April 3, 2009

Dear Members and Program Participants,

You received a letter from Jacob a few weeks back just prior to his new opportunity at the YMCA. He is doing well with his new job and we are very proud of him for all that he is doing to further the mission of the YMCA.

As executive director of the Campbell County YMCA, I wanted to introduce myself to you. The Campbell County YMCA has been managing Kenton County programs now for several months. Of course our team also includes familiar long time Kenton County staff who know and are dedicated to those in their programs. We want to thank you for continuing to be a part of the YMCA family.

Collectively our staff has over 35 years delivering YMCA programming and we're looking forward to elevating the level and variety of programs for you and your family in Kenton County. Among what we've already done is a new developmental basketball and Tae kwan do program at White's Tower Elementary this winter and youth soccer is underway now at the Marshal Road Campus. Baseball will be beginning soon. And, we're currently registering kids for summer camp.

We're also excited about a $650,000 five-year grant from the Kentucky Department of Education to begin a 21st Century community learning center for over 600 kids at J.A. Caywood Elementary. Research has demonstrated the positive impact of after school programming on CATS test scores, character development, and physical activity and wellness.

One decision we had to make was very difficult for us because we know it is going to be a disruption to what many of you have come to enjoy during the summer. The growing expenses with operating the Kenton County YMCA swimming pool have not been keeping up with its membership, and the cost of keeping it open may threaten the other quality programs that have also become important to Kenton County families. For that reason, this year the pool will be used only as part of our summer day camp and we will not be offering summer swim memberships. We welcome you, however, to join us at the Campbell County YMCA where we have three swimming pools and so much more. If you choose to join our branch, you'll also have access to other branches throughout Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati and can participate in camps and programs at the reduced member rate. We will be waiving the joining fee through 12/31/2009 for all previous Kenton County members.

For more information on Kenton County or Campbell County (or any other branch) YMCA summer camps and other programs, please visit www.myy.org. Please also stop by the Campbell County YMCA branch for a tour. We'd love to show you what we offer and introduce you to our staff.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me directly at 859-781-1814.

Working with you - Shane Ruffin