YMCA Stories

Meet Brenda Flaherty. She’s held many titles over the course of her life—like COO of Hamilton Health Sciences, and Assistant Professor of Nursing—but when asked about her relationship with the YMCA, she simply says she’s a volunteer.

Support from the Y during incarceration is helping this man rebuild his life.

For Jacqueline, being part of the Y has been a lifelong affair.

When Maggie thinks back, she realizes she’s grown up with the YMCA. Before-and-after-school care moved into swimming lessons, Friday nights as a tween were spent with friends at the Y, and day camp turned into overnight camp at YMCA Wanakita.

Mariah* is the mother of two young children, one with special needs. Because of her son’s exceptionalities, she says finding reliable and affordable after school programs has been difficult and has impacted her ability to work.

​ Meet John Black. He’s 60 years old and has been coming to the Y for the last 17 years. John lives with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and back in 2007 he weighed 440 lbs. Today, at 260 lbs., he’s about half that size, and he credits the YMCA—and the incredible staff—for saving his life.

Meet Faisal. He’s 23 years old and has been an employee of the YMCA since May 2023. But Faisal’s first experience with the YMCA goes back to 2011, when he was 14 and settled in Hamilton, Ontario after immigrating to Canada with his mother and six siblings from Syria during the civil war.

Meet Keeler and Dekard. They're 17-year-old twins who have attended YMCA Wanakita in Haliburton, Ontario, every summer since they were seven.