YMCA of Greater Kansas City

🎬 What if one film could help us see each other differently? Last night, members of our YMCA of Greater Kansas City team attended the red carpet premiere of May Contain: My Life, the newest film from Just Like You Films and director Jennifer Greenstreet. This powerful film brings audiences inside the real experiences of children and families living with life-threatening food allergies, reminding us that empathy is not just something we feel. It is something we practice. The film also features meaningful voices helping bring this issue to light, including Pro National Football League (NFL) Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, who personally understands the reality of living with food allergies. It was also inspiring to see strong Kansas City support around the film, including Trent Green, former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, whose family’s story connects deeply to the mission. We are proud to partner with Just Like You Films as our YMCA Behavioral Specialist and Youth Development Services teams bring empathy-building tools into Y Club, camps and school programs across the Kansas City area. Through the Empathy Engine, our teams will help kids and adults better understand the invisible challenges others may carry every day. At the Y, we believe kindness grows when understanding grows. This film is an invitation to pause, listen and walk beside one another with more care. Seek out May Contain: My Life. Learn more about Just Like You Films. And watch for more ways the Y is helping create spaces where every child feels safe, seen and included. Watch our podcast, where we are creating empathy one story at a time https://bit.ly/4umoHst #YMCAofKC #JustLikeYouFilms #InclusionMatters #FoodAllergies #EmpathyInAction

What if the hardest thing a child carries is something no one can see? 💙 Food allergies. Anxiety. Grief. Trauma. In our latest clip from Warning: This Story May Change You, Genevieve Muncy shares why empathy starts with adults modeling connection, understanding and support for every child. Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is help kids feel seen. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eBxWJbgT #YMCAofKC #KCConnects #InclusionMatters

💜 With heartfelt gratitude, we thank Shauna Schwart for her dedicated service to the YMCA of Greater Kansas City Board of Directors. Since joining the Board on January 20, 2022, Shauna has been a thoughtful, engaged, and supportive volunteer leader. Through her steady participation, meaningful perspective, and commitment to the Y’s mission, she has helped advance important conversations and strengthen our work across the community. Shauna’s service included participation on the St. Joe YMCA Task Group in 2022 and the ARC Office Space Task Group in 2023. She has also been a consistent supporter of YMCA events and community moments, from Challenge Your Fashion and Spirit of Service to Cause for Celebration, the Challenger Field Rededication, board gatherings, and Annual Campaign events. Shauna’s involvement reflects a true heart for service, leadership, and community impact. As she rolls off the Board and begins this next chapter, we are deeply grateful for the time, care, and leadership she has shared with the YMCA of Greater Kansas City. Thank you, Shauna. You will always be part of our Y story, and we wish you all the very best in your move and retirement. Hallmark Cards

🌊 It’s Water Safety Month, and the Y Is Where Life-Saving Skills Begin 🏊♂️ Students from Davidson Elementary recently completed their final lesson in a six-week session of free swim lessons at the North Kansas City YMCA through Joe Delany's Learn to Swim presented by GEHA Health 🌊 And to celebrate their hard work on the final day, students got to enjoy a fun ride down the slide, because building life-saving skills can also come with a splash of joy. During Water Safety Month, we’re proud to help expand access to life-saving swim instruction and water safety education for kids across the #KCMetro. This important work would not be possible without the support of GEHA and the Hunt Family Foundation. Kansas City Chiefs This year, the program will help 850 youth gain confidence in the water and build skills that can last a lifetime. 💙 #YMCAofKC #SafetyAroundWater #KCConnects

🚨 Warning: You May Never See Empathy the Same Way Again. From virtual reality, movies, to the work happening inside Y Club/Camp, this new episode explores how we can help youth build compassion, connection, and a deeper understanding of others. “Empathy is more than a feeling. It’s something we practice.” Thank you to our guests, Mandi Kearns from Just Like You Films and Genevieve Muncy from the Y, for sharing this important conversation. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eBxWJbgT #YMCAofKC #KCConnects #InclusionMatters #FoodAllergies

Purpose-driven. Proud Impact 100 partner. 💙 We’re honored to once again be selected as a United Way of Greater Kansas City's Impact 100 partner. This partnership provides added visibility and unrestricted funding that helps us continue our mission of strengthening community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Being recognized among organizations creating meaningful change across our region is something we never take for granted. Every year, it fuels our motivation to continue showing up for kids, families, and communities across Greater Kansas City. Thank you, United Way. 💙 Learn more about the 2026 Impact 100 partners: https://lnkd.in/gUt-PNpY #YMCAofKC #KCConnects #Impact100

🎙️ Warning: This Story May Change You New episode of The Movement drops Tuesday. And this one might change the way you see empathy, inclusion, and belonging. Mark Hulet, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, sat down with Mandi Kearns, COO and Filmmaker from Just Like You Films and Genevieve Muncy, Senior Behavioral Health Director at the Y. We explore how storytelling can help kids and adults better understand the invisible challenges others carry every day. From food allergies to behavioral health, this conversation is about creating spaces where every child feels safe, seen, and included. #YMCAofKC #KCConnects #InclusionMatters #FoodAllergies

Celebrating excellence across the YMCA of Greater Kansas City 💙 Congratulations to our 2026 MO/KS YMCA Leadership Alliance Award recipients: leaders who are innovating, inspiring, and strengthening our communities every day through purpose-driven work. From aquatics and youth development to healthy living and community impact, these individuals represent the very best of the Y movement. 👏 Congratulations to: • Milos Vukajlovic — Rookie of the Year • Jesus Rodriguez — Program Excellence Award • Billy Taylor — Program Excellence Award • Sarah Srock — Community Impact Award We are better as an association because of you. Thank you for the passion, creativity, and care you bring to the Y and the communities we serve every day. #YMCAofKC #KCConnects

🏆We are honored to share that the YMCA of Greater Kansas City received the Best Overall Marketing Campaign in North America award at the 2026 North American YMCA Development Organization (NAYDO) Conference. This recognition celebrates a bold, year-long 165th Anniversary campaign led by Paige Salveter, SVP of Brand Strategy, and brought to life by an incredible group of creative partners, storytellers and YMCA team members. The campaign began with a challenge: our Y has 165 years of impact, but we needed more people to see, feel and understand the full story of what happens every day across our centers, programs and community. Under Paige’s leadership, that challenge became a brand awareness and storytelling movement: 165 Years of Impact. 165 Years Ahead. Let’s Go! The campaign included a 165th Anniversary brand book with Guild Collective, including Justin Ricklefs and Brett Peters; a refreshed storytelling approach through The Movement podcast with Sparkcade Marketing, including Brent Bowen Your Marketing Strategist, Dale Anthony and Matthew Tohl; a Cause for Celebration landing page with WizeWebz, including Terri Jordan and David Patrick; and powerful history and impact videos with Social Apex Media, including Sam Kulikov, Mark Josey, MBA and Quincy Lee. The work also came to life through the talents of many dedicated YMCA team members: Janelle Smith for creative execution and incorporating the brand book across campaign materials; Hilary Hedges for leading the details of the Cause for Celebration gala, with support from Kate Lee Leibsle; Margot Allemand for social media and creative execution; and Paula Spreitzer Oxler for script writing and PR. This campaign was supported and championed throughout the year by our President & CEO, Mark Hulet, and our COO, Angie Lassley, whose belief in brand, storytelling and community impact helped create the space for this work to thrive. This campaign was more than a celebration of our past. It was a reset in how we tell the YMCA story. It helped us elevate real voices, bring visibility to programs changing lives, celebrate community impact and invite people into the next 165 years of service. We are proud of Paige’s leadership, grateful for every partner who helped shape this work, and honored that NAYDO recognized the power of this campaign on a North American stage. 165 Years of Impact. 165 Years Ahead. Let’s Go! #YMCA #NAYDO2026 #NonprofitMarketing #CommunityImpact #YMCAofKC #YKCConnects #anchoredingiving North American YMCA Development Organization (NAYDO) #YMCAUSA

Healthy Kids. Stronger KC. Powered by Connection. 💙 In our newest episode of The Movement, leaders from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City share how community spaces, safe neighborhoods, access to healthy food, movement, and connection all play a role in building healthier lives across Kansas City. Recorded during Healthy Kids Day at the North Kansas City YMCA, this conversation explores why partnerships matter and how events like Healthy Kids Day help families discover resources, build community, and create healthier futures together. 🎧 Watch or listen to the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gdCZB96D #YMCAofKC #KCConnects #HealthyKidsDay #BlueKC