A great cause and mission

June 16, 2016

Washington Iowa

To the Editor:

I have worked for the YMCA organization for 27 years. It has a great cause and mission. What means the most to me is how the YMCA positively impacts the lives of others. This can be seen through opportunities for employment, learning a life skill, child care, mentoring or bettering a family through healthy activities. When I started working at the Washington Community YMCA I quickly realized that the current facility wasn?t adequate in program space and the age of the facility had its limitations. The YMCA board of directors began discussing building a new facility. Fast forward four years, and we are just about there. Our next step is to get a $3 million bond vote passed on Aug. 2. I hope my fellow Washington residents will support the YMCA in approving the bond referendum. This week Washington residents will soon receive informational brochures by mailbox, displays will be at local banks, and I will be hosting two informational sessions at the YMCA in July. Bonding for the YMCA has certainly been a hot topic these last few months, but I want us all to remember ?it is what we leave to our family and community that is most important.? In closing, this week I was listening to talk radio about servant leadership. The author spoke about how his grandfather showed great leadership and love to his family and community. On his grandfather?s death bed he told his family, ?Don?t tell me that you love me, show me.?

Becky Harkema

YMCA of Washington County

CEO