LESSONS THAT CHANGE LIVES
Also inside this issue:
MEET NEW CEO DAN DUMMERMUTH, p. 8 LIVING THE MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA, p.10
DVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE CONNECTING EOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES CARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION FULL CIRCLE RIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING KNOWLEDGE UNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NATURE CAMP NURTURE THE POTENTIAL OUTDOOR CTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSH-UPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCCER WIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN VOLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT EXPRESSION OUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC CHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE CONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES ARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION FULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING KNOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NATURE CAMP NURTURE THE POTENTIAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSHUPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCCER SWIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN OLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT EXPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND OVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE ONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES CARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION ULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING NOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NURTURE THE POTENTIAL NATURE CAMP OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSH-UPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OCCER SWIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN VOLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT XPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC CHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE CONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES ARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION FULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING KNOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NATURE CAMP NURTURE THE POTENTIAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSHUPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCCER SWIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN OLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT EXPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND OVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE ONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES CARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION ULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING NOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NATURE CAMP NURTURE THE POTENTIAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSH-UPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OCCER SWIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN VOLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT XPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC CHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE CONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES With programs from AEXERCISE to Z—athletics to advocacy, dance classes ARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EDUCATION FULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING to KNOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS to disease prevention, volleyball volunteerism—we don’t just MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NATURE CAMP NURTURE THE POTENTIAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSHstrengthen individuals, we strengthen ourTEAMWORK community. UPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCCER SWIMMING TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN OLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT EXPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND OVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE ONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES CARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION ULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING NOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES MILITARY OUTREACH NURTURE THE POTENTIAL NATURE CAMP OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER ADULT WELLNESS PUSH-UPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OCCER SWIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN VOLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT XPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC CHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE CONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES ARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION FULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING KNOWLEDGE LUNGES LEADERSHIP MENTORS MUSCLES ™ ADULT WELLNESS PUSHMILITARY OUTREACH NATURE CAMP NURTURE THE POTENTIAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OLDER UPS QUALITY FAMILY TIME REBUILD SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY SOCCER SWIMMING TEAMWORK TENNIS UNLIMITED FUN OLLEYBALL VOLUNTEERISM WELL-BEING RESPECT EXPRESSION YOUTH DEVELOPMENT YOUTH SPORTS YOUTH AND OVERNMENT ZIPLINE ADVOCACY ATHLETICS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AFTER BREAST CANCER BASKETBALL CONFIDENCE ONNECTING PEOPLE CHILD CARE CHANGING LIVES CARING DIABETES PREVENTION DISCOVERY EXERCISE EDUCATION ULL CIRCLE FRIENDSHIP FAMILY FUN GROW GROUP WELLNESS GUIDANCE HEALTHY COOKING HEALTHY LIVING
BECAUSE YOU GIVE
MORE IS POSSIBLE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
Learn more at GIVE.YMCAMIDTN.ORG
The Y. So Much More
Swim lessons are just one of the many ways the YMCA helps kids reach their full potential. See where our Y helped more than 110,000 youth learn, grow and thrive in 2013.
STRATEGIES FOR A STRONGER COMMUNITY
The YMCA of Middle Tennessee welcomed new CEO Dan Dummermuth earlier this year. Learn more about where he hopes to lead our Y in the years ahead.
A WORLDWIDE CHARITABLE FELLOWSHIP
The important work of the YMCA extends not only to our neighbors in the region, the state, and the country—but to the world as well. Our CFO reports back from South Africa on the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s joint efforts to serve the country’s communities in need.
SEEKING TO BE GOOD STEWARDS
As a large nonprofit, the YMCA strives to be efficient with the funds we’re given so that we can give that much more back. Now, a more streamlined approach to purchasing is helping us fulfill that mission.
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CREATIVE DIRECTION
Teen storytellers are getting creative—and gaining confidence—with the guidance and resources offered through the Northwest Family YMCA’s Le’Vasseur Multimedia Center.
GOOD GOVERNANCE
The YMCA of Middle Tennessee has updated its governance policies in order to better respond to our community’s needs.
A SPIRIT OF SERVICE
They ask for nothing—but their work means everything. Meet the special volunteers who have lived out the Y’s mission across our centers and programs this past year.
PEDALING TO GOOD HEALTH
The YMCA’s groundbreaking sponsorship of a bike-sharing kiosk outside the Downtown YMCA is encouraging downtown workers and residents to incorporate healthy activity into their day.
© 2014 YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE Publisher Jessica Fain Editor Keith Russell Written by David Wells, Tonya Kimbrough, and Rob Ivy Photography by Jason Tucker and Lindsay Merwin Design by David Read and Ashley Oaks
SUMMER/FALL 2014
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IMPACT
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PICTURE THIS: SERVING YOUTH
Swimming is more than a sport, or a way to cool off in the summer. It’s a life-saving skill—and one that we believe children should learn as early as possible. Find out about how the Y is providing kids of all ages with access to great instruction and the chance to compete in the pool this summer season.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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LESSONS THAT CHANGE LIVES
Table of Contents
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IN FOCUS
LESSONS THAT CHANGE LIVES
LESSONS THAT CHANGE LIVES
Each year, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s swim lesson programs help thousands of kids learn the critical skills they need to be safe in the water. By David Wells
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or a while, it seemed that all Daniel McNamara wanted to do was play video games. But over the last three years, the 9-year-old has spent less time on the couch and more time in the pool at the Donelson-Hermitage Family YMCA.
Daniel’s story is just one of the many across Middle Tennessee of how the Y is improving physical fitness and saving lives through its aquatics programs.
Daniel, who has autism, had never enjoyed playing team sports as much as his younger sister, so his mother Diane signed him up for swim lessons at the Y to encourage him to be more physically active.
According to a 2010 CDC study, drowning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the U.S., especially among African-American youth, who are three times more likely to drown than other young swimmers.
During the spring, Diane and Daniel began to discuss his future with swimming, and at the encouragement of his instructor, Daniel decided to try out for the swim team. “He started cross country out of school, and he didn’t like it,” Diane says. “So we told him if he made the swim team, he didn’t have to do that. He has really liked it so far; he’s had good progress.”
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YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
A life-saving skill
Swim lessons greatly reduce the risk across the board, especially for children ages 1 to 4, who lower their risk by as much as 88% when taking lessons. The Y’s Learn to Swim program teaches children safe practices and basic strokes under the careful supervision of instructors trained and certified by Ellis & Associates—all at no cost to their families.
A major reason for the Y’s success in fostering such an environment is the dedication of volunteer coaches like Lisa Mellott.
“It’s an essential life skill that everyone should know,” says Scott Tuttle, aquatics director at the Margaret Maddox Family YMCA. “Water’s an everyday thing. You could drown in a bathtub.”
Lisa came to the Putnam County Family YMCA when her daughter signed up for a swim team. When her daughter’s former coach resigned to go back to school, Lisa volunteered.
Fannie Battle Finds the Y
After spending her whole life swimming on her own, coaching has become Lisa’s passion.
Since 2011, the Margaret Maddox Y has partnered with Fannie Battle Day Care in East Nashville to provide lessons three times a week during its summer camp. After receiving a grant, the daycare had long desired to organize a swim program for its youth but struggled to find a safe swim environment close to home. Nearby facilities were often vandalized, while alternative pools were far away. Then Fannie Battle found the Y. “Obviously, one of the convenient factors about the Margaret Maddox Y is that it’s right here in East Nashville,” says Sara Longhini, executive director for Fannie Battle. “For us, any local partner is convenient.” Longhini says the swim program is one of the most popular activities at the summer camp. “I think our kids would be devastated if they couldn’t go,” she says, “and I think at this point it would be difficult to go back to what we used to do when working with the Y has been so perfect.”
Rewards for coaches and participants As youth and teen swimmers move beyond the basics, the Y provides them with an outlet to further their skills and speed in the water through its swim teams. Teens learn the value of friendly competition in an encouraging and uplifting environment that celebrates both individual and team efforts.
IN FOCUS
LESSONS THAT CHANGE LIVES
Meanwhile, The Y’s fee-based swim lesson program taught more than 8,700 youth how to be safe in the water in 2013.
“I like everything,” she says. “I think it’s the reward of seeing the kids at the meets, watching them improve. I like seeing them get better and better each week.”
The best of both worlds Whether it’s providing state-of-the-art aquatics facilities for free swim or helping children learn water safety, the Y’s aquatics programs are making a difference every day. In Daniel McNamara’s case, the Y has not only taught him water safety and helped him grow as a swimmer—it’s taught him something he can use for the rest of his life. “The competition is great,” Diane McNamara says. “Being part of a team is great for everybody, but the best part was that through the Y swim program, they were able to gain confidence in the water and do something their entire lives.”
Daniel McNamara poses with his swimming instructor at the DonelsonHermitage Family YMCA.
SUMMER/FALL 2014
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PICTURE THIS
SERVING YOUTH
SERVING YOUTH
Swim lessons are just one of the many ways the YMCA helps kids reach their full potential. See where our Y helped more than 110,000 youth learn, grow and thrive in 2013.
OUR IMPACT TOTAL YOUTH REACHED:
110,728
INSTILLED CHARACTER VALUES AND LIFE SKILLS
in 37,681 youth and teens who participated in YMCA programs designed to promote healthy exercise and nutrition habits as well as the Y’s core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.
PROVIDED CRITICAL BEFORE- AND AFTER-SCHOOL CARE to 9,723 participants in YMCA Fun Co.
PREVENTED SUMMER LEARNING LOSS
by allowing 6,604 youth the chance to experience the magic and adventure of summer camp.
TAUGHT LIFE-SAVING SWIM LESSONS to 8,758 youth and teens
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YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
DISPATCHES
CREATIVE DIRECTION
CREATIVE DIRECTION By David Wells
Teens at the Northwest Y learn what it takes to make a movie—and take their filmmaking talents all the way to the Nashville Film Festival.
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very day, millions of children post videos that they make online. But thanks to a new media center at the Northwest Family YMCA and its partnership with the Nashville Film Festival, youth in the north Nashville community had the chance to see their projects on the big screen. Made possible by a generous donation by the Le’Vasseur family, the Northwest Y opened the Alex Le’Vasseur Multimedia Center & Lounge as part of its ongoing efforts to nurture the potential of local youth. Last fall, the Le’Vasseur Center hosted Livin’ Reel, the Nashville Film Festival’s 12-week program that gives teens the chance to experience the world of video production and moviemaking firsthand. “The primary goal is to continue to introduce students to the arts and introduce students to career paths, as well,” says Aaron McGee, program director for the Le’Vasseur Center. Teenagers ages 11 to 17 who enrolled in Livin’ Reel learned about the different aspects of making a short film from local film students and industry professionals over the course of the program, including writing a script, working behind the camera, acting and editing the final cut of the movie. The film’s creative direction was shaped by the participants’ life stories and by scenes they improvised under the direction of their instructors. Once the film was completed, the participants and their families and friends walked the red carpet at the Nashville Film Festival in April, where the movie was screened at the Regal Cinemas in Green Hills.
Carolyn McDonald, director of Livin’ Reel, says that teens who participated in the program not only learned how to create a film; they also developed confidence. “I get so much out of watching the transformation in the kids,” she says. “You see kids come in that barely want to talk and don’t understand the process, but by the time you see it on paper, they say, ‘Those are my words.’” But that’s not the only way that the Le’Vasseur Center is making a difference. Throughout the year, the center provides children access to professional equipment they might have never encountered elsewhere, and any youth at the Y can work with it under the supervision of a student intern. Some of that equipment includes iMac computers with professional media production software (such as Pro Tools and Final Cut X), a green screen and a recording studio, in addition to Sony cameras and other professional equipment. The Le’Vasseur Center will also host its own programs, as it did with young children last summer. “We conducted media camp over the summer here as a trial run and focused on the power of storytelling,” McGee said. “We pulled a script offline, ‘The Three Little Pigs,’ and they decided what they wanted the set to look like, what they wanted the costumes to look like. “So we challenge them once they start the project to finish the project.”
The Le’Vasseur Center is open to students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, contact Aaron McGee at 615-255-9622 ext. 72327.
SUMMER/FALL 2014
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FEATURES
STRATEGIES FOR A STRONGER COMMUNITY
STRATEGIES FOR A STRONGER COMMUNITY A strategic leader Dan Dummermuth, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s new president and CEO, has returned to Tennessee to help our Y address our community’s most important challenges.
W
hether it’s been in the rolling hills of Tennessee, the deserts of Arizona or in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, Dan Dummermuth has built a career focused on helping YMCAs respond to their communities’ unique needs. Now, both Dan and the YMCA of Middle Tennessee are excited about his opportunity to help chart a strong and sustainable future as our Y’s new president and chief executive officer. Dummermuth succeeded former CEO Journey Johnson, who retired at the end of 2013 after a 35-year Y career. Dummermuth most recently served as the president and CEO of the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region, but he is no stranger to Middle Tennessee. After starting his career in 1986 with the Valley of the Sun YMCA in Phoenix, Ariz., he joined the YMCA of Middle Tennessee and served as a group vice president based at the Franklin Family YMCA until 2001. Following his tenure with the Middle Tennessee association, Dummermuth returned to Arizona to accept another group vice president position. In 2003 he was named senior vice president/COO of the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado and in 2010 became the association’s president and CEO. Dummermuth has an M.S. from the University of South Dakota and received his B.A. from South Dakota State University, where he also played college football and baseball. He and his wife Gwen are the proud parents of an adult daughter, Dani, who resides in Fort Collins, Colo.
Former YMCA of Middle Tennessee board chair Marty Dickens says Dan’s passion for the Y mission and demonstrated strategic leadership made him the unanimous choice of the volunteer-led CEO Search Committee. “Dan’s leadership of the Pikes Peak Y is a testament to his ability to identify what makes the Y most relevant in its community and deploy its available resources in a way that accomplishes the most good. We are extremely confident in Dan’s ability to lead our Y in its next chapter of service to the Middle Tennessee community.” As CEO in Pikes Peak, Dan’s commitment to the Y’s cause of strengthening community, and his ability to identify and deliver on strategic priorities, helped better position the organization to respond to its community’s most current challenges while ensuring a sustainable future. Under his leadership, the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region not only grew membership at local YMCAs and participation in Y programs, but also forged unique collaborations with the City of Colorado Springs to expand Y services to municipal recreation centers and outdoor aquatics facilities. Last year, Dummermuth entered the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region into an innovative partnership with Penrose St. Francis Health Services and The Boldt Company to build a 21st century health village at the Tri-Lakes YMCA Family Center. A groundbreaking for the Tri-Lakes Community Health Village in Monument, Colo., was held in January, and when the facility opens, it will provide a full circle of care in one location, combining Y health and wellness programs with primary care, urgent care, specialty care, diagnostic services, occupational health, medicallysupervised fitness, weight management, healthy home environment support, a demonstration kitchen and holistic medicine. (Continued next page)
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YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Since his first day on the job in early March, Dummermuth has focused on re-acquainting himself with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s centers and programs. He’s also visited with a wide range of staff, volunteers and community leaders to get a better understanding of how our Y can best fulfill its mission. “It’s clear that our YMCA is providing a full menu of muchneeded programs and services to the communities we serve,” Dummermuth says. “We mean so much to so many, but we also have so much potential to make an even greater and lasting impact in our community in the years ahead.”
Setting priorities To help us reach our potential, Dummermuth says it’s critical for our Y to “clearly define our strategic priorities in a way that will accomplish our mission and maximize our impact within the resources we have available to us.” While noting that it will still take him some more time to fully assess the organization’s strengths, gaps and opportunities, he has established the following action items as immediate priorities: • Enhance the value of Y memberships to the key populations we serve: youth, teens, adults, families and seniors. • Invest in the professional and personal development of YMCA staff through a comprehensive training and leadership development strategy/plan. To lead this effort, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee recently hired Cathy Robinson to the new position of vice president of leadership and staff development. • Ensure the strength of our organization by developing a 5-year financial plan which will provide us the road map to achieve our mission and corresponding strategic priorities, while maintaining solid fiscal stewardship. • Develop a plan to increase corporate membership and expand the Y’s work around worksite wellness by being less transactional and more relational by developing a true partnership with companies in our community. • Engage and connect with our members on a deeper level by positioning our staff for greater success in supporting our members on their journey to holistic wellness and meeting their goals. • Introduce a new governance model for the Association Board and Center Advisory Boards to allow us to leverage our board members’ expertise and to engage them to a higher degree to help us advance the mission of our organization throughout the communities we serve. “Every day, Ys across the country have a chance to create real and lasting change, and I’m honored to again be part of that work in Middle Tennessee,” Dummermuth says. “We’re part of a phenomenal organization that enhances the quality of life for so many individuals and families. “It is an honor and privilege to serve alongside our staff and volunteers as we strive to maintain our relevancy in addressing the changing needs of our community while never straying from our mission.”
DISPATCHES
GOOD GOVERNANCE
Listening and learning
GOOD
GOVERNANCE The YMCA of Middle Tennessee has updated its committee structure and governing processes in an effort to help our Y continue to make efficient and thoughtful decisions for the good of our membership and community. Our Y’s corporate charter and bylaws were last amended more than a decade ago. During that time, there have been changes both to Tennessee law and the Y’s own governing practices. That realization led the Executive Committee of the Y’s Association Board to appoint a joint staff/volunteer task force to review the current charter and bylaws and recommend changes to keep the organization current with the best practices of other leading nonprofits. Early in 2013, the task force made several recommendations with the intent of streamlining the way our Y considers important decisions. They included the elimination of “voting members,” clarification of board and staff officers and the specification of standing board committees. “These changes will help clarify the path that certain corporate actions need to take for passage, and will streamline the process for electing board members and conducting other corporate transactions,” explains Peter Oldham, the Y’s chief administrative officer and a task force member. Other task force members included volunteers Frank Drowota, Leilani Boulware and Jonathan Cole, and Association Attorney Stephanie Frey, who oversees the YMCA’s governance policies. The Association Board approved the changes earlier this year, and the voting members approved them in June.
SUMMER/FALL 2014
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FEATURES
A WORLDWIDE CHARITABLE FELLOWSHIP
At least 15 kids gather in this 12-by-15 room at the Embizweni Day Care Centre in the Motsoaledi shanty town in Johannesburg.
A WORLDWIDE CHARITABLE FELLOWSHIP The YMCA’s commitment to building community reaches far beyond Middle Tennessee—and all the way to the other side of the world. Our chief financial officer, Rob Ivy, shares more about the Y’s 10-year effort to serve children and families in communities all over South Africa. By Rob Ivy, Chief Financial Officer
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n March, I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa to represent our association alongside 25 other Y staff and volunteers from nine large Y associations around the United States. This group comprises a Y-USA coalition formed a decade ago to help support and sustain the YMCAs in South Africa. Our Middle Tennessee delegation also included BJ Keener, Trudy Carpenter (Executive Committee member) and Simon Henley (South African born Nashvillian and member of our International Committee). I want to share with you the reasons for and lessons from our trip, and what all of this means for our Y.
Understanding South Africa’s history A few weeks before departing, I started reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, which I highly recommend, as well as the movie Invictus. These works opened my eyes to “the struggle” and gave me an appreciation for why South Africa’s political and cultural issues run so profoundly deep. For nearly 50 years, the country’s native population suffered the injustice of Apartheid (Dutch word meaning “the state of being apart”), a system of government-sponsored racial and economic segregation and discrimination. Apartheid stopped short of the brutality and debasement of slavery in America—but not by much. Imagine a United States where no Civil War ever occurred and where the oppressed represent 90% of the population. That was South Africa a mere 20 years ago when Apartheid fell due to the heroic efforts of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and many others. A lot has changed in 20 years, but many challenges still linger. Extreme economic disparity, sky-high crime and unemployment rates, and a lack of government resources are contributing to a growing youth crisis in South Africa. Unlike in Tennessee, youth obesity is not an issue in South Africa. For most youth, getting fed is a much bigger concern than getting fit. Notwithstanding this difference, their primary challenges are similar to those faced by youth in urban Nashville: poverty, gang pressure, substance abuse, domestic violence and poor education. But for South Africa, the problems are magnified because there are significantly more youth on the streets. The country’s millennials (ages 14-35) represent 42% of the population (versus 25% in the U.S.), and more than 40% of this group is unemployed (versus approximately 15% in the U.S.).
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YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
As a result of these statistics, the YMCA Movement in South Africa has its work cut out for it, but it is making slow yet steady progress. Since almost all funding was historically sourced from the government, most South African nonprofits did not survive the fall of Apartheid in 1994. The YMCA was fortunate to do so; however, its infrastructure and reputation were decimated. Beginning in 2004, nine large Y associations across the U.S. (including Middle Tennessee) locked arms and agreed to help, providing funding and expertise. Over the last decade, we have sent five delegations to the country in support of this initiative, and have witnessed the rebirth of the South African YMCA movement (SAYMCA).
FEATURES
A WORLDWIDE CHARITABLE FELLOWSHIP
The South African YMCA Movement
Their nine chartered YMCA branches are affecting lives every day through five signature programs: • Y-Zone After School Care: Making sure kids stay in school and off the streets • Y-Arts Enrichment: Building character through creative experiences • Y-Justice: Reducing recidivism among youth offenders • Y-Health: Supporting communities in developing healthy lifestyles • Local Action Groups: Teaching community involvement, leadership, and civic responsibility The leaders of the SAYMCA are well on their way to fulfilling their mission statement: “Informed by Christian values, we seek to prepare young people for life, leadership and service through focused development and sustainable programs.” Yet they still need our help—perhaps now more than ever. In order to become sustainable, they must seek to develop a donor base in a country with no culture of philanthropy, they must create revenue-producing service offerings in a country where disposable income is scarce, and they must attract quality staff leadership who are willing to work for a fraction of their value in the market. As our coalition enters its next phase, we will be discussing how to best partner with the SAYMCA to help them meet these challenges.
What does South Africa have to do with our YMCA? Upon returning, I have spent many hours reflecting on my time in South Africa. It was a humbling and perspective-building experience. Before the trip, many of my fellow staff, friends and buddies from my Maryland Farms YMCA boot camp class asked me, “so what does South Africa have to do with our Y?” I didn’t have a good answer for them then, but now I think I do.
BJ Keener, executive director of the Donelson-Hermitage Family YMCA, reads to a group of children at the Y-Zone program at the Cape Flats YMCA outside of Cape Town.
At the Y, we seek to enrich our community through Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility. The key is how one defines community. For me, this brief view of South Africa reflected through the lens of John 17:21 has magnified that definition considerably. In this foundational verse—part of Jesus’ final prayer before heading to the cross—He prays that “the world” will believe and know Him, so that they all may be one. That’s how Jesus defined his community: the world. If we are to truly live out our mission of being a worldwide charitable fellowship, that must be our definition as well.
Rob hangs out with some of the youth in the Y-Zone program at the Cape Flats YMCA outside of Cape Town. Eight U.S. associations sent representatives to the Mamelodi Y on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Here they are pictured with Sipho Sokehla, national general secretary of the YMCA of South Africa, and local staff and volunteers. SUMMER/FALL 2014
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FEATURES
SEEKING TO BE GOOD STEWARDS
SEEKING TO BE GOOD STEWARDS
With a leaner model for purchasing, the Y is saving money—and that means more dollars go back to the community we serve. By Tonya Kimbrough
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s a nonprofit committed to having a long-term impact in our community, we know it’s critical for our Y to be a good steward of our financial resources. That’s why the past years have seen our Y’s finance team start several initiatives that are now saving the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in eliminated waste and improved efficiencies. “One area where we saw an immediate opportunity for savings was in purchasing. Previously, many centers were contracting individually for services, and by consolidating this purchasing power we are able to drive better pricing,” says Rob Ivy, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s chief financial officer. “The bottom line is you shouldn’t pay more than you have to for items that are commodities.” The initiative began about two years ago when the Y formed a partnership with Alliance Cost Containment (ACC), an industry leader with a local presence that specializes in data-driven purchasing processes that help organizations like ours find significant cost savings. There are a few others who do what they do, but Louisville-based Alliance and its network of Southeast and Midwest vendors was particularly attractive to the Y’s finance team.
Stretching the Savings The YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s partnership with ACC has resulted in cumulative cost savings as high as 54% in several parts of our operations:
“We could have centralized purchasing on our own, but we couldn’t get the price leverage ACC is able to bring,” says Ivy. “Through relationships they have with vendors and the size of their existing client base, they are able to bring prices down significantly more than we could on our own.”
7%
Another benefit of engaging ACC has been that it has not required the Y to take up additional staff resources or time. Alliance has integrated into our process and become part of the Y team. As part of our contract, ACC employee Justin Hines works on-site at our Association office full-time to service our account.
Courier Services
9% Janitorial Supplies 12% Pool Chemicals 21% Coffee Supplies 21% Office Products Control 31% Pest Services
54% Waste Management 12
In early 2012, ACC audited the Y’s purchasing and identified three key areas where savings could be realized quickly: janitorial supplies, office supplies and waste removal. The audit estimated the Y could save more than $100,000 in these three areas alone during the first year.
YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Hines works with our centers to negotiate with vendors on our behalf. Centers are given the choice to opt out of the plan for a specific category but are then provided with a “lost savings” report, indicating what they could have saved if they had gone with Alliance’s recommendations. Adoption is now nearly 100%, and has come through providing information on what centers are spending and saving (or could be saving) over time. Through our partnership with Alliance, the Y exceeded our firstyear goal, saving nearly $150,000 in the three initial target areas in 2012. In 2013, six more categories for recurring purchases were added to the initiative. In all, we expect to see savings approaching $1.5 million over three years.
To streamline purchases that were not able to be invoiced, the Y partnered with Fifth Third Bank in May 2012 to introduce a new purchase card or “P-card” system to replace all former bank charge cards and most merchant credit accounts. This system was further enhanced in July 2013 by the addition of an integrated e-payables system that allows payments to invoice vendors via card by issuing secure, onetime use “virtual card numbers” for payment. Our vendors get paid faster and we get a rebate—a “win win.” Through these programs, the Y saved more than $150,000 in 2013 via rebates and elimination of late fees on charge accounts. “Fifth Third has been a wonderful partner and we are extremely pleased with the convenience and savings that have resulted from our card payables program” says Ivy.
The partnership with Alliance Cost Containment is just one of several ways our Y is working to be better stewards of our financial resources. A few additional examples include:
Energy Efficiency Energy-saving lighting installed at several facilities by the Y’s property team has helped the organization receive $114,000 in TVA rebates and is expected to continue producing annual savings of $100,000 to $120,000. In addition, the Y has partnered with Trammel Bell, an energy-savings solutions company, to add additional equipment that is expected to save at least 8% annually on electricity while improving the overall efficiency of our facilities’ power systems.
FEATURES
Improved Purchasing Systems
SEEKING TO BE GOOD STEWARDS
Counting More Ways to Save
Bottle Stations Thanks to the installation of water bottle fill stations, our Y has saved more than 1.2 million plastic water bottles.
InnerWorkings Partnership Through an introduction by ACC, we recently signed a contract with global brand delivery provider InnerWorkings, which helps drive significant cost savings by streamlining our purchasing practices and processes in the area of printed materials, staff apparel and promotional items (basically anything with a Y logo). InnerWorkings helped us save more than $20,000 on our year-end member t-shirt order as compared to prior years, while getting us higher quality shirts and free warehousing and distribution. As with ACC, our contract with InnerWorkings provides a full-time outsourced print manager who works on-site at our YMCA. SUMMER/FALL 2014
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DISPATCHES
A SPIRIT OF SERVICE
A SPIRIT OF SERVICE
John Gromos
Linda Still
Bellevue Family YMCA and FiftyForward J.L. Turner Center
Maryland Farms YMCA
Greg Davis
Mt. Juliet YMCA
Brentwood Family YMCA
Allison Gossett
Danielle Drueck Robert Hopkins
Center for Civic Engagement
North Rutherford YMCA Ronald Reagan Family Center
Lisa Gordon
Karen Anderson-Isbel
Christ Church YMCA
Northwest Family YMCA
Jeff Burkhart
Walter F. Carlson III
Clarksville Area YMCA Kimbrough Family Center
Putnam County Family YMCA
Since the organization’s founding in 1875, dedicated volunteers have worked to strengthen their community by being part of the YMCA. This past year’s Volunteers of the Year come from a wide range of backgrounds and interests—from young professionals to retirees dedicated to fostering a sense of community in their local neighborhood.
Rick Baker
Restore Ministries
“Whether it’s the caring adult who takes the time to mentor a youth sports participant, or the wellness coach who offers encouragement to a first-time exerciser or the donor who makes it possible for a family to afford a Y membership— every contribution made by our volunteers is important,” says YMCA of Middle Tennessee President and CEO Dan Dummermuth. “We are so grateful for our more than 2,800 volunteers, who led the way in 2013 to make a lasting and positive impact in their communities by being part of the Y. We couldn’t accomplish our mission without them.”
Elizabeth Moore Keltner
T
he YMCA of Middle Tennessee was privileged to name 24 Volunteers of the Year for 2013, honoring those who have given of their time, talent and financial resources to advance the Y’s charitable mission. The Volunteers of the Year were recognized as part of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s Annual Celebration on April 22.
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2013 YMCA of Middle Tennessee Volunteers of the Year
YMCA OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Donelson-Hermitage Family YMCA
Theresa Garrett Downtown YMCA
Gerald (Jerry) Brase Franklin Family YMCA
Green Hills Family YMCA
Howard McAdams Harding Place Family YMCA
William Hastings
Beverly Totty Ann Schneider Robertson County Family YMCA
Holly Sneed Rutherford County Family YMCA
Charles Taylor YMCA School Age Services
Tammy Hayes Sumner County Family YMCA
Brittany Melvin
Joe C. Davis YMCA Outdoor Center
YMCA Urban Services Youth Development Center (USYDC)
Stacy Andrick
Monte Turner
Margaret Maddox Family YMCA
Y-CAP YMCA
DISPATCHES
PEDALING TO GOOD HEALTH
PEDALING TO GOOD HEALTH
The Downtown YMCA’s B-cycle kiosk is making the journey from point A to point B easier—and healthier—than ever. By David Wells
A
healthy lifestyle begins with making simple changes in our daily routines. Maybe that means taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Reaching for the running shoes instead of the remote. Or switching up our daily commute. Thanks to the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s partnership with Nashville B-cycle, it’s now even more simple for those who live and work downtown to trade in a set of four wheels—for two. For the past year, the Y has sponsored a B-cycle kiosk just outside the Downtown YMCA as part of Nashville’s bike-sharing program designed to encourage active transportation for downtown residents. “The Y wanted to get involved because of our commitment to improving health,” said Ted Cornelius, the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s vice president of health innovation. “The B-cycle program was not only helping support the health of those in Nashville, but also the health of our employees. They might choose to go biking or walking as opposed to jumping in a car. “It’s just another opportunity to improve the health of our employees and improve the health of those in our community.”
Leading the cause The Downtown Y was the first private organization to sponsor a bike kiosk after Nashville unveiled its B-cycle program in December 2012, which was funded as part of a $7.5 million grant from the CDC to combat obesity and encourage active living in the Nashville area. Currently, there are 23 B-cycle stations in and around downtown where residents and tourists can rent bicycles to get to work, get a workout or enjoy a leisurely ride. Eventually, the city hopes to have 40 kiosks in the program. Cornelius said that both the Y and the city are encouraging other private organizations to sponsor the remaining kiosks. “We are in conversations right now with other partners to see how more can join the cause,” Cornelius said. David Read, along with some co-workers at the Y’s Association offices, began using the B-cycle kiosk outside the Downtown Y soon after it opened. Read says the B-cycle is a more convenient way to get around the city. He’s used it to grab lunch with his fellow employees, explore the city and quickly run errands without having to get in the car. “I like to get out,” he says. “I hadn’t ridden a bike since I was a kid. Riding around is a good break in the day. You never forget how.” And Read isn’t the only one enjoying the new station. According to B-cycle, the Y’s kiosk has been used more than 2,000 times since its launch. B-cycles are available to rent on a day-by-day basis or through larger memberships. Fees begin at $5 for a 24-hour pass. To see a map of all the kiosks and get more information, visit nashville.bcycle.com. SUMMER/FALL 2014
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS William B. Lee, Chair Leilani Boulware, Secretary Randy Laszewski, Treasurer DeCosta Jenkins, Asst. Treasurer Liz Allbritton
Walter Knestrick
Lawson Allen
Ronald F. Knox, Jr.
Carter Andrews
Walker Mathews
H. Lee Barfield II
Pat McGuigan
Kelley Beaman
Rob McNeilly
Lee Beaman
Clayton McWhorter
David Bohan
John Ed Miller
Dr. Elbert Brooks
Tom Ozburn
Trudy Carpenter
Doyle Rippee
George H. Cate
Joseph Saoud
Ramon Cisneros
Glenn Sheriff
Jonathan Cole
Rev. Bob Spain
Florence Davis
Barbara Sutton
Bill DeLoache
Brett Sweet
Marty Dickens
Carter Todd
Frank Drowota
William E. Turner, Jr.
Jack Elisar
Louis Upkins
Rich Ford
William B. Wadlington, MD
Sandra Fulton
David Wilds
Homer B. Gibbs, Jr.
James A. Webb III
Roupen M. Gulbenk
Olin West III
James W. Granbery
Lari White
Bill Henderson
David Wilson
Sen. Douglas Henry
William M. Wilson
Bill Hudson
CENTER CHAIRS Tonya Robbins, Bellevue Jayne Wochomurka, Brentwood Colin Barrett, Center for Civic Engagement Danielle Hampton, Christ Church Christy Batts, Clarksville Brian Sweatt, M.Ed, Donelson-Hermitage David Edwards, Downtown Tony Wall, Franklin Sandy Cornelius, Green Hills William Hastings, Joe C. Davis Ed Zavala, Latino Achievers Alexis Soler, Margaret Maddox Deb Enright, Maryland Farms James Yates, North Rutherford Allyson Young, Northwest Heather Sawyer, Putnam County Robin Williams, Restore Ministries Jeff Walker, Robertson County Thomas Parkerson, Rutherford County Terry Akin, Sumner County Jim Burnett, Y-CAP