Michelle Weiss (Swimming & Diving, University of the Cumberlands) grew up in SD. HelloNation asks student athletes one question about the place that raised them and records the answer on camera. This is Michelle Weiss’s, in full.
The question
Tell us about a person or business doing something worth knowing about in your hometown — the town you grew up in, not your college town. Who are they, what are they doing, and why should people outside your hometown hear about it?
The answer, as recorded
Transcript. What follows is a transcript of the video above, in Michelle Weiss’s own words. It has not been rewritten, and no part of it was drafted for them.
One organization in my hometown of Pure South Dakota that I think is worth knowing about is the Owyhee Family YMCA. The Y has been part of the Pure and Fort Pure communities since 1971, but is much more than just a place to work out. It provides swimming, fitness classes, youth sports, child care, summer programs, and activities for people of all ages. It also offers financial assistance so that families who may not be able to afford a membership or program can still participate. What makes the Owyhee Family YMCA stand out to me is how much it became like a gathering place for the Pure and Fort Pure communities. Kids can gather for sports, swimming, camps, or other after-school programs, while adults can exercise, take classes, or use the pool. The YMCA also recently invested in a major expansion and renovation project to add more space for fitness, child care, youth programs, and community events. That $7 million project shows that the organization is not just maintaining what it has, but looking at what the community will need in the future. I think that people outside of Pure should hear about the Owyhee Family YMCA because it shows what a community organization can mean to a smaller town. It gives people a place to be active, meet others, learn new skills, and feel connected to their community. For me, it is one of those places that represents Pure because it brings so many different parts of the community together under one single roof.
Recorded by HelloNation as part of its athlete voices program and published by Hello Newswire, HelloNation’s good news newswire. The words are the speaker’s own.
Reported by Hello Newswire.