News and Stories

Wherever I've lived, gym culture has always played a significant role in my life. Back home in the Caribbean, I was part of the bodybuilding scene as a bikini model and I really loved the community that came along with it. When I moved to Canada, I knew I needed to build connections and wanted to find a welcoming gym that would support my fitness goals.

YMCAs across Canada and ParticipACTION have teamed up again in 2022 to help give all Canadians a mood boost by getting them active no matter where they are in their physical activity journey. This partnership features two new video series scheduled for release throughout the winter. 

YMCA members participated in a duck race, aquathon, toonie pool dives, bake sales, Halloween zumbathon and many other events, fundraising a total of $25,727 to help make Y programs accessible to those less fortunate. 

Young adults in the Okanagan are now one-step closer to being linked with potential employers thanks to the ongoing support from RBC Foundation. RBC began funding the YMCA’s employment programs in 2019 to deliver on their commitment to connect young people with community leaders and partners across the private and public sectors and to help them be successful in todays’ workforce. 

My desire to help others started when I was very young, specifically when I saved a baby from drowning at the young age of 8. As soon as I rescued them from the water, they began crying. The mother ran over and looked at me with these big thank you eyes, and it was then that I realized I had done something right. Suddenly I felt like a hero.

After leaving my hometown at the age of 17 in pursuit of a better life, I found myself pregnant, alone, and heading down a path that I knew would make me unhappy. I desperately wanted to pursue my education and build a better life for my child than I had growing up, but the odds were stacked against me.