Ventura-East presents $6,000 donation to the Ventura Family YMCA to fund Operation Splash

Posted by Jeff Hata

on Mar 04, 2016

Members of our club were on hand at the Ventura Family YMCA's Annual Campaign Victory Celebration. The YMCA celebrates the hard work put in by their members, staff and board members to gather monetary donations to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford to pay for a full membership. The YMCA's goal is for everyone who wants to come to the YCMA can have that opportunity. This year campaigner's raised $184,000 during campaign, Amy's goal was $170,000!!!

The Rotary Club of Ventura-East was on hand to present Amy Bailey, Executive Director of the Ventura Family YMCA, with a $6,000 donation to fund Operation Splash for an additional year. Operation Splash was a program established in 2010 between the Ventura Family YCMA and the Rotary Club of Ventura-East to provide learn to swim lessons for homeless and underprivileged children in our community. In the years following Operation Splash's inception the program has been expanded to Operation Ventura where besides swimming other youth sports opportunities are being provided.

Besides water safety other benefits of the program has been:

These children have been learned socialization skills through interaction with other members of the Y.
Has provided these children with the opportunity to "just be kids" during the time they are attending classes.
Provided their parents with the opportunity to "decompress" and work on securing employment or taking care of other tasks without having to be concerned about what their kids are doing.

Children for this program are identified through programs at City Center, Project Understanding, Salvation Army to name a few.

l-r: Juan Mendoza, Tim Blackwell, Kathy McGee, Jeff Hata, Amy Bailey, Bruce McGee, Tom Swan, Midge Stork, Dave Anderson, Bob Noville