Monthly Archives: May 2012

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Girls on The Run Finishes Strong

More than 800 girls and their coaches, parents and friends descended on Oakland University’s Rochester Hills campus last weekend for the Girls on The Run 5K.

The run is a culmination of months of training for the girls who spent the spring participating in either the Girls on the Run program for ages 8-10 or the Girls on Track program, which reaches middle school age girls. The girls meet twice a week to do training runs, but the focus goes far beyond exercise. Led by volunteer coaches, the girls also learn about self-esteem, stress management, and being true to themselves, among other life lessons.The Girls on the Run philosophy is to teach girls to Honor Their Bodies, Celebrate their Voices, Embrace their Gifts and Activate Their Power

The Y sponsors the program locally; Ashleigh Schiffler directs it from her office at the Plymouth YMCA. Several programs happen at local schools, but many of the local Y branches host teams as well.

While the unseasonably warm weather on race day provided some hurdles, overall it went very well, Ashleigh says. Girls and their families and coaches enjoyed face-painting and hairdo stations, refreshments and other fun things in addition to the race. And most importantly, it showed hundred of young girls the importance of goal setting and gave them a taste of what they can accomplish if they set their minds to something.

 

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Y Achievers Alum Sets Shining Example

When you’re a kid in inner-city Detroit, it can be hard to see the path between where you are and the life you would like to live. Demetrious Broughton has walked that path with the help of the Metro Youth Y, and now he’s reaching back to help kids just like him find their own way. He was recently profiled on Fox 2 News’ Redefining Detroit series.

Demetrious found the Y Minority Achievers program (now called the Future Professionals Program) at a church in his east-side Detroit neighborhood. He had dreams of college and a career, but was  not sure exactly how he was going to achieve them. Finding his leadership skills at the Y helped him determine his path.

“What kind of changed my mindset around was that we did a lot of volunteering,” he says. “That really touched me, seeing the product from it and uplifting the community.”

He also did lots of workshops there that allowed him a glimpse into the world of professional work, and grew to know and look up to the staff. “My community there was kind of like a family,” he says. He was especially influenced by Jocelyn Boyd, whose own path to success was one he could relate to. “She was one who really believed in me,” he says. “If I didn’t meet her I’m not sure I’d have the the opportunities I had. She shared with us her life, and she provided me with opportunities to be able to shine and excel.”

After his freshman year at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, he got a call from his friends at the Y. Harman International, a maker of sound and entertainment systems for cars, wanted to offer internships to inner-city youth and asked the Y for help. Demetrious was asked to be the first one. “I knew I was in a  fish bowl …I had to keep moving forward, and I had to show up on time.” To that end, he caught the bus at 5 a..m. for his commute, which was two hours each way by bus.

“I knew the YMCA had trusted me to do this right, so then other kids were able to come and I was going to be a role model,” he says. “The other thing that fueled me was that I had to represent my home and my family well …mainly the people that drove me were my YMCA family, and being a new representation for a new generation.”

Harman was impressed, and eventually hired Demetrious as a software engineer. He is now married to his college sweetheart, who is a math teacher, and they have a baby on the way. He volunteers with the students in Future Professionals, where his example shows them how a kid just like them grew up to be a successful young man. But he doesn’t want them to be just like him; instead he wants them to define themselves, not be defined by what others think of their neighborhood, their city or their school.

“I want to give kids hope,” he says. “I tell them, ‘I don’t want you to be Demetrious, I want you to pass and surpass me,” he says.

 

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Art Show Puts Talent on Display

Walk into the lobby of the Boll Family YMCA in downtown Detroit, and you’ll see gorgeous, creative pieces of art brightening the lobby, complete with placards explaining the work. Ceramics, drawings, and multimedia paintings are all included. And the exhibit opening was a must-do social event.

Another incredible gathering of community talent from Y-Arts? Not this time. This exhibit is an annual art show put on by the talented teachers and children from the Y Child Development Center.

Child Development Center director Wendy Lehman explains that each class, from the babies up to the biggest 4- and 5-year-olds, creates a project together using a gallery-size canvas. For the little ones it could be something as simple as  their handprints forming the leaves of a tree; for the bigger kids, they may each contribute their own drawing to the canvas. The canvases are then displayed at the annual exhibit opening night, and parents bid on them in a silent auction. The event is one of the highlights of the year for the families and something everyone looks forward to. “It’s the parents’ favorite activity,” Wendy says.

This year, the auction raised more than $500, which goes back to the Child Development Center to fund more projects.

In addition to the class projects, the children work on their own artwork to be exhibited during the show. Three projects, two flat pieces (such as paintings) and one three-dimensional piece go on display. Teachers make placards explaining how each project fits into the theme of the show (this year’s theme was “Seasons”)  and the curriculum at the center.

“Our basis is process art, which is an educational avenue focusing on the process rather than the end product,” Wendy says.

The exhibit stays in the busy Boll lobby for a month, and serves both to brighten up the space and to let the community know about the Child Development Center. Any parent who lives or works downtown knows that high-quality, affordable daycare that’s conveniently located is hard to find, and getting the word out about the Y’s program is important for working parents. “To us, it’s really nice art and nice that it’s there for people to see when they walk by,” Wendy says.

The art itself wasn’t the only fundraiser at the exhibit opening this year. Children in the pre-kindergarten class held a bake sale and raised money for the Almost Home animal shelter. Photos of each child’s favorite pet from the shelter now decorate their classroom, so the children can see a daily reminder of the impact their work had. Not only do children get so much from their time at the Y, they learn to give something back to causes they believe in.

 

 

 

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Member Loses Half Her Weight

If you’re a member at the South Oakland YMCA, you’ve probably seen Alexis Sumner. She’s very active, taking classes, working out in the Wellness Center and “lifting with the big boys” as she says with a laugh.

What you might not know about her, though, is that she’s lost more than half her body weight since joining the Y in 2008.

She hit her all-time high weight of more than 400 pounds then, at the age of 24. As shocking as that was for her, she realized it was time for her to make the commitment to taking better care of herself.  And she knew she needed the motivation of going to a gym, versus trying to exercise at home. “I knew if I was paying for something, I would do it,” she says. “I just told myself that you’re here for these three or six months or whatever it was I paid up front for, and you’re all in.”

She felt accepted and comfortable immediately at the Y.  “It’s always interesting looking at things that happen in your life and seeing the little blessings,” she says. “When I was walking in, the people who were greeting me were so genuine and nice, and then the people that took me around and helped me do all the weight machines could have all had attitudes, like ‘why should we help her’ but none of them were like that.” If they had been difficult, she admits, she would have left as soon as she could, but instead, because people were so respectful and kind, she felt empowered to get her exercise program off the ground. “I found my fit here,” she says.

She started out on the elliptical for only five or ten minutes at a time, and gradually progressed to an hour. After losing about 100 pounds, she decided to start running the mile and a half between her house and the Y. Now, she regularly does sprint-distance triathlons, and is training for her first marathon this fall. “I could barely walk 100 feet when I started telling people at the Y I wanted to do a triathlon,” she said. “Everyone was really encouraging.”

Now, she says, “I’ve become one of those people!” She was recently visiting a friend in another city, and her friend’s roommate mentioned she was going to do a 5K run one morning. Alexis joined her without a thought, and then went hiking for a few hours that afternoon before embarking on the long drive home. She also bikes back and forth to her 3-hour Hawaiian dance classes, runs to friends’ homes rather than driving there, and generally is constantly active.

People always ask her how she lost the weight, and are surprised when she tells them that it was simply diet and exercise, done consistently over time. When she started, she told herself it took all 24 years to get to this point and it might take her 24 more to get down to a healthy weight. That sort of patience, perseverance and determination led to her success.

“I had to make the decision for myself,” she says. “I had to tell myself that I want something for myself down the road which is better than what I have now.”

She found that, and continues to evolve into a healthier, more active person…and it all began at the Y.

 

 

 

 

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Volunteer Brings Skills to Y

Some people use retirement as an excuse to slow down. Not Lori DeMineo. The retired teacher and powerhouse Y volunteer was recently honored as the North Oakland YMCA’s Volunteer of the Year.

She’s been volunteering at the Y for about seven years now, she says. She originally came to the Y thinking she’d volunteer with wellness programs, but instead they put her right to work using her expertise as a high school business teacher to update and organize their files. To put it mildly, they needed her crack organizational skills, she says.

She’s done lots of other things, such as organizing the annual Halloween party, and has become an important source of advice and help for the business staff.

“They know if they ask me a question about business, I’ll give it my best go…I am performing something that they need …we need each other,” she says.

In explaining why they chose Lori as volunteer of the year, Y staff wrote, “She is the type of person who immediately lights up the room with her presence, smile, and willingness to greet everyone upon arrival. Her lists of accomplishments are just the tip of the iceberg, as she possess unlimited intangibles that express her true heart…a servant leader for people.”

She especially likes the young volunteers that come over from Oakland University, adjacent to the North Oakland Y’s building. As a teacher for so many years, she relates well to the younger people and enjoys interacting with them.

When she’s not at the Y, Lori is visiting friends, gardening, or cheering on the Tigers. She also takes tai chi and swims at the Y.

She’s a strong believer in staying as active as you can for as long as you can, and her energetic, open personality is a testament to that idea.

“I am 75 and still going strong,” she says, “I’ll be there as long as I can still stand up and get there.”

 

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Mom Puts Trust in Y

Jessica Mukavetz is a mom of four whose family has had its share of challenges in the last few years. First, their daughter Aubrey was diagnosed with epilepsy; then, Jessica herself was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Jessica says she has found great peace of mind through their membership at the Carls Family YMCA in Milford. Rather than excluding Aubrey from activities because of her condition, Y staff looked for ways to get her involved. Everyone on the staff knows Aubrey and is aware of what to do if she has a seizure. “I worry less here than I do when she goes to school,” Jessica says. “I have a lot of faith in the people she’s with.”

All of her children have done activities at the Y, and she has even been able to exercise, feeling safe that her kids are well cared for.

Aubrey’s coach for both gymnastics and swimming is very attuned to her well-being, so much so that she’ll tell Jessica if Aubrey seems a little off so that Jessica knows to keep an eye out for impending seizures or other problems. “I feel that they are invested in her safety and her health,” Jessica says.

With both her diagnosis and Aubrey’s, the family has faced some steep medical bills; her husband’s income as a contractor also suffered from the recession. Thanks to the Strong Kids Campaign, though, her family has been able to continue their membership in the Y community that has embraced them.

“The Y has been a blessing,” Jessica says.

 

 

 

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Y Arts Teachers Spotlighted on New Show

Talented young people can be found all over Detroit….and two of the Y instructors who work hard to nurture that talent are spotlighted on Metro Arts Detroit, a new show on Detroit Public TV (Channel 56).

Tonight’s episode, airing at 7:30, highlights Mr. Stevie, who teaches movement and music through the Y-Arts program. His story is pretty remarkable; as a child, he had a speech impediment and stuttered, so he taught himself to beatbox as a way to help address the problem. Now, he gives back to kids through his teaching, as well pursuing a successful career as an actor and voiceover artist.

“It’s extremely rewarding an as artist to work with kids who don’t necessarily want to do music,” he says, “We can connect to and relate to them with music and show them how music always connects everybody.”

His classes go beyond just music, with discussions about current events and learning about recording with Garage Band software.

The July 11 show will feature Margaret Edwartowski, director of arts for Y-Arts Detroit and a well-known instructor, performer and actress who founded the Improv Colony at Planet Ant Theater and was a teacher and popular performer with Detroit’s Second City improv company. Most recently, she spearheaded the Detroit Creativity project which brought improv classes into Detroit high schools.

The show itself is the work of talented young people, as it’s a project of the Broadcast Journalism and TV Production program at Wayne State University. It’s shot at the 5057 Midtown Studio, a collaboration between Detroit Public Television and Wayne State’s Department of Communication. Producer Kim Piper-Aiken, faculty advisor to the sow, says that students propose artists to feature on the show and pursue getting them to appear. The show airs every Wednesday at 7:30 pm; check out the MetroArts Detroit website for more.