When this teamwork makes a significant difference in the lives of many it should be celebrated.
Especially when it falls on the day that’s all about 10s.
And this was the case just a few days ago in our Cleveland and Bradley County hometown.
If you missed it, you might have been one of the few. But in a nutshell, here’s what happened. Last Sunday, when the clock struck 12:01 a.m., and the calendar officially read Oct. 10, celebrations galore began — particularly those celebrating a birthday or perhaps an anniversary on the day that’s all about 10s. It was 10-10-10, an event so rare that it comes along only once every century.
That’s pretty rare.
Which made the party all the more special at the Cleveland Family Y, an organization dedicated to the overall well-being — physical, emotional and spiritual — of its growing membership and the community that has supported it, and which it has supported, over these many years.
The birthday bash was another 10. The Y has been neatly settled and tucked in at its 220 Urbane Road address for 10 years. And in that short time, the people- and family-friendly facility has even taken the time to grow some more in order to meet the growing demands of its members, their families and the countless businesses, companies and industries that support it.
This United Way of Bradley County member agency was also observing another special moment — its mutually beneficial partnership with SkyRidge Medical Center. A precedent-setting cooperation between the two has landed an outpatient physical and occupational therapy program like none other. In essence, it is a win-win-win — a win for the Y, a win for SkyRidge and most assuredly a huge win for community residents under the care of SkyRidge physicians.
SkyRidge is but one of the Y’s partners.
There are many.
Just a handful include the Cleveland City Schools System, Bradley County Schools System, BI-LO, JCPenney, Chick-fil-A, United Way of Bradley County and American Red Cross. We could list even more but our space is limited.
We intentionally exclude no one.
Every partnership — whether it is based on a corporate contract, a company understanding or an individual need — is a priority. That’s how the Cleveland Family Y operates. No numbers. Just names, needs and solutions.
The Y’s outreach is indeed far-reaching. Two churches actually hold their Sunday services at the Cleveland Family Y.
Lee McChesney, the Y’s vice president and executive director, nailed the symbolism of the moment when he described the new location’s first decade as being “awesome.” It is an appropriate word, but even more apt was his next comment, “We have much to be thankful for and we look forward to breaking new barriers in the coming years.”
With the continued support of this community, we believe those barriers not only will be broken but dismantled, turned to dust and discarded into history. Not forgotten, but remembered for what they were — stepping stones into a bold and progressive future dedicated to quality of life, depth of experience and strengthening of spirit.
Just in the last 10 years, the Cleveland Family Y has provided $1,701,960 in scholarships to families, individuals, seniors, teens and youth for programs and memberships; completed an exhaustive $4 million expansion featuring the Brenda Lawson Youth Center; expanded the Wellness Center by doubling its size; completed the FitKids Wellness Center and a cycling studio; and offered cardio development, water exercise, group fitness and family enrichment for thousands.
Did you catch the last word?
Thousands.
We congratulate the Cleveland Family Y, and its diverse membership, on achieving “The Big 10.”
We anxiously await the next opening of this historic door.
On Oct. 10, 2110.
See you there.
