Kathy Lock, director of the Carroll County Area YMCA, was the guest speaker at the Thursday, June 30 meeting of the Trenton Rotary Club, held at the BTC Bank community room. Brian Upton presided at the meeting and was the sergeant at arms. Dan Wilford gave the prayer and Jackie Soptic was the program chairman.
Mrs. Lock presented information about the YMCA in her community and the projects that are offered. She said the Carroll County group worked through the Grand River YMCA at Chillicothe to get its YMCA started. A feasibility study was done and after determining interest for such a venture, efforts got underway to make the community aware of the project and to begin raising funds. The organizers were able to raise over $500,000 to establish an operating budget.
The YMCA currently operates out of a building in Carrollton, but partners with community groups that have established programs to offer recreational activities as well as a food program, which is operated with federal funds provided by the USDA. The food program offers meals for youth ages 18 and under and last year over 60,000 meals were served. There are currently 485 families who have YMCA memberships. In addition to the food program, the YMCA works with the school district to provide various youth recreation activities as well as the city of Carrollton, in which the YMCA contracts for use of the city swimming pool by its members. Mrs. Lock said the school district has provided facilities for many of its recreational activities. The group is hoping to have its own facility in the near future, which would provide a central site for its activities. There are currently 10 full-time and 20 part-time employees.
During the business meeting, the club presented an $875 check to Bright Futures Trenton, with $675 to be used to purchase shoes that are distributed to students in need during the year, ad $200, to be used at the Bright Futures Trenton Back to School event in August.
The club will hold its installation of officers at the July 7 meeting. Dan Wilford will give the program.
Money for shoes was collected during the Trenton Rotary club’s “Shoes for Orphan Souls” international project that concluded in May. In the photo below, pictured from left to right are Diane Lowrey, Shoes for Orphan Souls chairman; Adrianne Todd, representing the Hodge Presbyterian Church that organizes the Bright Futures shoe project; and Chris Hoffman, chairman of the Bright Futures Trenton Board of Directors
