Youth Challenge, 1976 to 2026: Then and Wow!

By Vincent O’Keefe, Ph.D., YC Benefit Committee Member & Former Trustee

It’s remarkable—though fitting—that Youth Challenge began as an idea in a college student’s mind in the summer of 1976. Just past her teen years, Mary Sue Tanis majored in recreational therapy at the University of Colorado, where she interacted with Vietnam veterans who had disabilities. Her brother had also served in Vietnam.

Upon returning to Cleveland, she noticed a Fairview Women’s Club swim program that included children with disabilities. Soon she spearheaded her own fun program pairing such children with teen volunteers to play adaptive sports together through the Fairview Park Recreation Department.

In 1976, there were seven participants and twelve volunteers. But those numbers quickly multiplied. As Mary Sue noted, “in the 1970s there was no budget, only summer fun.” There was also no physical headquarters, and programs took place in local parks. That was partly by design, for Mary Sue “always wanted to ‘project’ the participants and volunteers into public spaces like parks to raise awareness of disability and access issues. In the process, participants gained social interaction beyond their families, and teen volunteers ‘bridged the gap’ with the public by explaining to curious onlookers what they were doing.”

By 1983, the wisdom of “projecting” that fun led to incorporating the organization as Adaptive Recreational Challenge with a Board of Directors. Mary Sue explained: “Our first letterhead had the address of my one-room efficiency in Cleveland. Within the year, an office was created in a vacated school building in Fairview Park.” 1984 brought year-round programming and a new name: Westshore Recreational Challenge. In 1989, the name became Youth Challenge, and in 2007 YC purchased the current headquarters in Westlake.

Today, Youth Challenge spans several Greater Cleveland counties and features a whopping 377 programs per year with over 130 participants and nearly 300 teen volunteers! The transformational organization also enjoys a thriving, multi-generational network of devoted alumni, trustees, staff members, donors, parents, and community partners. As current CEO Chris Garr says, “Mary Sue was the catalyst for creating an inclusive, active, and resilient community. We lean on her spirit and example. That rock-solid foundation motivates us to strengthen a culture of joy that makes Team YC shine!”

Here’s to the next fifty years of YC fun!