YMCA Kids Challenge at Vaughan aims to raise $250,000

Charity’s annual fundraiser helps children get healthy by being active

Yorkregion.com
May 30, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

YMCA Kids Challenge at the Vaughan City Hall YMCA Child Care Centre is aiming to raise $250,000 to help create more spaces for children and families at health and fitness centres, child care locations, camps and more.

On Thursday, the YMCA of Greater Toronto, together with Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua and Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Francesco Sorbara, kicked off the annual YMCA Kids Challenge at the Vaughan City Hall YMCA Child Care Centre.

The annual fundraising walk brings the YMCA child care community in the GTA together to help families in need, while teaching kids about community. More than 20,000 kids at YMCA child care centres, after school programs and schools in the GTA participated Thursday.

Mayor Bevilacqua and MP Sorbara joined Katie Lowe -- general manager of the currently under construction Vaughan Metropolitan Centre YMCA -- to celebrate the kickoff of the walk with children from the Vaughan City Hall YMCA Child Care Centre. The centre provides high quality, licensed care for children 18 months to four years of age in a stimulating environment so they can learn, grow and thrive.

“Our charity’s annual YMCA Kids Challenge fundraiser helps children get healthy by being active at the Y while helping others,” says Medhat Mahdy, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

“Being active and giving both help improve well-being and we can’t wait to bring even more children in Vaughan opportunities to grow strong and healthy when we open our new Centre of Community in the city next year.”

Members of the public can show their support by making a donation to the Y through the YMCA Kids Challenge before May 30, 2019. For more information, visit ymcagta.org/kidschallenge.