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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Y ARTS WEEK SHOWCASES YMCA PROGRAMS NATIONWIDE WHERE CULTURE AND COMMUNITY MEET

Today's YMCAs are just as likely to offer drama and poetry as swimming and basketball

Chicago, Mar. 28, 2004 - America's YMCAs aren't "just for jocks." The second annual

Y Arts Week, June 7-14, will celebrate YMCA programs nationwide that cater to the artist, actor or playwright lurking in all of us. This week-long celebration will showcase the wide array of creative arts and humanities programs that YMCAs offer their communities, as well as honor local and national YMCA arts advocates who enable Ys to provide these programs.

"Y Arts Week spotlights YMCA leadership in the arts - but YMCAs can't do it alone," said Jason Shinder, director of arts and humanities, YMCA of the USA. "Most YMCAs that offer arts programs do so with the support and talent of local artists, writers, playwrights, sculptors, and dancers, among others, who volunteer their time to teach arts programs or secure facilities where children and adults can do art. YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for America's 2,540 YMCAs.

Nationally-recognized YMCA arts advocates include celebrities like AcademyÂ® Award nominated actor, Billy Bob Thornton, and actor/comedian Tim Allen, who both perform frequently at the Hollywood-Wilshire YMCA; also Suzanne Farrell, former star of the New York City Ballet, who held auditions for her "Exploring Ballet" work shop at the Sarasota YMCA. Additionally the Oakland Ballet performed seven shortened versions of "The Nutcracker" at local YMCAs, where dancers hosted "Sweet Dreams Parties" so youngsters could meet the "Sugar Plum Fairy."

YMCAs are also increasingly being used as galleries for local artists to showcase their work. Folk artist Elijah Pierce, a world renowned woodcarver, had his first exhibition at the Columbus YMCA in Ohio.

He then went on to achieve global fame and a one man show at the Smithsonian.

"These advocates also often share their contacts at local museums, galleries and theaters with children, teens and parents enrolled in YMCA programs, in order to expose them to lectures and exhibits in their own communities that they may otherwise be unaware of," adds Shinder.

Nationally, the nonprofit arts industry - museums, theater companies, performing-arts centers, orchestras, dance companies, arts councils, and others - generates $24.4 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue annually. By comparison, federal, state and local governments combined spend less than $3 billion on support for the arts each year.

However, the arts are not only a good financial investment for communities that support them. Arts education significantly impacts the academic achievement of children and teens. Youngsters with an education rich in the arts not only have fun, but report better grade-point averages, score better on standardized tests in reading and math, and have lower dropout rates.

"America's YMCAs understand that arts education is helping to enhance the workforce of the future. It has been proven to increase students' cognitive development, to motivate and inspire discipline, to enhance confidence and inventiveness, and to hone communication and problem-solving skills," said Kenneth L. Gladish, Ph.D., national executive director, YMCA of the USA.

"As the country's largest community service organization, YMCAs have welcomed and showcased artists for more than a century, and are proudly becoming the leading arts programming providers in the country," said Gladish.

Visit www.ymca.net or call 888-333-YMCA to find the nearest YMCA in your community.

YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for America's 2,540 YMCAs. Collectively, YMCAs are the nation's largest not-for-profit community service organization and largest provider of child care, serving 18.9 million people of all faiths, races, ages and incomes, including 9.3 million children. YMCAs offer a broad range of programs including youth leadership and volunteerism, and financial assistance is available. To learn more visit www.ymca.net.

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For more information contact:

Media Relations Manager
YMCA of the USA
312-419-8418