News

Hilltop YMCA Honors a Long Time Volunteer

October 15, 2008. The starry night was a beautiful backdrop for the YMCA Annual Meeting and Volunteer Recognition Celebration held at the Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel. Staff volunteers welcomed guests, and ushered them into a banquet room filled with delectable delights! Each table was decorated with puzzle pieces, and guests were invited to arrange the pieces and discover an image of YMCA programs in action along with a very special message “you are part of something great!

The Hilltop YMCA proudly honored Don Honigman at the annual meeting for his dedication and hard work towards the Hilltop renovation project. He has been a YMCA member since 1983, starting in San Francisco, transferring to Downtown Oakland and signing up to be one of our first members of the Hilltop family in December 1992 shortly before Hilltop opened in January 1993. He has been very generous in his time and treasure giving to our Partnership in Youth Campaigns since 1997 and becoming a West Contra Costa Board member in 1998. Don has chaired the facilities committee for a number of years and was chosen to chair the new Fitness Committee at Hilltop in 2008. He led the group who were instrumental in the choice of equipment chosen for our new weight room as well as behavioral signage. Following this he switched hats to the facility committee where a long awaited renovation was approved and scheduled to start in March 2009. Don is a tri-athlete who has used numerous YMCA’s throughout the Bay Area but his heart belongs to Hilltop. Of which we are very grateful. Congratulations and thank you Don!

YMCA Home Front Festival 10K and 5K

Sunday October 5, 2008

Thank you for coming out – it was a beautiful day and the participants were awesome! A special thanks to our major sponsor, Mountain Hardwear. The participant’s shirts are wonderful high tech fabric and design that will keep them exercising. We thank Montrail for supplying prizes to the winners – running shoes to keep them moving. And another special thanks to REI for their support and raffle prizes. We also thank Cliff and Lucky for providing refreshments.

While our sponsors made it possible, it was the participants who made it awesome. 154 participants with every age group represented. For several participants it was their first event and for several it was one in a string of hundreds. The beautiful course along the Bay Trail was ideal for new and seasoned runners/walkers. With the 10K and 5K both starting and finishing at Mountain Hardwear’s headquarters in the historic Ford Assembly Building there was room on the lawn to relax and enjoy the sun while cheering on fellow participants. And time to shop at the Mountain Hardwear Friends and Family Store. The location was also great for taking in the Home Front Festival at Lucretia Edwards Park.

As soon as we know the date for next year’s Home Front Festival, we’ll let you know. We’d love to have everyone who participated this year come out again. And we’d love to have more folks out walking and running next year – it’s fun, it’s healthy and all proceeds benefit Y programs here in West Contra Costa County. Thank you for your support.

Overnight Campout Experience of a Young Lifetime

A full moon watched over campers from the Hilltop Family YMCA on an overnight adventure in the Castro Valley Hills the night of August 14. Instead of an evening in front of the TV or the computer, the campers told jokes, played games, sang songs, and of course, made S’Mores at a traditional campfire. They heard critters scamper through the woods, listened to the wind blow through the eucalyptus trees and watched shooting stars as they fell into a deep sleep.

This trip to the Two Rock camp site was the first time half of them had ever been camping, after setting up camp with a large tarp and sleeping bags, camp counselors led the 40 campers to an open field where they played until dinner, followed by a campfire and a short night hike. Walking back to their sleeping bags, some of the campers saw their first shooting star.

The older and more curious campers took a longer night hike. For an hour, they hiked up and around the mountain with nothing but the moonlight guiding the way. They were amazed that they could see better in the woods without their flash lights, than with them.

At the half-way mark the sight of the moon, the clear sky and thousands of stars reflected over the mountain top with a view of a lake that mesmerized everyone.

On the way back they saw deer, raccoons, and even a fox. Some of the kids saw dinosaurs, elephants, giraffes, Homer Simpson and whatever their imagination could see.

The next day, the early birds woke up to the sun rising over the mountain tops. For some of them, this was the first sunrise they have ever seen.

“I look forward to this trip every year,” said RJ Natal, Hilltops Youth and Family director. ”These experiences are extremely valuable and enriching. It’s important to take time, to slow down and take look at the stars, watch a sunrise or a sunset. We forget sometimes how extremely important the simple things in life can just be, not just to our kids, but for ourselves.”

To find out more about amazing overnight experiences click here!

RJ Natal

Youth and Family Director

Summer Games Big Success!

On Friday, August 1, 2008, the Hilltop YMCA day campers participated in the 2008 "Y" Summer Games held at Merritt College in Oakland, CA. Over 500 day camp kids from communities throughout the East Bay competed in a variety of activities. After a music-filled opening ceremony, campers played ultimate Football and Frisbee, kickball, ran track and field events and much, much more. In the emotional closing ceremony, all participants received medals.

This event kept the spirit of competition alive within the context of the YMCA core values of respect, responsibility, honesty and caring. The weather this day was superb. Sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80’s with a slight breeze delighted the participants and staff members volunteering at the event.

Every year, YMCA of the East Bay hosts the Y Summer Games to provide kids from the East Bay an opportunity to compete in athletic events and learn a set of core values that help support our mission and logo of "Building Strong Kids, Strong Families and Strong Communities."

Every camper walked away with an achievement medal—not for winning, but for participating. Overall, the event was a great success.

"Parents can send their children YMCA day camps, confident that they will have safe fun in a learning environment that fosters teamwork and fair competition," said Linda Cook, Executive Director of the Hilltop YMCA.