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Channel Islands YMCA celebrated 129 years of supporting people who work together to strengthen local communities with healthy living and social responsibility at a festive event held recently at El Paseo Restaurant in Santa Barbara.
The breadth of the Channel Islands YMCA’s seven facilities, offering health and fitness options for families with child-care locations, ranging from Lompoc to Camarillo, was in evidence at the annual board meeting and awards presentation.
The event honored and celebrated the service, dedication and financial support of staff, donors, volunteers and community partners.
“We take this moment tonight to not only thank all of our volunteers and these chairs for the volunteer hours contributed to making the Channel Islands YMCA the best it can be, but also to shine a light on all that we have accomplished,” association board chairwoman Sally Irving said.
“Thank you all for the incredible job you do.”
The Santa Barbara Family YMCA and the Ventura Family YMCA were established in 1887; the Montecito Family YMCA opened in 1957; the Lompoc Family YMCA in 1977; the Camarillo Family YMCA in 1981; the Santa Ynez Valley YMCA, now the Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA, in 1989; and the Youth and Family Services YMCA in 2001.
The Youth and Family Services YMCA is an independently managed and funded branch of the Channel Islands YMCA organization with programs that provide social services for pre-teens, teens and young adults, including My Home, the St. George Family Youth Center and Noah’s Anchorage Youth Crisis Shelter.
Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and beverages in a reception in the historic El Paseo before gathering for the program and dinner.
A welcoming message from Irving and a state of the association address by Channel Islands YMCA president and CEO Sal Cisneros were offered before an awards presentation honored a host of deserving organizations and supporters.
Madison Johnson, a Stuart C. Gildred Youth and Government Program member, also shared both an opening thought and led the Pledge of Allegiance following Irving’s opening welcome.
Johnson was a young girl with a 4.7 grade-point average and expectations to attend Stanford University when, during a soccer practice, a ball perfectly hit her temple. She next found herself in the emergency room, trying to grasp the shocking turn of events.
“All I can remember is that I woke up the next day, and that I didn’t remember anything,” she recounted. “Not just from the day before, but from the year leading up to it.
“In that accident with the soccer ball, I lost the 500 terms I learned for AP European History, I lost every word I had learned in Spanish, I lost my 4.7 GPA, I lost my mock trial case, I lost all the equations I learned in math.”
Her memory was gone and she began to get debilitating headaches, but with the support of the YMCA and staff, she regained her footing and her life.
“The thing about life is that light always shines through — your friends, family, activities, dreams,” Johnson said. “The YMCA, and more specifically the Youth and Government Program, quickly became a light in my life. It became both an escape and a place where I could heal, grow and thrive.
“The YMCA is where I learned I am not alone, that there are people who go through things like I did every day.”
The evening’s highest tribute, the Community Collaboration Award, was given to two organizations, the Oxnard Firefighters Foundation and the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.
In 2014, firefighter Dan Nahmias brought attention to the number of drowning calls that could have been prevented with water safety teachings and swimming skills.
“The foundation identifies the participants and provides funding, while the Y provides water safety and swim education,” past board chairman George Leis explained. “An excellent program of lifesaving skills is now provided to residents of Oxnard through this collaboration.”
In 2009, Santa Barbara’s Housing Authority reached out to the Youth and Family Services YMCA to open a collaboration between the two organizations to address youth homelessness. For five years, YFS and the Housing Authority have offered supportive housing for homeless youth ages 18 to 24.
“The Housing Authority has been visionary,” Leis said. “They understand that the homeless youth of today are more likely to be the homeless adults of tomorrow.
“The collaboration between the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara and the Youth and Family Services YMCA provides a safe, accepting and supportive environment where homeless youth can build a successful independent future.”
The Golden Triangle of Distinguished Service was presented to six individuals to honor volunteers who have demonstrated consistent commitment, dedication and loyalty to the YMCA and have given the Y an important place among the major interests in their lives. Jim Osborn, Dave Morley, Tim Werner, Brian Gough, Laird Riffle and Annick Faict were each invited to the stage for the honor by association board treasurer Jim Armstrong.
Additionally, each board chair was honored for his or her service at the seven Channel Islands YMCA branches as well as the association.
For the first time, seven of the eight board chairs are female, including Irving of the Channel Islands YMCA Association, Faict of the Camarillo Family YMCA, Lucy Thoms-Harrington of the Lompoc Family YMCA, Mike Denver of the Montecito Family YMCA, Jaylon Letendre of the Santa Barbara Family YMCA, Bertha Foxen of the Stuart C. Gildred Family YMCA, Daniella Vera of the Ventura Family YMCA and Yonie Harris of the Youth and Family Services YMCA.
“We are all women, with the exception of the Montecito YMCA,” Irving said. “In the current CIYMCA strategic plan, diversity is one of our three primary focuses. Seeing this many female leaders is often times rare, and we are proud to see this accomplishment under the direction of our strategic focus.”
Irving closed out the warm feelings of the evening with words of gratitude to all who were in attendance and support the organization every day.
“It was an honor to have you here with us tonight,” she said. “The Y is a special place for our communities, and it’s because of all of you that it continues to be so vibrant and impactful. Thank you for attending and being a part of this very special evening.”
The Channel Islands YMCA is a charitable organization that provides programs based upon Christian principles to men, women and children of all ages, races, religious beliefs and economic status to develop and enrich the spirit, mind and body. The success of this mission is based on a dedication to youth development by nurturing the potential of every child and teen, with a focus on healthy living and social responsibility to support the community.
Click here for more information about the Channel Islands YMCA. Click here to make an online donation.
— Noozhawk iSociety columnist Melissa Walker can be reached at mwalker@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.
