Jacquelyn Core – Uniontown Area YMCA
Since becoming the CEO of the Uniontown Area YMCA in April I have been amazed over and over again by stories of the impact that our Y has on the community and on individual community members on a daily basis. I am blessed to frequently hear the stories of members whose lives have been changed for the positive. Whether it is someone who became free of evidence of diabetes through implementation of dietary and exercise changes, someone who recently suffered a cardiac event and is now returning to an active lifestyle, or a mom who found a family support network while her husband and the father of her two small children was deployed with the military, people are always stopping by my office to share with me how the YMCA has impacted their lives.
We are training adults, providing workplace education and securing the health and wellness of Fayette County’s workforce through fitness and nutrition initiatives. We are addressing food security needs, particularly of school-age children through after school programming that includes healthy snacks and meals. We are increasing water safety by training both swimmers and lifeguards. We are providing education for school-age children, from dietary education to engineering design principles. We’re also providing nearly $100,000 worth of scholarship support annually so that low income individuals can participate in a YMCA membership and programming. No membership is free, as we foster pride in our members, working with them to determine what they can afford to pay.
This summer our staff decided they wanted to contribute to the sustainability of our movement, and we chose the Fayette philanthropy competition as our project. It has been my privilege to lead a team of staff members in raising funds that will help us ensure we are able to deliver community programming for years to come. We hope you will be a part of our movement as well!
