[Marram]

This was in Friday's News-Dispatch. An interesting perspective from the Portage Y Director:

YMCA Is In Peril And Needs Your Help
It is with much heart ache that I write to the residents and business owners of greater Michigan City. For the last 10 years, I have witnessed the slow deterioration of the Michigan City Family YMCA.

For 163 years, the YMCA has strived to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Our vision is to strengthen our role and our work as the country's leader in nurturing the healthy development of children and teens, supporting families and strengthening communities. Together, the nations 2,700 YMCAs are the largest not-for-profit community service organization in America, working to meet the health and human service needs of 20.2 million men, women and children in 10,000 communities. More than 600,000 dedicated local volunteers, who are central to the YMCA's mission, lead the associations from coast to coast.

We believe it is our essential job to give youth and adults the experiences that help them develop a set of positive values, morals and ethics to live by.

Because Y's are driven by the communities they serve, each YMCA is different. Child care, teen leadership and sports clubs may be offered in your community, while another town's YMCA provides swimming lessons, teen drug prevention and after school programming in local schools.

From child care to social clubs for seniors, Youth Government to day camp, Y's offer opportunities for individuals and families to grow in spirit, mind and body at every life stage.

Simply put, the YMCA is a place where people of all ages discover themselves, an outreach post, a gathering spot and a social center. Everyone is welcome at the YMCA.

Strong YMCAs improve the quality of life in the community they serve. For nearly 100 years, the Michigan City Family YMCA has helped those in need by providing quality programs and services; the YMCA now needs your help.

In the next several months, the volunteer Board of Directors and Advisory Council of the Michigan City Family YMCA will be faced with some very tough decisions. The future of your YMCA is now solely dependent upon your support and level of involvement.

By joining and supporting your local YMCA, you are helping your community grow. The YMCA is more than a building, it is a movement of people whose only goal is to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

Dave Kasarda

Executive Director

Portage Township YMCA

[Roger Kaputnik]

Back in the Olde Days, we had few options for organized sports: School, IC baseball in summer, and the Y. Nowadays, there are many more: All the above, plus all the club teams in baseball, basketball, Euro-ball, volleyball, the racket sports, etc. The Y has been lost in that dust in MC.