YMCA Child Care
My name is Stephanie. I recently became a new single mother of three girls and have been shocked by the differences single motherhood makes. On top of having to do everything by myself, I am now living on one income. I am not receiving any child support and have been overwhelmed by having to work longer hours to try to make ends meet. My daughter attends Joshua Academy and had to go to the YMCA aftercare so that I can work those longer hours.
I really began to struggle trying to pay for the aftercare along with aftercare for my other two children. When I became aware of the financial assistance to help me with the payment I was elated. It has really helped to make my life easier so that I can provide for my family. This letter is just to say thank you for all of your help and support. It truly makes a difference in my life.
Thank You
Stephanie
YMCA Diamonds Program
First, I would like to start off with a thank you. You don’t know me and I don’t know you. We may have passed each other, or maybe we have even politely smiled at one another on different occasions, but all the same we are strangers. I’m going to tell you a story of how a stranger changed my life. My name is Tanisha, and I’m 16 years old and a senior at North High School. The first time I was ever introduced to dreams was in the third grade. My teacher told me “Tanisha you can be anything, even the first woman president.” Ever since then my imagination has run wild thinking of the many things I wanted to be. I even sat down and planned how to become a school teacher, model, actress, singer, and firefighter all at the same time.
I have grown up a lot since then. I still have dreams and things I wish to be, but along the way it’s been hard keeping those dreams. My dreams became harder to hold on to in 1999 my hope died. My grandmother, who instilled in me that I had potential, passed. She was the only other person, besides my third grade teacher, who pushed me to the limits and showed me I was special.
After her passing my life began to spiral downward. My mother began raising us. This was her first time ever having to deal with both of her children on her own. She couldn’t raise us properly because she herself had never fully grown up. My mother who was battling a drug addiction provided a very unstable home. I moved in with family members, friends of the family, and in and out of shelters. It always seemed as if they never, truly wanted me around.
My dreams began to fade fast and by my sophomore year I had already been to three different high schools. My journey was hard to overcome, and college seemed unreasonable. My friends began to drink and smoke. These were the girls I looked up to and truly admired. So what they did, I did. My logic was that they still went to school and did well so the drinking and smoking was not a problem. My friends began having sex, and although I never followed them down that road the temptation was harder to fight.
One day my mother had the urge to move to a place named Evansville, trying to escape her past. So we fled, and to a safe haven we ran. The first day we were in town we went to the YMCA. My life has never been the same again. While I was going through all this other stuff, my dreams became a thing of the past. I could no longer manage being these things because I became bitter. I had given up. I never told anyone but I did not like myself and I really did not think I would make it out of high school, let alone college. My dreams became nightmares.
The YMCA gave me my dreams back. The programs, the people and the staff taught me that once again I was special, that even though some didn’t value me, that I indeed did have potential. As I prepare for my senior year of high school on “B” honor roll, stranger, I thank you.
Behind every great masterpiece, is someone behind the curtains. Without your help, and your funds, and your willingness to want to help I may have never gotten my dreams back. By the Grace of God, my mother has grown up herself and is doing much better. Of my friends that I once admired so much, one didn’t graduate high school, and the other one did, but in an alternative school. The Y gave me a different option. So once again, thank you for saving my dreams and my life.
Thank You,
Tanisha
YMCA Camp Carson
Dear Mark, Laura and Staff,
My daughters, Delaney and Darby, spent last week at Camp Carson. It was the first sleep-away for Darby (she’s nine). Delaney has done a couple of camps, but always with friends and even those were “rough” being away from home. I have to tell you God more than answered my prayers when I prayed that my girls would be safe and have a great experience. We found out about Camp Carson at the Summer Fair in St. Louis. From the moment we watched the DVD, the girls talked about going to Camp Carson. They have not stopped talking about the fun they had, the friends they met and their counselors, Daisy and Megan. I have cried while listening to my girls gush over the awesome time they had and how when Delaney got scared during the storm, Daisy said they could pray. Delaney had never been shy about praying in public, but she felt a particular comfort being with others who also prayed. They told us the story that Mark told about the boy hurting others feelings and hammering nails in a tree, and removing the nails, but not the holes. Darby wrote home, “Mommy I hate to tell you this, but their mashed potatoes are better than yours.” They loved their cabin mates and the contests. I want to thank you for working with Delaney after she decided that Camp Wrangler just wasn’t for her. I could go on and on, but then I would sound like my girls (which isn’t a bad thing). Thank you all so very, very much for everything. We’ll see you next year.
Fondly,
Susan
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