YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South Celebrates New Americans during Welcoming Week Sep. 14-23
September 14, 2018
Communities and Organizations Across the US, Including the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South Join Welcoming America in Celebrating New Americans During Welcoming Week
Memphis, TN — This Welcoming Week, taking place September 14-23, YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South will join Welcoming America and hundreds of YMCAs and other organizations nationwide in hosting events to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities and bring together all residents in a spirit of unity.
“At the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South, we believe communities are stronger when everyone feels welcome and we can all work together for the common good,” said Jerry Martin, President & CEO. “We are proud to be a part of Welcoming Week, which is demonstrating that in places large and small, rural and urban, people of all backgrounds are coming together to create stronger communities. It is a time to celebrate the shared values that unite us as neighbors, parents and colleagues, and to make our towns more welcoming to newcomers and to everyone who calls our community home.”
During Welcoming Week, all 11 branches serving Memphis & the Mid-South will host several events that are open to the public.
“These events are part of a powerful and growing movement in our country and around the world, demonstrating that communities want to be welcoming,” said Rachel Peric, Executive Director of Welcoming America. “Welcoming Week is a reminder of the resilient and inclusive spirit of American communities. Thousands of local leaders nationwide are bringing their communities together to bridge divides and build stronger local economies where everyone belongs.”
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About the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South
Founded in 1855, the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South is a fully inclusive non-profit organization that serves approximately 175,000 Mid-Southerners each year through 11 full-service branches that offer aquatics, fitness and wellness, teen leadership, at-risk youth and senior programs. Branches also offer afterschool care and summer camp. Fee assistance is available for those who qualify, and no one is denied participation due to the inability to pay. The YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South is a member agency of the United Way of the Mid-South.
About Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week, founded by Welcoming America, is an annual celebration bringing together thousands of people and hundreds of local events that celebrate the contributions of immigrants and refugees and the role communities play to foster greater welcome. Welcoming Week is Sept. 14-23 across the country and now expanding to other parts of the world.
Welcoming America is leading a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by making everyone who lives there feel like they belong. Welcoming America believes that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of both our communities and our shared future. www.welcomingamerica.org.
About the Y
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net
Memphis, TN — This Welcoming Week, taking place September 14-23, YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South will join Welcoming America and hundreds of YMCAs and other organizations nationwide in hosting events to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities and bring together all residents in a spirit of unity.
“At the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South, we believe communities are stronger when everyone feels welcome and we can all work together for the common good,” said Jerry Martin, President & CEO. “We are proud to be a part of Welcoming Week, which is demonstrating that in places large and small, rural and urban, people of all backgrounds are coming together to create stronger communities. It is a time to celebrate the shared values that unite us as neighbors, parents and colleagues, and to make our towns more welcoming to newcomers and to everyone who calls our community home.”
During Welcoming Week, all 11 branches serving Memphis & the Mid-South will host several events that are open to the public.
“These events are part of a powerful and growing movement in our country and around the world, demonstrating that communities want to be welcoming,” said Rachel Peric, Executive Director of Welcoming America. “Welcoming Week is a reminder of the resilient and inclusive spirit of American communities. Thousands of local leaders nationwide are bringing their communities together to bridge divides and build stronger local economies where everyone belongs.”
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About the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South
Founded in 1855, the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South is a fully inclusive non-profit organization that serves approximately 175,000 Mid-Southerners each year through 11 full-service branches that offer aquatics, fitness and wellness, teen leadership, at-risk youth and senior programs. Branches also offer afterschool care and summer camp. Fee assistance is available for those who qualify, and no one is denied participation due to the inability to pay. The YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South is a member agency of the United Way of the Mid-South.
About Welcoming Week
Welcoming Week, founded by Welcoming America, is an annual celebration bringing together thousands of people and hundreds of local events that celebrate the contributions of immigrants and refugees and the role communities play to foster greater welcome. Welcoming Week is Sept. 14-23 across the country and now expanding to other parts of the world.
Welcoming America is leading a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by making everyone who lives there feel like they belong. Welcoming America believes that all people, including immigrants, are valued contributors and vital to the success of both our communities and our shared future. www.welcomingamerica.org.
About the Y
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net
Contact:
Rachel Edwards
rachel.edwards@ymcamemphis.com, 901.766.7677
