having a transformative Y camp experience this summer!
Kids who participate in camp do much better in school than those who are idle over the summer. Camp is a major tool in the fight to bridge the achievement and opportunity gap, which so unfairly restricts children from low income families from having a fair shot at success in school and life. Y people know all of that, intrinsically, and I am so proud to be a part of such a community.
Thanks to all of those cycling away last weekend, and to the Orokawa Y’s Executive Director Amy Gantz-Cheatham, Senior Fitness Director Julie Lincoln, and Group Exercise Instructor Angie Obaza (whose husband, Alex, is on the Y’s Towson community leadership board) for organizing the festivities!
Who will be next?
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland