By Andy Dahn

BLOOMINGTON – Hundreds of community members and volunteers gathered at the Double Tree Hilton Tuesday morning to kick off the Bloomington-Normal YMCA’s annual Strong Kids Campaign.

The goal is to raise $175,000 to help children and families that are unable to pay for membership and programming assistance. YMCA Executive Director B.J. Wilken said the campaign helps children get involved in a variety of ways.

“Summer day camps, swimming instruction programs, our swim team, dance program, all of the others that we provide,” Wilken said. “There’s something about being able to say yes to a child, and making them feel included in our community. So that’s the greatest impact that we can have.”

The campaign assisted over 1,700 community members last year, a number that Busey Bank Market President and YMCA organizer Tom Good said can continue to grow.

“What we’re really trying to do is continue to provide that effort and bring more people in,” said Good. “Health, wellness, spiritual programs, all the good things that the Y stands for. So this is an opportunity for us to continue that good work.”

Wilken said the campaign is off to a great start.

“The good news is that we kicked off this campaign with over 50% already raised from 178 donors,” Wilken said. “And that’s fabulous. We hope to conclude the campaign around July 9th, and we hope to have a celebration at that point in honor of making the goal.”

The YMCA is currently short of that goal by nearly $80,000. Wilken said donations can be made at bnymca.org, or by calling the Bloomington-Normal YMCA.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].