IN HIS LATE 20s, Benjamin Franklin listed 13 virtues that he felt were important to living a full and responsible life. Some 278 years later, they beautifully and succinctly animate the YMCA's own core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what
you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation.
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates. ▼

Summer Literacy Program In Pittsburgh
The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh created the Starfish summer literacy program to help students who are entering the third grade and reading below grade level to increase, enrich and maintain their literacy skills during the summer months.

Research shows that if a child is not reading at grade level by the end of third grade, they face a higher risk of having serious difficulty in school. Starfish combines summer day camp with literacy enrichment and the result is a unique program that makes reading fun with interactive activities that are physical in nature.

Starfish also helps the children build strong relationships with teachers and other students. All of the activities are designed to build self-confidence, demonstrate that reading is fun and ultimately, create lifelong readers.

The Starfish program is designed around state and national standards, and the curriculum comprises standard-based games, authentic writing activities, a variety of children’s literature, supplemental art activities and a recreational component. Student progress is measured through pre- and post-testing to measure outcomes.▼