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How the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana is making a bigger impact in our community.

BY SEVA MAY

The Shreveport YMCA has a rich history dating back to the 1880s. You could say that our Y has come a long way since those early days. The YMCA was founded on Christian principles and has been providing services to the community for over a century. As the old song goes, the downtown Shreveport YMCA of yesteryear was a fun place to stay. Young men could rent rooms by the week or the day. Today, the YMCA of Northwest Louisiana continues to serve the community with a variety of programs and services, including fitness for all ages, personal training, aquatics, and youth sports. The Y of today is a fun place to play.

And the playing just got even better due to extremely generous state capital outlay money, 2 million from Caddo Parish, and 1.5 million from the city of Shreveport, and significant corporate and private donors. With these funds the Y was able to purchase the land that sits adjacent to the BHP YMCA where the Little League Baseball fields are located. By working with the Little League organization and making significant ballpark improvements, the new addition to the BHP YMCA campus stands ready to hit a home run.

With sports tourism booming nationwide, Shreveport can at last become competitive in attracting baseball tournaments to our area. The Y plans to have 20 to 30 of these youth baseball and softball tournaments that will attract teams from across the southern states. A study by the Sports Commission projects a 5-milliondollar economic impact just in the first year. Think of the vendor opportunities, the hotel rooms booked out, and the business to our restaurants this baseball complex will bring. Think of the memories shared by teammates as parents and families pack the grandstands with their crackerjacks and peanuts to watch their athlete shine. Baseball isn’t the only activity in the Y’s portfolio. With its wide range of youth sports leagues and camps, the Y provides opportunities for youth to improve their skills, make new friends, and be active. Other sports offerings include soccer, volleyball, flag football, and basketball. These programs provide children with opportunities to learn specific skills in a supportive environment, while also emphasizing the importance of leadership, teamwork, and cooperation. In addition to sports leagues and camps, the Y offers general day camps, providing a range of activities such as arts and crafts, organized games, outdoor recreation, and more.

The non-profit organization values the well-being of all individuals in the community. The “Y” also provides financial assistance to those in need through its Y Cares Program. This program is based on family income, household size, and the availability of YMCA funds. The YMCA of Northwest Louisiana is working to be where the community needs it the most, expanding its services to our residents with Parkinson’s with two different offerings – Rock Steady Boxing which studies suggest may be “neuro-protective” (slow disease progression) and a Parkinson’s Aquatic Group program. The YMCA of Northwest Louisiana has also recently partnered with Feist-Weiller to offer a new exercise program to our cancer survivers, entitled Y Thrivers. The goal of this new program is to meet each person exactly where they are in their cancer recovery, by offering them a safe and encouraging environment, where they grow in spirit, mind, and body.

Our Y has always been known for its swimming program. Many a parent has enjoyed getting in the pool with their babies for that first lesson and watching that older child finish with a good time in competition racing.

The Northwest Louisiana YMCA also offers aquatics programs and swim lessons for individuals of all ages. For children ages 3-12, the focus is on teaching essential swimming skills and water safety. The YMCA also offers a competitive, USA Swimming registered, age group swim team for members. It is the largest competitive swim team in the area. In addition to swim lessons, the Shreveport Y offers aquatics programs such as water aerobics and aquatic therapy to help individuals improve their physical health and well-being. With water safety at the forefront of every parent’s mind and as a response to the numerous drownings in our area, the Y developed a Safety Around Water – Swim for Life program. During each academic year, every single Caddo Parish second grader receives water safety training for four days at the Y. Caddo Parish buses a different school of second graders to the Y every week from Monday-Thursday. The YMCA of Northwest Louisiana recently completed year five of its Swim For

Life program with more than 15,000 Caddo Parish second graders receiving this critical instruction.

The Shreveport YMCA also offers youth leadership and service programs, connecting kids to their potential, purpose, and each other so they can shape communities. Through leadership programs, the YMCA strives to ensure that every young person has an opportunity to envision and pursue a positive future. These programs provide opportunities for youth to develop important life skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and decision-making, while also emphasizing the importance of service and giving back to the community. Overall, the Shreveport Y’s youth development programs provide a range of opportunities for youth to learn, grow, and thrive. Programs such as “Shreveport-Bossier: My City, My Community, My Home,” is a new initiative that launched in February of 2022 to combat a growing sense of community apathy and low self-esteem. The initiative consists of two components – periodic panel discussions and a weekly podcast interview series. The purpose of the initiative is to create more awareness around the positive aspects of our community to help it cultivate a healthier self-image. The Y also wants to leverage its position as a community center to bring people together to address some of the challenges the Shreveport-Bossier community is facing.

The YMCA of Northwest Louisiana is an organization that’s really the best version of ourselves. It’s a place that has been around a long time, helping to bring us together as a community, building character in our young people and teaching values to our families. And it just keeps getting better. In October 2021, the YMCA broke ground on its third facility in Shreveport, located in the Camp Forbing Marketplace. The 44,000 square foot complex will feature a swimming pool, athletic fields, and plenty of space for various programs. The new facility was made possible by a generous donor who wished to name the complex the Lash Family YMCA, a fitting gesture since Gary and Renee Lash have been instrumental in furthering the mission of the Northwest Louisiana YMCA. With these exciting additions and expansion of programs and services, the YMCA will continue to serve even more individuals in the Shreveport Bossier community. We can hardly wait to help the Downtown YMCA celebrate its 100th birthday in 2025. Who knows what may happen between now and then.

Rendering of YMCA Athletic Complex.

Summer/Ballfield must haves: Summer/Ballfield must haves:

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1. 2chic sunglasses and Bracelet Hair Ties. It’s easier to tell the strikes from the balls with the sun out of your eyes and your hair pulled back in trendy hair ties.

2. Lola Travel Bag: A stylish tote big enough to carry all your ballfield necessities. 3. Powder adjustable size hat: Stay cool, look cool with a comfortable, flexible hat. 4. Swig & Brumate: Hot or cold, your beverages will never taste better or stay fresher.

5. Swig Life BOXX 24 Cooler: Keep your snacks and drinks crisp and chilled for those long hours at the game. 6. Umbrella: You can’t predict Louisiana weather, but you can handle it with a playful umbrella. 7. Wfan Yoga Sirocco HandsFree: Keep a cool head (and neck) and have your hands free to rally your ball player. 8. Don’t forget sunblock. Don’t forget SUNBLOCK! - Items from Jolie Blonde Gifts

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