We recently received this message from one of Jefferson City's strongest community partners about some changes coming to a Y near you. With so many programs and opportunities to participate, it is good to see that the organization is striving to keep its focus on Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

Rebranding the Y - It’s More Than a Logo

Dear Members,

For the first time in 43 years, the Y is unveiling a new brand strategy. The strategy is designed to increase the understanding of the impact the organization makes in the community so that more people take advantage of the Y’s unique capacity to foster lasting personal and social change.

YMCA of the USA is simplifying how we describe the programs we offer so that is apparent that everything we do is designed to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve health and well-being, and motivate people to support their neighbors and larger community. Moving forward, we will be known as “the Y”. That is how people refer to us informally and it is a way of signaling that our doors are open to everyone. A new, more forward looking logo replaces the logo that has been in place for 43 years.

We are making these changes because we want to increase our impact nationwide, and we believe part of doing so involves helping people understand what we do and why we do it.

The Y works everyday to solve many of the issues Americans are most concerned about. For decades we have offered programs that help kids reach their potential, that help families and individuals achieve better health outcomes and that encourage everyone to get involved and make their community a better place. The aim is to bring more services to more people in the key areas of: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility.

The Y is about changing lives for the better. We have been doing this for 160 years and hope to do it for decades to come. We view participation in our programs and services as a means to a greater end. Therefore, through our rebranding effort, we want to help our community to learn more about our work so we can help:

· More children deepen their positive values, commitment to service and motivation to learn;

· More families build stronger bonds, achieving greater work life balance and becoming more engaged in their community through the Y; and,

· More individuals improve their well-being and connect with people who care.