Play with a Purpose

When's the last time you played? I mean just played with reckless abandon? I'm not talking about team sports, or a round of golf, or a musical instrument. I'm talking about wide open, silly, laugh out loud, ridiculous play.

So often, when I'm wearing my "YMCA Hat" I focus on play as one more way to promote physical well-being. And it can be. Countless studies have shown that families that play together tend to be more physically fit. Kids who take part in regular physical activities are shown to be less likely to be obese and run less of a chance to develop diabetes and other physical illnesses.

However, I recently found a great presentation on TED.com given by Stuart Brown. My friend @Zannieg pointed to it in a Tweet and I'm a sucker for a good TED talk, so I started watching. It was really enlightening. Brown discusses play and its importance in normal human development. He goes on to say that play is more than just an opportunity to rehearse and mimic actions we'll use as adults - more importantly, it's essential to and deeply involved with human development and intelligence.

I could talk about the presentation at length, and how I think it's a great insight into the importance of play, even as adults, and how this is one more way the YMCA is striving in its programs, and relationships and mission to better serve you - we're huge fans of Play! Instead, I'll invite you to watch the video below, and then when you're done, I'll challenge you to a game of freeze tag. I'll even be "it" first.

YMCA - We are Not a Health Club

On almost a weekly basis, I field calls here at the Y that are from prospective new members. One of the first exchanges I have with a prospective member is almost always in the form of questions about how we compare to area health clubs. Sometimes it's a simple "Do you have the same equipment as Health Club X?" Sometimes, it's more direct, such as "Health Club X is offering a free month of membership. Are you running any specials?"

The caller at the other end of the phone line is usually pretty surprised when my response is "We are Not a Health Club."

This statement sounds a bit odd, but it lies at the core of who the YMCA is and what makes us different, and so important to the community. It's true that we have a fitness center with treadmills, eliptical machines and weight equipment. We also have fitness classes ranging from Yoga to Kickboxing. We offer aqua aerobics and even personal training. But for the YMCA, these are just a means to helping our members and the community lead a healthier life in spirit, mind, and body. It's one of the tools that we use, and that we offer in a uniquely YMCA way, to make our mission become reality.

There's so much more going on here that you won't see at a health club. Every day, dozens of children are learning to swim. Each week, kids are getting after school care. Seniors are taking part in programs specifically designed to meet their needs. Teens who've been short-term suspended are getting the chance to rediscover their strengths and learn to succeed in our Boomerang program. But even more importantly than that, every day, we're developing relationships with our members. We're discovering who they are and how we can better serve them in ways that health clubs don't do. I watch groups of men play racquetball and then go out to lunch together each week. The same goes for our aqua aerobics ladies groups.

This year, the Chapel HIll - Carrboro YMCA will give out over $200,000 in scholarships to individuals, kids and families who otherwise couldn't afford to take part in YMCA programs or memberships. One of the most important pieces of the YMCAs core beliefs is that no one will be turned away from our services based on their ability to pay full price. It's just one more way we're different than a health club.

Let me stop here and say that differentiating ourselves from a health club doesn't mean that we don't like or are "against" health clubs. There are some great health clubs out there and they offer great programs and services for their members. We applaud the work that health clubs do to improve the physical fitness of their members.

I once heard the YMCA described as a movement. I really like that description in that we don't measure our successes in analytical terms. For us it's not about pounds lost or games won or how fast the next lap is sum. For us, we measure our success by the impact we have in people's lives: A single parent is able to keep his or her job because of our after school care program. A child makes new friends because he's on a soccer team. A senior discovers a new hobby through a relationship developed in our Walking Club. These things are what make all the work we do worthwhile.

So if you're a Y member and someone asks you what gym you go to, be sure to tell them that you don't belong to a gym, but you are a part of the YMCA. Tell them about the great stuff that's going on here. And if you want to find out more about what we do, contact me . I'd love to share.