Emerson Gift to “Building a Stronger, Healthier Community” Capital Campaign Will Enhance Programming at North St. Louis County Facility and Support Area-Wide Expansion Effort.
St. Louis, MO (June 12, 2007) – The YMCA of Greater St. Louis today celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Emerson Family YMCA serving North St. Louis County with a rededication ceremony and the announcement of a $1 million pledge from Emerson to the YMCA’s “Building a Stronger, Healthier Community” capital campaign. Half of Emerson’s gift is designated to fund program expansion, including at the North County facility; the remaining $500,000 will support the YMCA’s area-wide capital expansion plans.
“Emerson’s generous support of the YMCA spans more than 30 years and has made a significant impact on our ability to provide critical programs here in North St. Louis County, home of Emerson’s global headquarters, and throughout the St. Louis area,” said Gary Schlansker, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater St. Louis.
Emerson’s continued support of the YMCA exceeds $2.5 million and includes major gifts to the 1975, 1986 and 1996 capital campaigns and leadership contributions to the YMCA’s annual Partner Campaign, which offers financial assistance for families previously unable to participate in YMCA programs and memberships. In 1986, Emerson made a $1 million gift to the YMCA’s capital campaign, at which time the North County facility was renamed the Emerson Family YMCA.
“We at Emerson are proud to continue our support and partnership with the YMCA of Greater St. Louis and to help bring additional programming to serve youth in North St. Louis County,” said Leo Rodriguez, president of Emerson-Latin America operations and a member of the YMCA of Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Board of Directors. “The YMCA plays an important and critical role in promoting healthy lifestyles, providing services for our youth, and making the St. Louis community a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
The Emerson Family YMCA has served North St. Louis County since 1947. Organization of the branch evolved from a petition signed by 300 high school students asking that a teen center be established in Ferguson. Today there are over 60,000 youth and teens in the Emerson Family YMCA service area, coming from households that are ethnically and economically diverse. The YMCA provided $279,064 in financial assistance to families and individuals participating in programs at the Emerson Family YMCA in 2006. Approximately 2,800 youth and teens participated in aquatics, day camp, youth sports, fitness, recreation and childcare programs at the Emerson Family YMCA in 2006.
Through the “Building a Stronger, Healthier Community” campaign,” the YMCA seeks to triple the number of youth served in YMCA programs in north St. Louis. YMCA programs for youth and teens that will be expanded include:
- YRead – YRead provides long term, one-on-one tutoring in reading and math for youth ages 6 to 15 who are academically at-risk. Learners in the program improve an average of 1.76 levels in vocabulary and 1.68 levels in comprehension. The YMCA is currently serving approximately 100 youth annually in St. Louis city. There are nearly 30 youth on the waiting list from north St. Louis County who will be served as a result of the program expansion.
- Teen Leaders and Black Achievers – YMCA Leaders Club provides members with opportunities for leadership training, personal growth, service to others, and social development. It is the goal of the association to expand Leaders Clubs to every YMCA branch. A chapter of Black Achievers will be started at the Emerson branch to encourage and support youth in the areas of academics, career exploration and leadership development.
- Youth in Government – The goal of this program is to develop young men and women into better citizens through knowledge and participation in the democratic process. Over 400 youth at seven YMCA branches currently participate. Up to 50 students will be served through expansion to the Emerson YMCA.
- Fitness and Recreation – The YMCA’s expertise is in the area of preventive health and fitness. Expansion of the YMCA’s traditional aquatics, gymnastics, youth sports and fitness programs will positively impact the health of children and teens in North St. Louis County.
- KidzFit – Designed specifically for children attending YMCA after school programs, KidzFit calls for fitness instructors to lead the children in movement exercises twice a week and also incorporates nutritional activities into the current learning centers. The YMCA has the opportunity to impact the health of 800 children participating in the Emerson YMCA’s after-school childcare programs with the expansion of this program.
Founded in 1853, the YMCA of Greater St. Louis is a not-for-profit, charitable organization dedicated to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. Last year the YMCA served more than 604,000 participants through programs that build healthy spirits, minds and bodies. The YMCA of Greater St. Louis has 20 branches and more than 400 program sites in the St. Louis area.
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2006 were $20.1 billion. For more information, visit www.emerson.com.
