Here we go!
School is in full swing now! This past week, thousands of children descended upon the Pickens County schools and the YMCA is no different. Our 3 sites in Pickens County, serving 7 schools start as well in the after school program. We now only have 3 sites left that will begin in the next month; Liberty Elementary, AR Lewis and Pickens Middle School. A total of 5 after school programs have been in full swing for a couple weeks now in Anderson County. So, in a few weeks, children from 15 different schools will be served by your Pickens County YMCA! How great!
To some, it seems that the YMCA slows down during the winter months. That could not be further than the truth. We actually start 'ramping' up from September to December. We begin the 2010 budget process, selecting new board members, planning the 2010 program schedule, selecting and ordering new equipment, Triathlons, Golf Tournament and evaluating the upcoming annual Share the Spirit Campaign. These items are just on the organizational level! Each department must also go through similar processes from planning, evaluation and adjusting to the upcoming fiscal year. Although the facilities might be a bit slower, the staff is still wide open!
The YMCA still remains healthy. All organizations; profit, non-profit, and government, are having to work harder to balance the budget. With minimum wage going up this past summer, power rates increasing, supply cost on the rise and health insurance for our staff increasing, we are having to force ourselves to do more with each dollar. We have focused on being more efficient and effective in order to continue the same level of services to our members. The growth of the membership over the past couple years has made it possible for us to not only sustain services, but also increase them. Next month, I will be devoting the entire First Friday Report to all that we have done over the past 4 years. It is amazing to see "what the Y did", to "what the Y does."
In closing, we are blessed. We should never fail to stop each day, each hour, and say, "Thank You Lord." Whether the circumstances are good or bad, God is in control therefore I am comforted at all times.
In His Service,
Sid Collins, CEO
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