The local Henderson Family YMCA wants you to get M.A.D. in March and Make A Difference in the life of a child.  Per information below from the YMCA, you can help and participate in a number of ways.

Ryan Beckham Davis, daughter of Kim Davis, our Youth Programs Director, LOVED camp at the Henderson Family YMCA!  She began participating in Y Programs as soon as she could at age 4.  For two years Ryan was involved in girls basketball, spring soccer, T-ball, fall soccer, swimming lessons and after school and summer day camp.  Unfortunately, Ryan’s life was cut way too short in 2004 in an ATV accident.  The YMCA staff wanted to honor Ryan’s life and began the Ryan Davis Memorial Endowment Fund in 2005. The Endowment funds scholarships for Summer Day Camp and applications are made available to the public every year prior to the beginning of camp.  The recipients are selected by an anonymous committee.  Since the Endowment began, over 65 children have had the opportunity to experience the Best Summer Ever at Camp Splash-n-Dash.

To fund the endowment each year, the Y holds an event to raise money in memory of Ryan.  There have been Spin-a-thons, Fitness Frenzy’s and Zumbathon’s to name a few.  This year we are asking the entire membership and community to join us in getting M.A.D…making a difference in the life of a child by participating in any or all of the following activities:

March 1-31 – COIN drive (containers will be placed throughout the building)
March 6-10 – Membership Special (In lieu of joining fee make a donation of $50 for individual or $62.50 for family to the endowment)
March 11 – Basketball Shootout beginning at Noon (‘shooters’ are asked to represent their businesses and organizations & get their ‘FAN CLUB’ to help sponsor them for $100 and see who the best ‘shooter’ is in our area)
March 17 – Bake Sale (baked goods individually wrapped ready for sale are welcome)
March 18 – Pickleball Tournament beginning at 9:00 A.M. – $10 for members and $20 for non-members to participate.
March 25 – M.A.D. Move-a-thon – Matilda and various Zumba Instructors will lead classes from 8:00 – 11:00 A.M. in the Gym while Willie, Chris and Rob will lead an Outdoor Madness on the field from 9:00 – 11:00 A.M. – $10 for members and $20 for non-members
March 31 – Flick-n-Float in the pool at 6:30 P.M. Join us for an age appropriate movie for families while floating in the pool. $5/person.

To participate in the activities during GOING M.A.D. IN MARCH, please register at Member Services. We will have buttons for staff to wear to help promote the campaign. Our goal is $10,000 in March to help send 10 or more deserving children to the best summer ever at SPLASH-N-DASH!

Volunteers are needed! If you know of anyone that would like to help with any of the activities, please let Julia know or offer a volunteer application because all volunteers must apply and have background checks.  We can get our membership excited about all of it if we let our enthusiasm lead the way so GET M.A.D. IN MARCH and Make A Difference in the life of a child!