To the Editor:
This past Saturday, the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard held its second annual Healthy Kids Day event, part of the national YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day™ initiative. Held at 1,600 YMCAs across the country, the event is the nation’s largest health day for families. The goal is to teach healthy habits to kids and inspire a lifetime love of physical activity. At the YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard, we strive to provide opportunities for children to make smarter life choices and cultivate the values, skills, and relationships that lead to positive behaviors and the pursuit of higher education and goal achievement. Our event featured activities for the whole family, including family zumba, music and movement, kids hip hop, basketball skills and drill, water safety, family relay races, and more.
Thank you to the following organizations for being part of our big day and for providing enriching educational opportunities for our children: The FARM Institute, Vineyard Nutrition, Sassafras Earth Education, Island Grown Schools, Cape and Islands Red Cross, and the Youth Task Force. Thank you also to Vineyard Cash and Carry, Cronig’s Market, Stop & Shop, and Reliable Market and Rosebuds for their donations of piñ;atas and healthy snacks. A big thank you to our event sponsor, Mass in Motion, which is working at the community level to promote a healthy, active lifestyle. I would also like to thank our wonderful staff and volunteers who graciously gave their time and talent to pull together such a fantastic event.
And lastly, but certainly not least, I would also like to thank all of our community members who joined us on Saturday. It was a wonderfully successful day, and we couldn’t have been happier to see so many familiar and new faces. We are so happy to be providing our programs and services to so many, and to be serving the cause that the YMCA organization represents: to strengthen communities and change lives. The Y continuously strives to engage more people in our community whether it is as a member, volunteer, supporter or advocate. This wonderful organization relies on the support of community and its individuals, as both a participant and a donor, to be able to touch the lives of so many.
A big thanks again to all for making our second annual Healthy Kids Day a great success.
Emily Galligan,
YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard
