What an exciting last couple of months we had at YC!

Winter/Spring is our longest and most diverse season of programming. In April, we had four weeks of Sled Hockey on both sides of town. Mondays and Tuesdays were spent on the ice at Gilmour Academy and North Olmsted Recreation Center, learning the basics of sled hockey with skill-building drills and fun games.

We had three service days dedicated to giving back to the community. Participants and volunteers collected supplies or made projects for local organizations, including Cleveland Reads, The Mat Project, Refugee Response, 1,000 Ties, Lorain County Main Library Book Drive, West Side Catholic Center, and Cleveland APL.

One of this season’s program initiatives was to expand our east side teen volunteer pool. We had three Art & Games programs in February at Mayfield High School. The students went through our virtual volunteer training to prepare, then met with Volunteer Manager Abbie Hair and Alumni Engagement & DEI Manager Lisa Friel after each program to debrief and collect feedback on how YC can make the volunteer experience more equitable.

We look forward to more opportunities to connect with each other and try new things this summer!