Y Connect Supporting Community Growth

Today on Bring Back The Porch, Linda Tooth and Katie Richard from the YMCA of Southeastern Alberta join Brian to discuss the rebranded 'Y Connect' campaign, its impact on the community, upcoming events like the River Run, and how donations support various programs for all ages.

The Y Connect campaign isn’t just about kids, it’s about uplifting everyone in our community. From financial assistance to day camps, they are here to support families and ensure everyone has a chance to thrive.  

Chapters

00:00 Introduction 
01:06 Rebranding from Strong Kids to Y Connect
02:18 Details of the 42nd Annual River Run
03:00 Expanding support beyond helping kids
04:08 How donations make a difference
05:31 Camp Jude and trauma support programs
06:40 Youth programs for teenagers
07:55 Community connection and inclusivity
08:52 Donation options and fundraising events
10:26 Raffle prizes and ticket details
11:43 50-50 draw and campaign goals
12:38 Closing remarks and website information

Resources

YMCA of Southeastern Alberta - https://medicinehatymca.ca/

Raffle Rocket platform - https://go.raffle-rocket.com/2026YConnectCampaignRaffle

The Y Connect campaign is more than just a name change from its predecessor, Strong Kids; it's a comprehensive initiative aimed at fostering community connections and supporting families in need. 

What is the Y Connect Campaign?
The Y Connect campaign, initiated by the YMCA of Southeastern Alberta, aims to provide resources and support to families, children, and individuals in the community. Unlike its previous focus solely on children, the rebranding reflects a more inclusive approach, acknowledging the diverse needs of community members.

The Importance of Community Support
Community initiatives like the Y Connect campaign play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life for many residents. By offering programs that cater to various age groups and needs, the YMCA ensures that everyone has access to the services they require. 

Key Events of the Y Connect Campaign
One of the most exciting events tied to the Y Connect campaign is the annual River Run. Scheduled for June 20th this year, this event brings together runners of all ages and abilities, including a remarkable 90-year-old participant who completed a 3K run. This event not only promotes health and fitness but also fosters a sense of community.

River Run Details
Date:June 20, 2026
Distances:3K, 5K, 10K, and half marathon
Location: Along the scenic South Saskatchewan River
Registration:Early bird pricing available now

Participating in events like the River Run is a fantastic way to engage with the community and support the Y Connect campaign.

How Can You Help?
Contributions to the Y Connect campaign can significantly impact the lives of families and children. Here are some ways to get involved:
-Monthly Donations:- Just $17 a month can send a child to a week of day camp, while $25 can sponsor a child's experience at Camp Jude, a camp designed for children who have experienced trauma.

The Impact of Your Support
Every contribution helps strengthen the community. By participating in the Y Connect campaign, you provide essential services to families, allowing them to access recreational activities and community support. These programs encourage physical, mental, and social well-being, creating a healthier community overall.

The Y Connect campaign is a vital initiative that connects individuals and families to the resources they need to thrive. By supporting this campaign, you’re not just donating; you’re investing in the future of your community. Whether through financ

Hey we need your support. Like and subscribe to Bring Back The Porch Podcast

Transcript

0:00

Hey, this is Brian again. And I'd like to ask you to do a favour. We can't do this work without people like you. So if you can, please, like, share, subscribe. Tell your friends about bring back the porch. was beautiful right along the river. We had people of all ages, children, adults. We even had a senior. Yeah, she was ninety 96 I believe. Yes. In her 90s. Came and did that. I know I can barely. Jaw. Dropping. I can barely walk, but, three kilometres. She does that with her family. And it was a great. We're hoping she comes out again this year. This episode of Bring Back the Porch, brought to you by Bernie Leahy, River Street Realty. Let's get you home. And on this episode of Bring Back to Porch, I am pleased to welcome from the Y Medicine Hat. Linda Tooth and Katie. Richard. Welcome. Thank you for having us. Why are we here? Well, we're not talking about cats, but we're here today to talk about the work. We were talking about cats. Yes. But we're here to talk about our Y Connect campaign for the YMCA of Southeastern Alberta, which officially kicked off April 1st. No foolin. No foolin. No. Now, some think this is a new campaign. Not really a new campaign. Just a new name, a new name. So we rebranded our campaign from Strong Kids over to Y Connect? Couple of years ago, I think you. Said two years ago now. Yeah. Strong kids. We just felt that everybody just associated that with helping kids, which we do. But we also help other members of the community. So we wanted to bring an all inclusive sort of, title to it. So we rebranded it the White Connect campaign. And it runs until the 30th of June. And if past campaigns are any indication. I'm sure there's some events happening along the way too. There is. Do you want to talk about that, Katie? Yeah. So, our biggest Y connect, event would be our River run. So it'll be our 42nd annual this year, happening on June 20th. Right now, we're running our Earlybird extra Earlybird pricing, so now's a great time to sign up if you're interested. We have our three K, our five K, our ten K, and our half marathon as well. So it's a great event. We usually have around 300 runners participate. And what's the route. The route goes along. Each route is different for each run, but it goes along the, Saskatchewan River, which is really lovely. And the date again was. June 20th. So, Yeah. Yeah. June 20th. Sorry. Right on the cusp of summer. Yes. Yeah. And last year, it was a great event. We had, like Katie said, close to 300. And it was beautiful right along the river. We had people of all ages, children, adults. We even had a senior. Yeah, she was ninety 96 I believe. Yes. In her 90s. Came and did that. I know I can barely. Jaw. Dropping. I can barely walk, but, three kilometres. She does that with her family. And it was a great. We're hoping she comes out again this year. Yeah. That would be wonderful to see. Yeah. Now, you mentioned that it used to be called strong kids. And people associated that with helping kids attend various events. But you've upped your game. We have about upped our game a little bit. So it does still help the children with our day camps, obviously, that we offer during the summertime. But we've also got other programs that help, various members of the community. So, Living Fit, program, people that have suffered some sort of medical challenges, can come in and, utilize our gym facilities with our manager will help them through a program, but we also help families as well to access the services of the. Why. So the family comes in and wants to, go swimming, or they may want to, utilize the gym equipment. Anything along those lines, they can come in. And this particular campaign really does help with the financial assistance part of it. So we know a lot of people are struggling in communities, and, we're here to help them. We want them to stay active, and be a part of a great environment. In the summertime. The song sounds like a song, but, yeah, mom and dad are working. Yes. School's out. Yes. You have day camps. You have places where they can send their children and, you know, have peace of mind that they're being looked after, but they might need a little help. That's right. And that's what we're here to offer them. So the Y Connect campaign is really our opportunity to raise as much money as we can to help those individuals access the services. Now, let's take a look. I know that on your web page you've got lots of different levels of giving. And as I just flipped, of course, the paper wants to stick together, but, it's really, what struck me was how little how much you can buy for how little? Like $17 a month to send a child to a full week of a day camp? Yes. And then what happens after that? Like where that experience will take them? We don't know. We don't know. We hope that they'll continue on with the why and do our youth programming and carry on as an adult. But yeah, you know, leadership skills, it teaches them all about community. They've got an opportunity to make friends, that they might not have had an opportunity to do before. And it's a little bit different environment versus school versus a summer camp. Right. They're here to have fun. They're here to learn. And that's really what we want to try to do. Yeah. And we have our, camp dude camp as well, which is, a camp for children who have experienced trauma. So it's a bit of a different environment. The ratios are higher. So we have more workers in there to support the kids in their needs. So I think that we've seen some really transformative things happen at camp. So it's pretty cool. Like it's pretty life changing for some of the kids. And it may bring them out of their shells as well. Absolutely. Yeah. Because they say they're in a different environment. They don't have to act or meet a certain norm, I guess. Right. They can. They're free to be themselves. Yeah. I actually went to Camp Jude last year. I'd never been to that. I'm a little bit new to the Y. I've only been with the Y for about a year, but I've lived here my whole life, so I know of the Y, but I didn't really know what the Y did. And I went to Camp Jude last year just to spend some time with them and, saw the workers and the children, and my heart was my heart was lifted. It was just such an amazing experience to see these kids that have suffered, trauma, you know, physical trauma, sexual trauma, whatever it might be, have an opportunity to to come to a camp and just be a kid and have some fun and play and make some new friends. What age groups are we talking about? For, children. To access the camps? Well, we've had them as young as. Oh, gosh, they were little. Yeah. I want to say, I think it's. I believe we have camps starting this year at 6 to 12. Yeah. So school age, school age. Yep. Okay. What about teenagers? Are they left out of the mix? Well, we don't like to leave the teenagers, so, Brian, we like to include them. We've got a bunch of different, youth, programs that have started. We have a new, person working at the Y who's created some great youth. Programs. They're doing a cooking class I know, for these kids, and they're excited to go. And we've got, our Southridge location, which is a great location. Borders on to, Roy Wilson and to, Notre Dame. We have a lot of those, teenagers that come over and and utilize our youth services, and just come in and hang out and play basketball, badminton, whatever they want to do. Yeah. And we have our, we just rebranded it to. It's called The Zone. So we have a, a youth space for teenagers to come in at the Southridge Y, and they can just hang out, have a few snacks. We have a Nintendo Switch in there. So it's just a space where they can make friends. And a safe space. A safe. Space. Yeah. Where they can connect with. Yes. Brian, you're good. You are good. That's why you call it, like connect. That's that's exactly. And yeah, we just want to connect everybody in the community, whether they are kids, teenagers, older people, seniors, you know, whatever. We're here for the community, and that includes everybody. And if we go to $25 a month, we give a child the experience of Camp Jude where we talked about that. Yes. And, then let's see if my, printer didn't fail me here.$130 a month donation. You can help a family stay connected and supported through the Y for an entire. Year, right? Yeah, swimming lessons for the kids, which is great. Water safety's important. You know, we also have childminding. So for parents that have younger children, they can bring their, smaller kids down. We have, services there where we'll watch the children for you. If mom needs a bit of a break and wants to go and walk on the treadmill or do a yoga class or whatever she may want to do, at the Y, we will, we'll look after the children while she's doing that. And same for fathers, too. Let's not exclude them. I know in past campaigns because we have donated either buying ice cream or donuts. Any merchants in the city helping you with this? This year we have got a couple, that we're looking at. We're just trying to finalize everything. But not yet. Okay. Yeah, yeah. We do have a couple of, great donors here in the city, companies that are wanting to help us out again this year. So. And it seems that a lot of people have a y story, you know, everybody seems to have some kind of connection to, to the Y. And we want to keep those connections. That's my job. I foster those, connections with the community. And, Yeah, we just want to get the word out and help as many people as we can. Yeah. How do people donate? Well, they've got a couple of options so they can go online to donate. We're actually using Raffle Rocket this year, an Alberta platform. So, people can go online and donate through them. But if you are not technologically savvy, you don't maybe like to do that. They can certainly reach out to myself, stop by any of the Y's, make a donation that way as well, too. Cash is. Cash is still good with us. You'll accept cash? We will accept cash. That's always. Cash is king. Some people say. Yes, it. Is. Okay, let's just run over again. The levels $17 a month gives you, a child a full week of day camp, $25 a month. They can, experience Camp Jude or $130 a month donation. The whole family? Yes. They connected. Yep. All. And for the white connect, Brian. There you go. There you go. Raffle tickets. I know you said you were using raffle rocket. Is there a raffle this year? Yes there is. Thank you. Brian, we should talk about that. I actually brought the sheet with me today. Yeah. So we're doing that. We've got a couple of different, we're doing a 5050. We're also doing a raffle. So this year we have secured, a couple of great prizes. So our first prize is a signed autograph, an autographed jersey from the Calgary Stampeders. Oh, Rene Perret is the kicker. Kicker? Yep. Yeah. Went and picked that up. We've got that. We're going to do that as an early bird prize. And then we've also got, thank you to the generous donation of WestJet. We have two tickets anywhere WestJet flies. That's not shabby. That is not shabby. Brian, I know that you were a little speechless there for a second. I like that. Yeah. So WestJet has, reached out and said, this is a great cause. We want to be a part of it. So two air tickets anywhere they fly doesn't matter. And how much are the raffle tickets? Oh, Brian, we've got them here. We've got one for ten. Three for 15 or 5 for 20. Okay. And that is, that runs right through the campaign. Runs right through the campaign till the end of June. And then because July 1st is the holiday, we're going to be doing the big price, draw on July 2nd for the two tickets. Okay. Is there anything we haven't touched on here that we would like to mention? Do you want to touch on your 5050 raffle as well to 50 draw? Sure. I'd love to. Katie. Yeah. Yeah, sure. Okay. Segway. Yeah. Notice that. Hey, we work really well together. Yeah. So we are also doing a, 5050 draw. We noticed that a lot of people are very fond of those types of draws. Right. So you can go again online, and, purchase those. And I believe Katie can correct me if I'm wrong. Same price. Yeah. We're doing the same price. Prices. We wanted to keep it just very easy for people. So again one for ten, three for 15 or 5 for 20. And you've got a chance to win some cash. And everybody needs a little bit of cash. Yes. If we sell out it's a prices just under ten grand. Just under 10,000. Yeah I'll take. That. Yeah. Brian. Well, I've got a QR code here for you, my friend. Just scan that and buy some tickets. There are. There's also more information about, the campaign on your website. Yes. And your website is. Medicine Hat YMCA. Okay. Yeah, that was good. Thank you. Linda. Cheers. Katie. Rishard. Thanks for the visit, Henderson. Thank you very much, Brian. It's been our pleasure to be here. I'm.