Success Stories
Kurt
Kurt had it pretty good. He was your average teen, from a middle class family, with ordinary problems, nothing major. He was active in his school's student council, member of the school's YMCA Youth in Government team. The family seemed to be doing ok. Then his dad was diagnosed with cancer. The news threw the family off track. Kurt's mom had to spend much of her time caring for his dad. Kurt's mom gave the YMCA a call. She was concerned that Kurt was disconnected from friends, and staying home much more than usual. "We just needed him to get out, meet new friends, and have some positive experiences," Kurt's mom explained. The YMCA was able to make a space for Kurt on the Spring Break Service Trip to New Orleans. For 5 days, Kurt joined 40 other Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers from the Upstate. They rebuilt homes in the mornings, toured downtown New Orleans in the afternoon. "It was awesome! We saw people's houses that were ruined, everything was gone. We helped fix that." Without the Open Doors program, the YMCA would not have been able to provide this trip for Kurt or for any of the teens who joined him in New Orleans.
Libby
Libby has been in the YMCA Childcare programs for years. Her mom applied for financial assistance through our Open Doors program when Libby was in 3rd grade. This past summer, Libby was entering 9th grade and decided she was too old for camp. Her mom let her stay at home. All was fine for a few weeks, then Libby started sneaking out. Her mom explains: "I knew she was leaving during the day, because she wasn't there when I came home for lunch. But then, I noticed she was sneaking out at night. I didn't know where she was, or what she was up to. When I asked her, she would just get defensive". Libby's mom called one of the YMCA staff she had been working with for these years. "I just needed some advice and didn't know who to turn to. He talked to me about some of what could be going on. He opened a space as a CIT (Junior Counselor) at the camp." Libby stayed in the YMCA Teen Camp program all summer as a junior counselor. She helped with field trips. She wasn't being babied, she was being treated like an adult. She stopped sneaking out the house. She began working with some of the younger teens. "I loved it! I got to help kids. I talked to them and hung out with them. They were cool! The YMCA even helped me get a job after the summer!" Without the Open Doors program, Libby would not have had this incredible opportunity to make positive choices, to help others, and to see herself as someone who can make a difference.
Tanisha
Tanisha is the child of a single-parent household. Her mother drives a school bus and works at a grocery store on weekends. Yet she struggled to find ways to pay for all the extracurricular opportunities so many of Tanisha's classmates enjoyed. In particular, Tanisha wanted to be a part of the school's Youth in Government club. But the cost of attending the Model Legislature and Court Conference was entirely out of reach.
Her teacher knew about the YMCA's Open Doors scholarship program, and encouraged Tanisha to apply. She was approved for a scholarship, and was able to participate in the program. Her first year, she was named an outstanding Statesman, the highest honor given at the conference. The following summer, she was selected as a member of the South Carolina delegation to the national Youth in Government Conference. Once again, Tanisha was recognized as an Outstanding Statesmen, one of just 20 in the nation.
She continued as a delegate to the state Youth in Government for the rest of her high school career, and continued to represent the state at the national conference each summer. When she graduated last year, her college essay spoke not about the speeches she made and the bills she passed in the various mock legislative sessions, but of the friendships she made and the beliefs she she confirmed and strengthened as a result of the youth in Government program. She currently attends Emory University on a full scholarship, and has plans to go to law school and eventually enter public service.
