How the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati has remained anchored to Its mission during an unusual year

The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati spans many locations and dozens of programs, offering services to many different populations within the city. Changing directions on a dime sounds impossible for a diverse and complex organization, but, like so many in 2020, its team learned how strong and adaptable they could be.

“The question around here very early on became, ‘Who are we as an organization?’ more than ‘What do we do?’” says Jorge Perez, CEO and president of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. “What does our mission statement say about us, and how do we lean into those directions?”

The YMCA structures many of its programs around its mission of nurturing mind, body and spirit for individuals, and it remained anchored to that goal while making major programmatic changes during March 2020.

“We went from running fitness centers to running childcare centers. It takes a year to prepare for a childcare center, and we opened nine of them in just weeks,” says Perez. “We were training staff, getting licensing and getting all the structure ready, all in just days so that we could lean in the direction of the need.”

Perez says they did their best to run, not walk, in the direction of the needs in the community, partnering with the local food banks, for example, to make sure that food needs were being met. The YMCA also addressed COVID-19-specific concerns as well.

“We’ve been very active in supporting testing and vaccination, using eight of our facilities for testing,” says Perez.

Throughout this time, even as changing regulations forced ramp-ups and restarts of the YMCA’s breadth and depth of programming, the team maintained continuity of purpose even when day-to-day operations kept changing.

Making Achievement Possible

Changes in schooling and in-person tutoring programs provided the YMCA with an opportunity to help students who were suddenly having to do hybrid or virtual schooling to avoid falling behind.

The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati had already been focused on equity work in the community, with scholarships and support for first-generation college students and other underprivileged youth, but 2020 showed people the continued need for racial equity in the United States, allowing the YMCA to do even more. The organization rallied donors to increase academic support services during this challenging time for families.

“When we found kids who needed technology, we provided it in their homes; when they needed help with math, we found ways to support them,” says Perez. “When the urban schools were closed, we established scholastic centers at many of our YMCAs so that the parents could go to work and the kids weren’t at home alone all day, so they did their schoolwork at the YMCA. The equity work of the YMCA is both addressing community needs and voicing our support of an equitable society.”

Continuing Relationships

Many senior citizens in Cincinnati and around the world found themselves worried about the dangers of COVID-19 but also compelled to find community when they themselves were feeling very socially isolated.

“We had a senior who came to our center after we closed, and he wouldn’t leave because he was feeling so alone. We realized we had lots of seniors who were so alone,” says Perez. “We launched initiatives and made tens of thousands of phone calls to seniors in order to check on them and talk to them; many of those calls were done by our members who signed up to volunteer.”

The YMCA also made the effort to create many fitness classes that could be accessed on Zoom with the other participants, allowing one to speak to class friends or the instructor. “We launched an entire complement of classes that continue to grow to this day,” says Perez. “We committed to help support our community with technology-based solutions.”

Bringing a Sense of Belonging

While health-related challenges and events are a common kind of program in the YMCA, the team knew they wanted to make a big impact this year with their early 2021 RESET Challenge.

“Past challenges have had 600-700 participants around the region, but we opened up the RESET challenge to everyone this year, tackling topics for six weeks to help people resetting from their 2020, making sure they lean into their health and wellness journey,” says Perez. “Over 10,000 people signed up in our region.”

Each week, in addition to encouraging people to commit to getting active, the YMCA came up with activities and themes to help people make a plan to live their version of a strong life in 2021.

While fitness is key, Perez points out that fitness cannot be isolated from the other needs of a person for belonging and growth.

“We encourage each other to do something to make a difference in the lives of other people; our survival isn’t just about taking care of ourselves, it’s about taking care of our friends,” says Perez.

Faithful Membership Makes It Possible

Members of the YMCA have been part of the positive impact that the YMCA was able to have this year. Even with the YMCA shut down and many people experiencing hardship, 70% of members retained their membership through the early months of the pandemic. Perez and the rest of the team encourage people to join, both for themselves and as a way to give back.

“We have members who have helped us clean, helped with classes and who are mentors and tutors for kids,” says Perez. “At your local YMCA, if you cannot find what you are already passionate about, we’ll encourage you to find your passion. There are plenty of opportunities to do that.”

This year, Healthy Kids Day will still happen and is scheduled for May 15, with many virtual activities that help kids and families celebrate staying active. Families can pick up a kit at their local YMCA with items to use on the day. “We’re working with our partners from across the city to make sure we’ll bring all types of activities for kids to remind families what it means to live healthy,” says Perez.