News and Stories

A family of 4 with two young children under the age of 7 are standing together outside in the sunshine and smiling at the camera.

Vince & Karla's Story

In 2018, while working as a welder, a crane broke and dropped a 7,000-pound beam on my body. I was lucky to survive, but it broke my leg and all my ribs, bruised my heart, punctured my lung, broke my vertebrae, and severed my spinal cord. 

A young professional woman with dark hair is smiling at the camera and holding an older YMCA child’s bucket hat in one hand, and a photo of herself as a child in an old YMCA program advertisement in the other.

Jennifer Meyer's Story

The Y played an integral role in my childhood As a kid, I only ever saw the Y as a source of pure fun and joy, but as an adult, I see just how much more opportunity it provides. The Y empowers single moms, like my own, to build the lives they want for their families.

A mother and folder are holding their 2 year old boy and looking down at him as they sit on a beach. The little boy has blue eyes, blonde hair, and is smiling up at the camera.

Derek’s Journey from Surviving to Thriving

My husband and I were so lucky to have been gifted with our son Derek 3 years ago, but our introduction to parenthood was not typical as our son was born with three separate birth defects. 

A young man with short black thin dreadlocks in a brown sweater is smiling at the camera in front of a teal board with mathematical equations scribbled on it.

How Mindfulness Transformed my Everyday Life

When I first moved to Canada as an international student my mental health absolutely plummeted. I originally grew up in Uganda and went to boarding school in Kenya and the United Kingdom, so I knew most of the same people my entire life and grew up with a very close group of friends.

A young blonde man in a blue shirt and a wheelchair is smiling at the camera and holding a basketball in a gymnasium. There's an 8 year old girl holding the back handles of the chair also smiling at the camera.

Empowering Kids Through Sports

Brandon’s Y is Sports Sports have given me so much throughout my lifetime. I’ve gained friends, a season of junior hockey, tournament trips around the world, and most importantly, mental strength and the means to adapt to life in a wheelchair.

A young man and woman in black striped chef aprons are standing in a restaurant with their arms around one another and smiling at the camera.

From feeling lost, to finding hope

Lindsay finds more than expected in local employment program   This past year I wasn’t in a great place and didn’t have a lot of hope that anything would change. School was not going very well and I tried for months and months to find a job but the only ones I could get, if any, were in super stressful situations with unkind managers. 