Blue Water YMCA to host holiday fun for families on December 6 – thekeelph.com

YMCA of the Blue Water Area: Community Engagement and Sustainable Development Goal Alignment

Event Report: Jingle Jam 2025

The YMCA of the Blue Water Area is scheduled to host its “Jingle Jam” community event on December 6, 2025, at its Port Huron facility. The event is designed to provide accessible holiday activities for local families, directly supporting several key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Scheduled Activities

1. Community Breakfast: A complimentary hot breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to noon. The meal is free for all children and up to two adults per family, contributing to food security.
2. Jingle Bell Run: A fundraising run will commence at 9 a.m., with 2k, 5k, and 10k course options. This promotes physical activity and well-being within the community.
3. Family Engagement Activities: From noon to 3 p.m., the “Y on the Fly” party will offer games, crafts, swimming, and outdoor train rides, fostering community cohesion and providing safe recreational spaces for children and families.

Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The YMCA of the Blue Water Area’s programs and initiatives demonstrate a strong commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through year-round community support.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Emergency Food Assistance: In response to a temporary halt in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the YMCA partnered with the Eastern Food Bank of Michigan, Mid City Nutrition, and Meridian Health. This collaboration distributed nearly 600 boxes of food, assisting approximately 2,000 people and addressing immediate food insecurity.
• Consistent Meal Provision: The organization provides free meals to children enrolled in its childcare programs, ensuring they receive regular nutrition.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Preventative Health Programs: The YMCA offers a pre-diabetes program that provides participants with continuous glucose monitors, wellness coaching, and personalized nutrition guidance to prevent chronic disease.
• Water Safety and Skills: Youth swimming lessons are provided to teach a critical life-saving skill, reducing the risk of drowning in a community with significant water access.
• Promotion of Physical Activity: The organization operates a full-service gym, swimming pool, and wellness center, in addition to hosting events like the Jingle Bell Run, to encourage healthy lifestyles.

SDG 1: No Poverty & SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Affordable Childcare: By providing extensive before- and after-school childcare programs, the YMCA enables parents to work, thereby supporting household financial stability and contributing to local economic growth.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Financial Accessibility: The YMCA maintains a policy to ensure no one is turned away due to an inability to pay. It offers scholarships and accepts government-funded subsidies for its programs.
• Targeted Support: The organization partners with local schools to provide free childcare in areas of the city with the highest need, directly addressing economic and social disparities.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Collaborative Action: The YMCA actively partners with local food banks, nutrition centers, and health organizations to amplify its impact and provide a comprehensive support network for the community, as evidenced by its food distribution efforts.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article directly addresses food insecurity and hunger by highlighting the YMCA’s role in providing food assistance. It details a specific initiative where the YMCA, in partnership with other organizations, distributed food boxes to the community, especially in response to a reduction in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  This goal is central to the YMCA’s mission as described in the article. The organization promotes healthy lifestyles through various programs, including a pre-diabetes prevention program with wellness and nutrition coaching, swimming lessons to prevent drowning, and providing a full-service gym and wellness center.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The YMCA’s before- and after-school childcare programs contribute to this goal. The article states these programs help children learn social skills and provide a structured environment for development, which aligns with early childhood development and care, a key aspect of quality education.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  By providing affordable and accessible childcare, the YMCA enables parents, often women, to enter or remain in the workforce. The article explicitly states, “Childcare programs allow parents to work and better provide for their families,” which supports the economic empowerment of women and recognizes the value of care work.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The provision of affordable childcare is directly linked to economic growth. As the article notes, these programs allow parents to work, thereby contributing to full and productive employment and supporting families’ economic stability, especially in the face of a “cost-of-living crisis.”

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article showcases the YMCA’s collaborative approach. It explicitly mentions partnerships with the “Eastern Food Bank of Michigan, Mid City Nutrition, and Meridian Health” for food distribution and with “local schools and organizations” to provide free childcare, demonstrating effective civil society partnerships to achieve common goals.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to food

   The article details the YMCA’s efforts to ensure access to food for vulnerable populations. When SNAP benefits were reduced, the YMCA acted to “distribute nearly 600 boxes of food to approximately 2,000 people,” directly addressing the need for immediate food access during a time of uncertainty.

2. Target 3.4: Reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases

   The YMCA’s “pre-diabetes program that helps prevent diabetes” is a direct measure aimed at preventing a non-communicable disease. By offering wellness and nutrition coaching, the program works to reduce the incidence of diabetes and promote long-term health, aligning with the goal of reducing premature mortality through prevention.

3. Target 4.2: Ensure access to quality early childhood development and care

   The article highlights the YMCA’s “before- and after-school childcare programs” as one of its largest initiatives. These programs provide a safe environment where children “get exercise, and learn social skills,” contributing directly to their development and care, which is the core of this target.

4. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care work through the provision of public services

   The provision of affordable and subsidized childcare is a key service that enables parents to participate in the paid workforce. The article notes that the YMCA “provides scholarships, accepts government-funded subsidies,” and offers free childcare in high-need areas, thereby providing a social protection policy that supports working families.

5. Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work

   The article connects the availability of childcare directly to employment by stating, “Childcare programs allow parents to work and better provide for their families.” By removing a significant barrier to employment, the YMCA’s programs help parents achieve and maintain decent work.

6. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships

   The article provides concrete examples of the YMCA’s partnerships. For its food drive, it “partnered with the Eastern Food Bank of Michigan, Mid City Nutrition, and Meridian Health.” For childcare, it “partners with local schools and organizations.” These collaborations exemplify the effective civil society partnerships this target aims to promote.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Indicator for Target 2.1

   A direct quantitative indicator is mentioned in the article: the number of people receiving food assistance. The text states that the YMCA’s food drive provided “nearly 600 boxes of food to approximately 2,000 people.”

2. Indicator for Target 3.4

   An implied indicator is the number of participants in preventative health programs. The existence of the “pre-diabetes program” and the description of its services (wellness and nutrition coaching) serve as a qualitative indicator of progress towards disease prevention.

3. Indicator for Target 4.2

   The article provides a quantitative indicator for childcare services by stating that the YMCA is “serving hundreds of kids every day.” The existence of waitlists, also mentioned, further indicates the high demand and scale of the program.

4. Indicator for Target 5.4 & 8.5

   An implied indicator is the number of parents (particularly women) enabled to work due to access to affordable childcare. While the article doesn’t give a specific number, it establishes a direct causal link: “Childcare programs allow parents to work.” The number of scholarships and subsidies provided would be a measurable indicator of this support.

5. Indicator for Target 17.17

   The article provides a qualitative indicator by naming the specific organizations the YMCA partners with. The number and type of partnerships formed (e.g., with food banks, health organizations, and schools) can be used to measure progress in building collaborative efforts.

Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thekeelph.com