Need:


Response:

Children who fall behind in kindergarten will likely spend their school years struggling to catch up.

Children who grow up in poverty and attend a quality preschool program are more likely to do well in school and learn more than their peers. The YMCA offers full-day preschool at the North Richmond and Downtown YMCAs for approximately 150 children, almost all of whom receive financial assistance.

Your gift of $250 provides one month of preschool education for one child.

Need:


Response:

The hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. are the most dangerous hours in the day for unsupervised children.

Our YMCA is the largest child care provider in the Commonwealth. Every day, 1,600 children spend after-school hours in the care of trained and caring professional YMCA staff. They receive homework help and a nutritious snack, participate in physical activity, and experience the YMCA's core values: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Your gift of $60 keeps one child safe after school for one week.

Need:


Response:

Teens who drop out of school will, on average, receive $320,000 in government assistance in their lifetime.

The YMCA offers teens informal opportunities to drop in and hang out with friends and YMCA counselors. Whether playing basketball, lifting weights, or participating in more structured programs, teens are in a safe and nurturing environment that helps them develop into responsible adults.

Your gift of $550 will send one teen to the Blue Ridge Leaders School in Asheville, NC for one week of intensive training with other teens from the mid-Atlantic region.