ymca celebrating a culture of gratitude

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." —John F. Kennedy

During this season of gratitude, your Y wants to make sure that you know how very appreciative we are of YOU, our members, donors, staff and supporters.

Your Y is mindful of the fact that YOU, our Y Family, have done so much to lift our spirits, spread some kindness and inspire us to find new ways to be there for you.

November 16 marks the start of an entire Week of Gratitude.

In front of the Y facility, a Garden of Gratitude will showcase flowers and messages of gratitude on garden stakes. We invite you to plant a stake with your word of gratitude. Pick up a garden stake in the Welcome Center lobby!

You are also welcome to take a gratitude break with Sarah Finney, Y yoga instructor who has a recorded gratitude meditation class under Recorded Classes on your Y's Virtual Hub. Meditation can increase patience and tolerance, help build stress-management skills and allow individuals to focus on what they are thankful for. Your Y's fitness instructors will infuse their live and virtual classes with messages of gratitude as well.

With the initiative and innovation of Naomi Saenger, a South Eugene High School sophomore, your Y will unveil a Little Free Pantry, a handbuilt structure stocked with food for those without. Your Y knows that gratitude inspires us to give back to society as a whole—and here is your perfect opportunity to help stock the pantry with nonperishables!

Don't forget to pick up a newly designed Gratitude bookmark at the Y's Welcome Center--it will remind you that despite the hardship of this year, we have much to be grateful for.

"No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude." —Alfred North Whitehead

Read the rest HERE.

November 10, 2020