Statewide Initiatives

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Child Safety

Safety Around Water

Youth and Government

 

FOR HEALTHY LIVING

Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program

The Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program helps adults with hypertension lower and manage their blood pressure. The four-month program focuses on regulated home self-monitoring of one’s blood pressure using proper measuring techniques, individualized support and nutrition education for better blood pressure management.

 

Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP)

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is a low-cost evidence based intervention developed by Dr. Kate Lorig through the Stanford University School of Medicine. CDSMP is designed for adults with a variety of chronic conditions (e.g. arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, lung disease, etc.) to gain self-efficacy and education through interactive peer support. For six weeks, workshops gather in convenient community settings and are facilitated by a pair of trained leaders – one or both of whom is a non-health professional living with a chronic disease.

 

Enhance®Fitness

Enhance®Fitness is an evidence-based group exercise program for older adults that uses simple, easy-to-learn movements that motivate individuals – particularly those with arthritis – to stay active throughout their life. Each class session includes cardiovascular, strength training, balance, and flexibility exercises and the fostering of strong social relationships between participants. Learn the latest facts about the program from the downloadable fact sheet.

 

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards

In response to a call by First Lady Michelle Obama and the Partnership for a Healthier America, the Y has expanded its longtime commitment to supporting healthy living by adopting a set of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards. Based, in part, on years of research with key partners, the HEPA standards will build a healthier future for our nation’s children by creating environments rich in opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity. Visit Choices Within Limits to learn more about the Y’s food, beverage, screen time, infant feeding, physical activity, and family engagement standards.

 

Walkability Initiative

In Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities, the U.S. Surgeon General made clear that there is an urgent need to promote physical activity to prevent and control disease. With one out of every two American adults living with a chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes and a growing number of children and youth at risk or living with these diseases, it is critical that states takes action. The Alliance works to educate leaders and advance policy on the health and economic benefits of walkability and walkable communities, Safe Routes to Schools, and Complete Streets.

 

FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Togetherhood
Togetherhood, the Y’s Signature Program for Social Responsibility, empowers members to plan and lead volunteer service projects that address the needs of their communities. Working side by side with neighbors and community partners, Togetherhood volunteers make new friends, improve lives and contribute to a stronger and more inclusive society.

 

Volunteerism

The YMCA was founded on a simple but powerful idea: by bringing neighbors together to advance the common good, we can improve lives and strengthen communities. That idea came to life 170 years ago when George Williams convened 11 volunteers to improve the lives of young men struggling to overcome the challenges of life in industrialized London. Today, in the United States alone, the Y has nearly 600,000 volunteers who, in partnership with full- and part-time staff, engage 22 million youth and adults each year through YMCA centers and programs that help them to reach their full potential.

 

Charitable Giving

For more than 100 years, the charitable tax deduction has been a powerful incentive for millions of Americans to support philanthropic causes, from community-based organizations like the Y to the arts, educational institutions and houses of worship. It is a force for good in our country. Americans are generous folks, as evidenced by our $264.58 billion in individual donations in 2015 (Giving USA report, 2015). No doubt many of us would donate even if there was no tax incentive to do so.

However, research clearly shows that people donate more when given an incentive. One of the Congressional leaders on tax reform, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, recently suggested that tax reform has the potential to “unlock” more giving. Many of us in the nonprofit sector think he is right, and we urge Congress to consider the universal charitable deduction as part of a comprehensive tax reform plan.

By making the universal deduction law, Congress can simplify the tax code, protect charitable giving for existing donors and create incentives for more taxpayers to give. It would be winning policy for charities and taxpayers alike.

-Kevin Washington, CEO, YMCA of the USA