January 09, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, January 09, 2004

Tri-Valley YMCA

When some people think of the YMCA, they envision children learning to swim or playing basketball after school. The Tri-Valley does have a Y that serves Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore and Sunol. However, it has no facility, which means there is no central location for swimming lessons, workout facilities or a multipurpose room.

Nevertheless the YMCA sponsors numerous programs offered at various locations, raising the question: "Is there really a need for a facility?"

The need hasn't been strong enough to warrant building a facility - yet, said YMCA board member Mike Berrigan.

"The community hasn't decided that it wants one or needs one," said Berrigan. "There hasn't been enough push by the community as a whole to put one in. It's changing though."

Berrigan, who recently resigned as executive director of the Tri-Valley YMCA, blames the lack of community awareness about the YMCA as one reason a facility has not been built.

"In my five-six years with the Y, the existence of the Y was unknown to many," said Berrigan. "Our visibility is increasing. We've been trying to create a groundswell."

Lack of funding is also a concern, noted Berrigan.

"There's not enough money. We need a piece of land to do a capital campaign to raise funds," he said.

Although these were tough issues to tackle, they did not influence his decision to resign as executive director.

"It was time to hand it off to someone with more Y experience and new ideas," said Berrigan. "I had only planned on doing it for a couple of years."

Kimiko Leong took over as the new executive director three months ago, and she has been striving to make the YMCA a staple in the community. She said that some people are surprised to learn there is a YMCA in the Tri-Valley.

"We are trying to re-introduce ourselves to the community at large," Leong said. "We would like a full facility. It will take a lot of relationship-building. We need to make sure to re-evaluate and quality-check current progress, and base that assessment on needs for the community."

Leong, who has been with the YMCA for 10 years, says that funding is gained through annual campaign fundraising efforts for donations, program participation fees and grant money. She said they are currently looking for a major donor, and she guesses that it will probably take up to four years to get the funding to have a facility built.

The YMCA - Young Men's Christian Association - was founded in London, England, in 1844, "in response to unhealthy social conditions arising in the big cities at the end of the Industrial Revolution," according to its Web site. "It was organized to substitute Bible study and prayer for life on the streets."

"Between 1929 and 1933, Bible class enrollment fell by 60 percent and residence use was down, but exercise and educational classes were both up, along with vocational training and camping." To this day, the YMCA is known for its recreation and athletics programs. Its motto is: "We build strong kids, strong families and strong communities."

The Tri-Valley YMCA has been in business for about 20 years. While it is based on Judeo Christian principles, Leong said, "We can fairly and adequately satisfy values teachings and morality issues, but we don't host Bible study."

The programs offered through the YMCA are open to all, not specifically to at-risk youth or underprivileged children, although financial aid is provided to those who need it. Leong said there is $45,000 available annually that is distributed on a needs assessment basis.

"We're going to welcome anyone that walks through the door," said Leong. "I think even middle income families struggle at times. We try to be there to help them out."

Perhaps the most well known service the YMCA offers to the community now is childcare. There are two programs in Pleasanton: the Early Childhood Development Center and three childcare sites at elementary schools.

The Early Childhood Development Center, which opened last year, is a collaborative effort with Pleasanton Unified School District and offers full-time infant and toddler care. It was created with the main goal being to provide teachers and the community with affordable early childcare, which allows parents to continue working. The program offers a "balanced approach" that focuses on six areas: health and safety, socio/emotional, physical, cognitive, language and creativity.

Sara Arghandiwah, a head teacher at the center, said it provides a "creative curriculum" that is sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In addition, the ratio of four kids per one teacher is a big attraction for parents.

"The key components we focus on are nurturing, environment and curriculum," said Arghandiwah.

A daily routine for the children might include the following: ¥ Environmental Exploration (drop-off time): Children are allowed to choose their activity - blocks, library, dollhouse, coloring ¥ Gathering Circle: Language development, songs, finger play ¥ Snack ¥ Small Group Time: puzzles ¥ Music & Movement ¥ Outdoor Play ¥ Lunch ¥ Rest ¥ Art & Sensory: Painting, gluing, sand, water, cooking, play dough

The other type of service provided by the YMCA is general childcare, located at Fairlands, Mohr and Lydiksen elementary schools. This care focuses on before and after school activities.

Rick Rood, childcare program director, said they follow a core curriculum: ¥ Academics: Children work on literature and math projects. Turns math and literature into fun activities. ¥ Recycle: Developed by Camp Arroyo, this focuses on the Four Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. A project might be to make a worm box-compost pit. They learn how to take activities back to their homes. ¥ SPARK (sports/play/active/recreation for kids). Developed by San Diego State, this program teaches physical fitness through everyday activities in a fun and non-competitive environment. ¥ Character development: Four Core values are taught - caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Kids are taught to implement these values in real life through doing projects, sharing time, focused discussion groups and community service.

The YMCA also offers a program called Youth and Government. High school sophomores through seniors are elected as delegates to learn about state government, how to create bills, assume positions in legislature or court programs, and model legislature in court. Two conferences are held per year where participants can hone their skills.

The program is six months long and meets once a week after school. The final conference is held at the State Capital. Cost for the program is $750, and financial assistance is available. It is currently held at Livermore and Granada high schools in Livermore, and next year it will be expanding to include Amador Valley High.

Katie Gazzuolo, 17, who attends Livermore High, currently serves as a local delegate and is president for the Tri-Valley area. She heard the juniors at her school give a presentation when she was a freshman and decided to get involved. She attended her first conference and was surprised to see over 400 students there, but she found out that those in attendance were only new participants. More than 2,000 students are involved in the program nationwide.

"I appreciate how everyone is one big family," said Gazzuolo. "Everyone respects each others' views and you're allowed to express your own opinion."

Now a senior in high school, she has been inspired by the program to apply to college and study political science. She hopes to one day become a senator and focus on environmental and human rights issues.

"Environment is a big issue. We need to take care of it," she said. "I'm also interested in social issues - how we treat fellow humans."

In 2004, as Gazzuolo runs for Sergeant at Arms on the State level, the local YMCA will be focusing on bigger goals as well. Looking ahead, Leong said she hopes to implement new programs and improve existing ones.

"Moving forward, I plan to make sure we have more peaks than valleys," Leong said. "We will try to reintroduce ourselves to the large community that we serve, to become good neighbors and continue social services."

Leong hopes to ensure an 80 percent satisfaction rate through parent surveys, increase the coaching available in sports, and work with continuation high schools to provide character development programs to lead to job training and placement. And, of course, to focus on raising funds to build a facility.

For those that want to get involved in the YMCA and possibly get the ball rolling on having a facility built, Berrigan suggests the following: ¥ Contact Kimiko Leong. Let her know how you'd like to help. ¥ Lobby City Council for a piece of the Bernal Property. ¥ Become involved with the advisory committee, board or as a volunteer.

The YMCA was established to serve the community. For some, having a swimming pool and gym might not be as important as having specific activities for children to get involved in that help them learn and grow. For others, having a permanent place to meet might make more sense. It's up to the community to make the Y what members want it to be.
Why join the Y

¥ Parent/Child Program (formerly Indian Guides) (K-third grade) Father/daughter (Y-Princesses) or father/son (Y-Guides). Tribes meet once a month and have an event once a month. Activities include camping, dance, float in parade, or toy/food drive. Goal: To strengthen relationships, community and sportsmanship. Activity sites vary. Motto: "Pals Forever." ¥ Camps Sports: Soccer, bowling, windsurfing, and skateboarding Specialties: Home Depot, Mad Science, and Photography Day Camp: Entering K-eighth grade/leadership 9-11 grade ¥ Model UN Middle School program, sixth-eighth grades, held at Harvest Park, Hart and Pleasanton middle schools. Provides children with the opportunity to tackle issues such as global warming, AIDS, international trade and protecting wildlife. Students present issues at statewide conference. ¥ Sports Basketball (expanding to include indoor soccer and golf this summer) ¥ Camp Loma Mar Summer Camp for third-eighth grade. Sleep away for one week. Cost $315.
Contact the Y

¥ Tri-Valley YMCA (925) 456-9125 http://www.trivalleyymca.org ¥ Early Childhood Development Center (Pleasanton Child Development Program) 4665 Bernal Ave. 6 weeks to 36 months $700-1,000 month for full-time child care ¥ Childcare Fairlands Elementary, Mohr Elementary, Lydiksen Elementary Before school drop-off (7-8:30 a.m.) Kindergarten Readiness (9:30-11:30 a.m.) After School (to 6 p.m.) K to grade 5 $365 month

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