The Anaheim Family YMCA received $10,000 from the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation (OCYSF) to upgrade and further enhance the Y’s gymnastics and swim programs with new mats and swim platforms & kickboards. The Y is the starting point for many of local youth to learn about becoming and staying active and developing healthy habits that they will carry with them throughout their lives. And the benefits are far greater than just physical health.

Orange County Youth Sports Foundation is the most celebrated local charitable organization of its kind. OCYSF is most effective in carrying out its passion: helping young athletes overcome obstacles to realize their dreams. Since its inception, OCYSF has given scholarships and grants to young Orange County athletes in addition to providing financial resources to other tax-exempt, sports-related organizations in need of assistance.

“We are pleased to be able to joint venture with the Y to provide opportunities for Orange County youth that will enable them to learn, grow and develop into contributing adults,” said Tom Murphy, Grants Chair with OCYSF.

YMCA gymnastics program offers youth of all ages, from the youngest enjoying fun stretching and tumbling with their parent/guardian, to more advanced classes where students are introduced to a variety of gymnastic apparatuses. This funding will help provide Anaheim Family YMCA with new mats and safety equipment for the future gym stars to tumble safely and build their self-discipline, self-confidence and remain physically active.

Swim lessons save lives. For over 160 years, the Y has been the nation’s leader in teaching people of all ages to swim, so they can stay safe around water and enjoy the pleasures and health benefits of being in the water. At the Anaheim Y, staff teach swimming as a life skill that could save a life and will benefit participants for a lifetime. Staff provide students with the opportunity to set goals and achieve success, learn water-safety, and enjoy swimming as a form of exercise. Youth learn not only how to have fun, but they also gain lifelong confidence in and out of the water. The Anaheim YMCA is proudly committed to making swimming part of a student’s basic life skills and reducing water-related injuries, particularly in the most vulnerable communities in Anaheim. This funding will help the Anaheim Family YMCA purchase more swim platforms for instructors and kickboards to help facilitate more swim lessons for participants.

“The Anaheim Family serves over 7,000 children and teens each year in our youth sports programs,” said Brent Finlay, President & CEO of the Anaheim Family YMCA. Generous partners like Orange County Youth Sports Foundation make it possible for the Anaheim Family YMCA to deliver vital programs to families who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate. We are especially grateful for this grant, which will make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless youth in the community.”