Young Mens Christian Association Of Fond Du Lac

In our preschool child care, a total of 94 children were served. The focus of the Fond Du Lac YMCA child care programs is to foster growth and development, not only in children, but also within the family. These educational programs help children develop moral and ethical behavior, self-esteem, and leadership. Physical development is achieved via gym and swim classes in which the children participate. Additionally, nutritious meals are served on a daily basis. In many instances, the YMCA child care allows the parent(s) of the child to remain gainfully employed or pursue an education, knowing that their child is thriving in a safe, supportive environment. Via support from the United Way, care is provided at a tuition assistance for those parents unable to afford the full cost of child care. Through collaboration with the Fond Du Lac school district, the Fond Du Lac YMCA is able to offer a half day 4K kindergarten program, as well as, child care for those children needing to stay for additional time during the day. In 2023 the Y's child care program, in collaboration with the Fond Du Lac School District, began offering Before School Care at 3 sites. In 2024 that was increased to 6 sites and served over 45 children. The Y Child Care also started offering a part time 3K opportunity to families. The Child Care program continued to receive Child Care Counts assistance from the State of WI in 2024.

Youth-the YMCA has a strong emphasis in the area of youth development. Over 1,500 youth program registrations took place in the areas of youth sports, preschool enrichment, gymnastics, middle school nights, field trips, and family nights. YMCA youth sports programs emphasize development of skills, health and fitness, safety, cooperation, and self-esteem. Furthermore, they focus on the YMCA'S 4 core values of honesty, caring, responsibility, and respect. The Y, in conjunction with the Boys/Girls Club offers a daily "just play" program afterschool to ensure that kids have an opportunity to play fun games (such as kick ball, dodgeball, volleyball, soccer, ultimate football) with the purpose of getting kids active for at least 1 hour per day. The Y also expanded sports camp offerings to include golf, flag football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, rugby, fitness, and pickleball. In collaboration with the local Kiwanis Club, the Y offers an annual free "learn to swim" program one week each summer. In 2024, 478 children participated in this program. This affords all children an opportunity to learn a life skill at no cost to their family. This program has occurred annually at the Y since 1926. Additionally, over 1572 youth took swim lessons. In collaboration with the Fond Du Lac School District, the Y created a Water S.A.F.E. Program in which 50 Boys & Girls Club participants and 202 2nd Graders from 4 elementary schools learned safety topic and dryland practice, as well as having the program conclude with a pool session where students apply their learned skills in the pool, ensuring a comprehensive and impactful water safety experience. The Y offers a comprehensive gymnastics program tailored to individuals of all ages and skill levels, with 122 competitive team gymnasts and 1,007 progressive gymnast registrations. The Fond du Lac Y hosted the 2024 Wisconsin YMCA State Gymnastics Championships with 744 participants.

The generosity of others is at the core of the y's existence as a nonprofit organization. It is only through the support of hundreds of volunteers and donors that the y is able to support and give back to our community. The 2024 annual support drive continued to be strong as over $379,987 was raised. The ymca's financial assistance program is supported by individuals, families, businesses, and foundations who contribute to the association's annual support campaign. The ymca of fond du lac believes in providing membership and program services to all who desire to participate in the ymca. There are approximately 5,190 membership units and 9,532 members at the y. In total, over 940 membership scholarships and 88 program sessions totaling $228,275 scholarships were awarded in 2024. $100,672 in funds were awarded to 291 individuals to participate in our healthy living programs such as livstrong at the ymca, healthy living referral program, and our parkinson's exercise progrm. The y is striving to develop a culture of philanthropy amongst its members and the community. In collaboration with the school districts, local university, boys/girls club, health care providers, united way, and local government, the y works to be a great community partner in making fond du lac a happy and healthier place to live and work. In collaboration with the arc of fond du lac, the fond du lac ymca extended the offerings to include swimming programs, young athletes and basketball space to physically and mentally challenged youth of the area. The ymca has actively engaged and expanded volunteer opportunities. The ymca actively supports other non profit organizations through program assistance and membership support. Some of the groups assisted include big brothers/big sisters, arc of fond du lac, special olympics, abuse shelters, homeless/warming shelters, and local school districts.