Greenville Y celebrates Open Doors campaign

Community health and wellness are the cornerstones of the YMCA of Greenville.

But not everyone can afford the membership fees.

So the YMCA raises funds each year to provide sliding scale scholarships for Greenville County residents who don’t have the means to join.

And next week, it will celebrate its annual Open Doors Campaign, which last year raised $1.1 million to provide scholarships for 8,000 people, said Jamie Inman, chief mission officer for the group.

“Our goal is to help people reach their full potential in spirit, mind and body,” she said. “We have a strong emphasis on health and wellness and making that accessible to all people.”

The Y doesn’t turn anyone away because of an inability to pay, she said, and the funds raised during the campaign makes the community a healthier place to live.

“Sometimes the need is based on income, and sometimes it’s based on an immediate crisis in family, like sudden layoffs or medical bills,” she said. “Situations vary.”

Moving more

The event brings together some 500 staff, volunteers and others to learn how much they’ve raised during the annual Open Doors campaign.

And this year, the keynote address will be provided by Dr. Pamela Peeke, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and expert in women’s health, fitness and nutrition.

“One of the most important messages I’d like to share is that it is absolutely essential that people integrate physical activity into their lives,” she told The Greenville News.

“It’s going to help on so many levels,” she added. “It helps with fitness. But physical activity also increases cognitive function, decreases the risk of dementia, and helps us grow a bigger brain. And the best news of all, you do not have to go to boot camp or become a gym rat to do it.

“But you do have to find every reason you have throughout the day to be more physically active.”

At work, for instance, Peeke says she gets up and moves for 10 minutes every hour.

“Get up and walk,” she said. “Move the printer and walk to it. Go to the bathroom two floors up. At lunch, get up and move. Small things really mean a lot. A little here and a little there truly counts. It’s really important for people.”

Begin the journey

People don’t just want to live longer, she said, they want to be as vital and active as they can as long as they can. And most people who reach the age of 100 stay as active mentally and physically as they can.

Physical activity also reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions and lays down the foundation for sustainable lifestyle habits, she said.

“Physical activity is essential to the ability to live long and well,” she said. “And the easiest way of doing that is walking and doing it regularly. All science has shown that. It’s one of the best ways to begin the journey.”

Every day, Greenville-area YMCAs attract almost 60,000 residents, the agency says. And each year, the need for scholarships grows.

In addition to scholarships, the money helps fund child care and after-school care as well.

The Open Doors celebration luncheon will be held at noon on April 26 at the GHS Family YMCA in Simpsonville. For more information, contact Elizabeth Milhous at emilhouse@ymcagreenville.org or (864) 242-1111.

To learn more about the YMCA of Greenville, go to www.ymcagreenville.org.