News

YMCA of the East Bay holds its 129th Annual Meeting

An evening of fun, fellowship and celebration was enjoyed by all who attended the YMCA of the East Bay's 129th Annual Meeting. Guests enjoyed delicious food and fellowship as they reflected on the past year and caught up with old friends and YMCA supporters and partners. In fact, one of The YMCA at Camp Arroyo's partners, the East Bay Regional Park District, was represented by John Escobar, Assistant General Manager, and Renee Patterson, Administrative Analyst from the Operations Divisions at EBRPD.

The evening's program kicked off with an address from YMCA of the East Bay CEO, Robert Wilkins, who spoke of the organization locally and nationally. The YMCA is the nations largest non-profit, community service organization, spanning over 10,000 communities with over 500,000 volunteers nationwide.

The event primarily celebrates these volunteers as well as youth from various YMCA of the East Bay branches. Camp Arroyo joined in celebrating the Volunteer of the Year and Youth in Character Award recipients from our sister camp, Camp Ravencliff. Jay Tucker was recognized for his tireless dedication to improving the facility at Camp Ravencliff. Wyatt "Bueller" Mann, a Ravencliff camper and CILT, was recognized for his leadership, demonstration of the YMCA core values and respect among his peers.

We congratulate Jay, Wyatt and all the volunteers and youth who were recognized. The YMCA wouldn't be what it is today without our dedicated volunteers and youth and teen participants and leaders. To find out more about getting involved with the YMCA, contact Bria Cartwright at bcartwright@ymcaeastbay.org or (925)371-8401 x31.

OUTDOOR SCHOOL WELCOMES RECORD NUMBER OF STUDENTS

On June 6, 2008, YMCA East Bay Outdoor School (Y-EBOS) at Camp Arroyo completed our sixth—and biggest—year of welcoming students from across the Bay Area to learn about the natural world surrounding them. Over the 2007-08 school year, 3,300 students (accompanied by nearly 600 teachers and chaperones) from 57 different Bay Area schools spent three to five days hiking, spotting wildlife, gardening, and climbing. More than 40 percent of the students received financial aid from Y-EBOS funding partners to attend the Outdoor School.

As one teacher put it, “This is better than any textbook. This is real learning in a way kids won’t forget. The experience is priceless...You make kids feel good and happy to learn.”

Students got their hands dirty (often literally!) learning science concepts and put their minds to work on language arts projects based on the California State Department of Education Content Standards. The lessons learned at Y-EBOS connect what they learn in the classroom to living, breathing examples in nature.

“Camp Arroyo does an outstanding job of teaching students to respect the environment by understanding life cycles and their role in it. The program is structured to shift their thinking toward how each individual person can make a difference,” one teacher noted.

Beyond the extensive curriculum, Y-EBOS provides a welcoming community consistent with the YMCA of the East Bay’s core values, including how to strengthen themselves and their communities. One teacher wrote: “The kids learn independence in a controlled environment and they learn team building.”