Dear business associates, friends, family and the perpetually guilt-ridden:
Before you look at the pictures below to see if I am in any of them, let me assure you, that I am not. Sorry to disappoint! Summertime in Florida will soon be upon us in all its hot, sticky, tropical storm-like humid glory. That means kids will be in and around water.
As you know, I have a very special place in my heart for the Village of Allapattah YMCA Family Center & Preschool. And my heart strangely enough is close to my wallet (but that’s an anatomical story for another day). The Y is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to bettering the lives of children, families and older adults in our community. Personally, I have found the Allapattah Y to be a really cool place. Where else can octogenarians shake their moneymakers to the syncopated beats of Zumba in a silver sneakers program and diaper-clad, cute-as-a-button drooly preschoolers engage in breakneck speed-crawling races? That happens virtually nowhere, I mean not even at parties at my house. But there is one place where it does.
Located in the center of the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami, an economically challenged community, the Allapattah Y serves young children to wisdom-laden adults. The Y is a positive force in this community because we believe everyone has the power to make their lives and community better, we open our doors to all-- no matter the ability to pay. As virtually the only community center for many miles, the Allapattah Y is an oasis – a safe haven in an area of Miami that isn’t always very safe.
According to published reports, Florida is among the leaders in the nation as the state with more drownings of children 15 and younger, with 80 percent involving children under the age of 5. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1-4 nationwide and Florida tends to lose more children to drowning than almost any other state. With pools, lakes, canals, the bay, and the ocean, combined with year-round swimming weather, Miami-Dade and Broward counties lead the state. The YMCA makes drowning prevention a top priority. While the Allapattah YMCA doesn’t have a pool, we have been providing swimming lessons during the past couple of years. In the words of the immortal distance swimmer Diana Nyad, we simply “Find a Way."
By partnering with pools in the vicinity, we were able to teach over 100 children how to swim during 2018. While the kids had fun, by learning to swim, we may have saved the lives of over 100 children, and avoided tragedy for their families and friends. While the pools are provided for free, we have to pay for trained instructors, transportation to the pools, and swim suits for the kids – yes, many of the kids do not have swim suits.
It is that time of year when the Y and yours truly seek your support during its Annual Support Campaign. This campaign ensures no child, family or older adult is turned away based on an ability to pay through financial assistance.
If you would like to contribute this year and I know that you do, please click on this link: Richard Gibbs 2019 Annual Campaign. Every gift counts! No gift is too bigor too small.
Please contact me to learn more about the Village of Allapattah YMCA Family Center & Preschool, and if you would like a tour of the Allapattah Y.
Excelsior,
Richard
