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United Way of
Greater Toledo Invests in Y Programs: Live Well Greater
Toledo, Schools as Hubs and the Community
Special to The
Truth
The YMCA of Greater Toledo has
announced an investment of $165,000 from United Way of
Greater Toledo. $85,000 was awarded to the Live Well Greater
Toledo program, and $80,000 was awarded to Schools As Hubs.
Both initiatives align with United Way’s Live United 2020
goals, centered on advancing education, income, and health
in Lucas, Wood and Ottawa counties.
“United Way of Greater Toledo is
proud to make an investment in the YMCA of Greater Toledo
because they deliver results that create lasting change in
the areas of education, income and health in our community,”
said Karen Mathison, president and CEO of United Way of
Greater Toledo. “It’s a pleasure and privilege to partner
with the Y and deliver results that change lives of people
in our community.”
As the lead partner for Live
Well Greater Toledo (LWGT), the YMCA is engaged with a
diverse collaboration of community leaders and organizations
working together to promote policy, systems and
environmental change for a healthier community.
The efforts of LWGT offer
opportunities to individuals in underserved areas of our
community to increase physical activity and improve eating
habits, leading to improved health and well-being. Through
the collaborative work of LWGT partners, 10 corner stores
joined the "Eat Fresh, Live Well" healthy corner store
program, increasing access to fresh produce for more than
100,000 individuals living in Toledo.
The Y
is involved in Schools As Community Hubs (SACH), an
initiative that makes schools not only a place of learning,
but also a set of partnerships between the school and other
community resources. Its integrated focus on academics,
services, supports and opportunities leads to improved
student learning, stronger families, and healthier
communities.
SACH serves as an anchor for a
community and neighborhood, with a strategy of organizing
the resources of the community around the student. This
organization of resources leads to extended school hours,
and new relationships, in which needed services are acquired
and directed to students and/or neighborhoods.
SACH helps weave a community
together. A neighborhood of people having their needs met
while building community with each other is a neighborhood
that ultimately takes care of one another.
Because of SACH, Toledo Public
School Leverette Elementary attained Value Added status
during the 2013-2014 Academic Year, which was the year the
school had the most academic successes and largest growth of
Partnerships; the 2014-2015 After School Programming that
was comprehensive and robust, featuring 10 Partners that
included 21st Century Community Learning
Centers, Learning Club, Unison, Boy/Girl Scouts, Young Women
Of Excellence/Young Men Of Excellence, Big Brothers Big
Sisters, and GED; and the PUSH Program, which saw Safe
School Violations of youth decrease to 0 for both the
2013-2014; and the 2014-2015 academic school year, down from
263 violations eight years ago.
“The YMCA is proud to facilitate these
initiatives, and we’re grateful to United Way Of Greater
Toledo for their investment,” said Brad Toft, president and
CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toledo.
“Live Well Greater Toledo and Schools As
Community Hubs align themselves to our mission, with focus
on youth development, nurturing the potential of every child
and teen; healthy living, improving the health and
well-being in our community; and social responsibility,
giving back and providing support to our neighbors. We’re
looking forward to making a positive impact on the people
who live in our community,” Toft said.
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