A Message from CEO Chris Garr: Joy in the Gym
“Gratitude is not merely the polite habit of saying thank you. It goes deeper than words, reaching into our most fundamental attitude toward others and ourselves. We can be grateful for the kindness, practical help, or comforting presence of another person. We can also be grateful for our own gifts, our ability to learn, and our unique history and personality.”
—Vinita Hampton Wright in Small Simple Ways
In profoundly simple ways, a gym of any shape and size, enhances our abilities, allows us to maximize our various gifts, helps us to learn, grow, and form a unique identity. The gym at 800 Sharon Drive in Westlake, Ohio, does something even more significant. It serves as a space that extracts happiness and joy in all of the the children who call it their “home court.”
A few weeks ago I sat in my office. I often stay late on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Preparation for the Holiday Show was wrapping up. Since this year’s show is heavily based on sound effects, the hours prior had been filled with noises ranging from electronic pops, steam punk gear cranking, and guttural “barbaric yawps.” I generally struggle sometimes with focus, so in the noisy tumult, little useful work was happening in my corner office, across the facility from the gym. At around 5:45 pm I heard the most fabulous sound resonating through the three walls separating me from the gym. Best described as unbridled joy and unabashed laughter unleashed in the most aggressive, organic, and real way, the noise blasted through the walls and made me jump in my office chair. I needed a pick-up, so I quickly walked to the gym to see for myself what this madness was all about. What I found was simultaneously extraordinary and ordinary. Extraordinary in that the broadest possible array of kids in a kaleidoscope of age, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, cultural background, economic means were all entranced by the shared goal of working together to make art happen in a magical way. Ordinary because this is absolutely the norm at YC and in this gym. What happened on a Tuesday night, would happen again on Wednesday, and would happen again on Thursday. Same gym, same result. Different day, different kids. Same Team YC at work and at play!
It isn’t forced, but a natural consequence of a wonderfully dedicated and mission-driven staff who care deeply about each child who enters the gym. It is what happens when kids are allowed to be kids, rules take a back seat to positive intuition and kindness, and the simple understanding that when given the right setting, we shouldn’t be surprised when the result is something beautiful, delightful, and real. For so many children with disabilities, play and social interaction are predicated on structure. “Helpers” are school aids and adult volunteers, and physical activity is limited to physical therapy or prescribed wellness appointments.
YC hits different. Kids just being kids, growing because they’ve been given the space, both physically and psychologically, to come together as a team and form real and lasting bonds with peers. But for YC, the child who has cerebral palsy and lives in Euclid probably never meets the suburban kid from the West Side who attends Catholic school. The girl from Westlake who is blind might never make a lasting connection with the teen volunteer from Mayfield High. These are the personal relationships that are at the root of forming a radically positive community. We stay grounded by a culture that values teamwork, prioritizes access and opportunity, and has been championing inclusion for nearly half a century! This is our “unique history and personality.”
This is Team YC and we are grateful that you are part of our team and our family!
Chris Garr
Chief Executive Officer
Youth Challenge
