Families

Family Matters.

How Dads Got Their Day

Mothers had Mother’s Day, but Sonora Louise Smart wanted to honor her father, a Civil War vet and single dad. At the Spokane YMCA, she suggested honoring all fathers. The Y enthusiastically agreed, and hosted the first Father’s Day celebration on June 19, 1910.

Indians to Adventurers

The Y-Indian Guide program dates back to the 1920s when Harold Keltner, a YMCA executive in St. Louis, Missouri, and Joe Friday, an Ojibway Indian hunting guide, founded the program based on the guidance that a father provides his son. The program was renamed Adventure Guides and today includes sons and daughters.

Fighting Childhood Obesity

In 2011, the Y committed to becoming the nation’s healthiest childcare provider with the ambitious goal of helping to end the childhood obesity epidemic. The Y adopted a set of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards in all youth programs. As O‘ahu’s largest out-of-school program provider, the YMCA of Honolulu builds lifelong healthy habits in thousands of youth annually.

If No Can, Still Can

There are times when the gap between hope and help is just a program away. With the support of generous donors, the YMCA of Honolulu provides more than $1 million annually in financial aid for families, youth, and other individuals who can’t afford to pay for the full cost of YMCA programs.

Mother and Son Dinner in the Central YMCA dining room on May 7, 1926.
1927 Father and Son Banquet at Nu‘uanu YMCA.
Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell with Y-Indian Guides. Now known as Adventure Guides, the program started  in 1950 as a way for busy dads to spend more time with their sons.
Today, the Adventure Guides program continues to bring dads and children together at the Windward YMCA.
The “808 Jr. Chef Showdown” program pairs nutrition education with cooking skills. It culminates with a fun culinary competition among Kalihi teens while their families cheer them on. The goal of the program is for the young chefs to share their new knowledge and commitment to healthier eating with their families at home.
YMCA's “Healthy Weight and Your Child" is a 4-month evidence-based childhood obesity program that brings together parents and children to learn and adopt a healthier lifestyle. “I learned through this program that it was a family affair, not just an individual thing. No child should have to carry that burden alone.” —Elizabeth, parent of 8-year old Aurora who successfully completed the program.
From the beginning, families were treated to weekend “staycation” camps at YMCA Camp Erdman. Today, Family Camp weekends are offered four times a year.

Atherton YMCA ➔