YMCA bus tour shows the Strong Kids Campaign in action

Have you visited a YMCA lately? Brightly colored words painted overhead remind you of the group's four core values: caring, respect, responsibility and honesty.

And just in case you thought the Heritage YMCA Group -- which serves Naperville, Aurora and Oswego -- only managed swimming pools and gyms, you might be interested in taking the YMCA Bus Trip, an initiative organized by Tom Mier, chairman of the Strong Kids Campaign. The tour provides a behind-the-scenes look at other Y happenings.

My invitation came from Ray Kinney. I always have a tough time telling Ray I'm too busy, so I carved out three hours to take the tour.

And so did Zaide Syed, Mary Ann Junkroski and Paul Junkroski.

Our tour guide was President and CEO Tom Beerntsen, who met us at the downtown Naperville Kroehler Y. Then we headed to the Naperville Family Resource Center on the Scott Elementary School campus.

Through a unique partnership with Naperville Unit District 203, the Y now offers after-school academic experiences to kids at Scott and Madison Junior High.

But first, we observed children playing dodgeball during the Safe 'n' Sound program and running in the gym and on the school stage, also in partnership with District 203.

Safe 'n' Sound is designed to meet the needs of working parents, providing before- and after-school care in many elementary schools in both our school districts.

Afterward, we visited 20 children at the Naperville Family Resource Center as they finished homework before arts and crafts, games and reading for pleasure. With temperatures below freezing, outdoor play was out of the question that day.

A small group of students participated in a discussion led by a counselor from Breaking Free.

Next we headed toward Aurora to visit the YMCA Youth Technology Center at Jericho Circle. Beerntsen described its recent opening as a high point for the Y.

"If you want to define the heart and soul of what our mission work should look like, you can point with pride at our program at Jericho Circle," he said.

That day, program director Dennis Jones was elated because Internet access had been hooked up by Comcast. Youngsters were content and clicking away in the new computer lab.

Mier, a longtime advocate of the Y's philosophy and programs, is hopeful the tours will help community members see the Strong Kids Campaign at work.

This year's goal is to raise $500,000.

Back in Naperville, Beerntsen led us to the Kroehler basement to see the oldest indoor pool in DuPage County, built in 1910. The larger pool in the front addition was built in 1973.

So if you thought the YMCA manages pools, you were partially correct.

Heartfelt thanks

Friday morning I felt like a kid, sitting among hundreds of students at Fry Elementary School during a patriotic convocation in salute to Navy Reserve Cmdr. Matt Anderson, who heads back to Afghanistan this week for his second tour of duty.

Like all the Fry Foxes, I hung on every word Anderson said as he emphasized the importance of education, clean water wells, health care and humanitarian assistance throughout the world.

Anderson's two daughters, Sarah, 10, and Molly, 9, attend Fry.

Thanks to PTA President Rhadhika Bhandari, Debbie Hermann, Alyson Schroeder and all the mothers who organized the generous initiative, servicemen and women in Afghanistan will have hand-crafted valentines created by the students and special care packages donated by Fry families.

Further, all the students in the gym will have a better understanding about the world that surrounds them -- and especially why a good education is critical at every level.

After the 30-minute program, complete with patriotic music and a slide show of photographs and maps, I asked Stacey Anderson, the commander's wife, what he does for a living when he's not serving his country. When she said he's employed by Sharpie Pens, I felt truly drawn to this serviceman. I probably have every color of Sharpie in my pen cup.

You can bet from now on, whenever I use a Sharpie, I'll think of Cmdr. Anderson with a special prayer for his safety as he serves our country.