THE BUMS ARE BACK

Four years ago YMCA Board member and weekly volunteer Ben Estes came up with a wonderful way for his loose change to make a difference. He thought the opportunity to help send community youth to the Y's summer day camp would be well received by his friends and neighbors. Handing out mason jars from February until May with the logo "Hey Buddy can you spare a dime," Ben collected almost $3,800 that first year. "Ben has consistently collected $3,000 - $4,000 each year since then," notes Co-Director of Development Donna McGrath, "and hundreds of children have had a wonderful summer experience thanks to this totally volunteer-run fundraiser.

Branch executive Mark Favazza is grateful for Ben's assistance in providing so many children the opportunity to attend the summer day camp program, which provides high quality care and enrichment in a fun, safe environment. The camp, for rising kindergartners through rising 6th graders, starts June 3 and runs for 12 weekly sessions. A week of camp costs $82 for members, $97 for program participants, and includes swimming, arts and crafts, games, and weekly field trips. Specialty camps such as soccer, youth well-being, "Artrageous," cheer, flag football and build-a-boat are offered for an additional cost.      

According to Donna, money raised from the Hey Buddy event goes into the Y's Guardian scholarship program, and stays in Lancaster County. This fund makes up the difference between what a family is able to pay for a Y program and the actual cost to run that program, thus ensuring the Y's promise to never turn anyone away due to financial ability. Thanks to Ben's vision and the tremendous support and generosity of the community, 113 children were able to attend the Y's summer day camp program in 2012, with 48% of these families receiving assistance from the Guardian program. Parents and guardians were able to work through the summer, knowing their children were being cared for in a camp that enforced the YMCA's core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility and faith every day.

The Bank of Lancaster and fellow board member Kathy Broderick have provided support and assistance to Ben since the event's origin, making the job of collecting and counting all those coins much easier. The bums would like you to pick up a jar, fill it with your everyday leftover change and join them for a coin-counting ceremony at the Bank of Lancaster's main branch 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday May 18. There will be bum cookies and hobo drinks at the bank collection site. You may also fill the jar earlier and drop it off at the Northern Neck Family YMCA at any time, feeling free to take another empty jar to fill. If you would like to join the bums please contact Donna at 435-0223 or donna.mcgrath@peninsulaymca.org.

Bums pictured, left to right: Branch Executive Mark Favazza, board members Kathy Broderick, and Ben Estes.