“We originally started with the YMCA’s Special Olympics program, the swimming team. Kevin was part of the team that trained here and then would compete at the state level. It’s a great program that helped us grow together with the Y as a family. We’ve stayed with the Y over the years for Kevin, who is autistic. We wanted him to be able to enjoy life better by introducing more activities. He’s under the more passive spectrum of autism and we needed to help him by introducing more enjoyable activities so he can become more independent and more confident about himself. At the Y, we are able to enjoy the activities and the kindness of everyone here as well as the set-up of the facility, which helps us grow together. We currently participate in swimming, basketball and badminton. To me, it’s very important to become more patient with my son. In this environment, with the excellent facility here, it’s really allowed me to help him and train him. Since the pandemic, Kevin does not have a school program anymore and he’s kind of stay at home. I need to keep him busy and the Y helps with that. Without the Y in our community, we would probably be idle at home, which is not very healthy. Plus, it’s not just about the activities, it’s also a culture of togetherness and bringing the community together. This coming year, I’m looking forward to doing the same things. I’ll continue to train him day after day, tiny step after tiny step. Every small step, it’s a long journey for us.”
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