Dear Colleagues, Friends and Family,

My earliest memories of 'the Y' start with my dad in the pool, in Montgomery, Alabama. We couldn’t afford to take lessons but dad would do his best to motivate his 4 girls to swim to him. Later, the same pool gave him the unofficial hydro-therapy he needed for stress and back issues. He still tells the story today about how going to the Y to teach his daughters how to swim incidentally gave him a cure in those tough money times.

Now my own daughters attend swim lessons at the Bellevue Y, including the no-cost water safety class which helped so much. I tell parents all the time how effective the Y’s swimming program is. Me too, I feel right at home daily, working out and meeting diverse and interesting people. My youngest celebrated her 4th birthday (Racecars and Dinosaurs ROOAAAR!) at the Y's Kid Zone. During the pandemic, when essential workers were stretched I could still go to they Bellevue Y for a daily smile from the staff.

I love that this happy place where we contribute our precious time and money -- and we receive so much in return -- also does so much 24/7 to fight foodlessness, racial injustice and inequities.

When you give to the Y, you're investing in the community. Your support provides a place full of opportunities for kids to develop into smart, resilient adults, for people to improve their health and build a sense of community, and for our most vulnerable young people to get the care and support they need.

Thanks in advance for supporting this important work!

- Deepa