By Dan Domsic
In a busy section of the Fishers YMCA, the Y For All campaign kicked off last week.
The fundraising campaign has a six-week goal of $125,000, and the campaign aims to raise $237,500 by the end of the year.
Fundraising makes it possible for the Fishers YMCA, 9012 E. 126th St., Fishers, to subsidize programs for families in need. The location primarily serves Fishers residents, but patrons from all of Hamilton County also use the facility.
Jake Reardon-McSoley, associate executive director of the Fishers YMCA, said the Fishers YMCA granted more than $700,000 in financial assistance to the local community last year.
Robanne Robin, a hip-hop instructor at the Fishers YMCA, said the Y For All campaign impacted her and her family.
She, along with other officials and supporters, spoke at the campaign’s kick-off event last Monday.
“I just explained what my situation was (to a YMCA representative),” she said. “… The lady at the counter was just more than compassionate.”
Robin found the Fishers YMCA at a time of need. While getting closer to a career in nursing, her husband lost his job. With her career approaching and no one to look after the kids, she sought the Fishers YMCA as a safe place for her kids to spend their time while her husband job searched and she continued her path, as well as focused on healthy living. She eventually lost 150 pounds after having weight-loss surgery.
She said if the Y For All campaign hadn’t been available, she, while confident a solution could have been found, wasn’t sure what would’ve happened.
Robin also credits the Y and the YFor All Campaign for a ripple effect that allowed her husband to find work, allowed her to have a successful beginning to her nursing career and kept influences like stress from leading her back to unhealthy habits.
More information about the Fishers YMCA is available at www.indymca.org. To contribute to the Y For All campaign, visit https://indymca.thankyou4caring.org.