10 Nov Oppenstein Brothers Foundation Grants $25,000 to YMCA of Greater Kansas City
YMCA of Greater Kansas City was recently awarded a $25,000 grant from Oppenstein Brothers Foundation to support positive youth development programming at the Linwood Y.
The Y’s Youth Development Continuum includes daily afterschool academic enrichment programming. Caring adult youth development workers and volunteers are trained in positive youth development principles and are sensitive to the home environments from where these children come. Youth receive homework help and are exposed to activities that help them develop new attitudes, skills, and knowledge to be successful in school. Examples include robotics club, chess club, and spring break/summer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) camps. Programs focus on life skills, goal-setting, and post-secondary preparation and awareness in order to help youth gain knowledge and understanding to overcome the risk factors that exist around them.
It is the Y’s goal to provide positive and accessible programming that nurtures youth’s interests while also exposing them to new activities and interests that challenge them to be their best. For the children, families and individuals living in the Linwood Corridor, the challenging social determinants of high poverty, inadequate infrastructure, poor health outcomes, high crime, low educational attainment, and high unemployment create boundaries to positive outcomes.
Founded in 1860 as the seventh Y in North America, the YMCA of Greater Kansas City (the Y) has over 158 years of experience in meeting the holistic needs of residents of all ages. Since its inception, the Y has been more than simply a place to exercise. The Y empowers people of all ages to live healthier lives throughout their entire lifespan and does so in an environment that fosters social support. The Y is committed to making membership and all programs and services accessible to low-income individuals through financial assistance policies. The Y has 13 membership centers and more than 100 program sites serving the following counties in the greater metropolitan region: Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties (Missouri), and Wyandotte and Johnson counties (Kansas).