Once again it is my privilege as the president of Franklin County’s YMCA board of directors to announce the kickoff of our 2024 Annual Campaign. The Y for many years has given me the balance in my life that is required to face the everyday challenges we all encounter. It is an exceptional environment promoting happiness and well-being for all ages.

Last year, Franklin County’s Y awarded $197,025 in YMCA scholarships — 1,832 members were given the opportunity of health and growth through our scholarship program. Three hundred and forty children participated in Y child care programs, like preschool, school age care and our summer camp, Camp Apex. These scholarships were due to the generosity of our amazing dedicated community of donors to our Annual Campaign.

In our current environment, where the cost of living is adversely affecting individuals and families of all incomes, it is more critical than ever to make this year’s Annual Campaign our most successful.

In the past year I have written several My Turn pieces that speak to the history and success of YMCAs in Ukraine and in Jerusalem. There is a uniqueness to all of the global Y’s, which have a presence in 120 countries and serve 64 million people.

The World YMCA Vision 2030 was adopted at the YMCA 20th world council in July 2022. Vision 2030 serves as a road map for every Y’s strategic goals and vision, with the purpose to empower all communities and young people worldwide to build a just, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive world. This is quite the challenge!

The worldwide YMCA pledges to work toward the following collective Vision, Mission and Pillars of Impact. The World YMCA Vision is a world where every person lives in harmony with self, with society and with creation. The World YMCA’s Mission is to empower young people and communities worldwide to build a just, sustainable, equitable and inclusive world, where every person can thrive in body, mind and spirit. (https://www.ymca.int/what-we-do/vision-2030/)

To achieve Vision 2030, the YMCAs will focus on four strategic areas.

Pillar 1, Well Being: To create environments where everyone can thrive in body, mind and spirit. One in seven young people ages 5-19 worldwide experience a mental health disorder. Thirty-six percent of young people report being in a physical fight in the past year. Eighty-one percent of adolescents do not meet WHO recommended levels of physical activity.

Our YMCA assists members in starting their wellness journey, gives campers the best week of their summer vacation, and helps adults at risk of diabetes to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Pillar 2, Meaningful Work: 267 million young people are not in employment, education or training. Seventy-seven percent of young people are working in vulnerable jobs. Forty-seven percent of all jobs are going to be replaced by automation by 2034.

Our YMCA strategic plan includes building and introducing best business practices in our community, paying our staff above the minimum wage, and creating community partnerships and collaborations for our members’ benefit.

Pillar 3, A Sustainable Planet: Up to 2 billion people will encounter extreme heat waves. 2030 is the deadline by which climate change effects are going to become irreversible or not. A 100% to 170% increased risk of extreme weather over the course of this century. One million species are at risk of extinction.

Our YMCA is working with an architectural firm to develop plans to make our aging infrastructure into a modern and safe facility, to evaluate the most energy cost-saving design in order to have a more sustainable future; and to modernize Camp Apex in order to provide the best summer experiences for our campers.

Pillar 4, A Just World: Gen Z is the most diverse generation in history; 45% of people experience discrimination regularly; Black, Latinx and Indigenous workers are paid 25% less than white employees. It will take 110 years to achieve gender parity if the current pace is maintained, while 25% of the world’s population believe that being LGBTQ should be a crime.

Our YMCA is a safe place for our Franklin County community no matter what religion, sex, color or age you are. We welcome all.

If you believe in community, building partnerships and collaboration, and providing a safe haven for our youth, families and senior citizens, please consider donating to Franklin County’s Y 2024 Annual Campaign (your-y.org/donate).

Don Simms is president of Franklin County’s YMCA board of directors.