Healthy Communities • Y Stories • YMCA Health and Fitness
Building healthy communities from the ground up
03 June 2016 - by Nicole Meredith
After years of anticipation, the Cooper Koo Family Cherry St. YMCA is officially up and running! This new Centre of Community has been bustling for its entire first week of programming, with all of our new members eager to explore the facility, equipment, and classes they’ve been waiting for.
As our first days in this beautiful new space pass by, we can’t help but reflect upon the years of tireless planning, strategizing, and hard work that went into making the Cooper Koo Family Y what it is today. We know that without the generous support of Michael Cooper and Krystal Koo, none of this would be possible.
Krystal has long viewed the YMCA as an “amazing and welcoming” organization, having had a personal connection with the YMCA of Greater Toronto for years. As a teenager, she spent her spare time at the Scarborough Y, where she eventually began volunteering in after school programs where she helped teach children. The place she had come to know for its recreational opportunities grew into a place where she could give back to her community.
Years later, Krystal and her husband Michael would take community development to a whole new level. The pair decided to get involved with the Y’s strategic focus to fundamentally improve the health of communities across the GTA by building new Centres of Community.
Krystal and Michael’s support has been paramount in helping the Y be there for the kids, teens, adults, and families who need us most. Too many Torontonians face barriers to good health, and it is only with the assistance of people like Krystal and Michael that we can hope to provide more of them with access to supportive Y programs and services.
The opening of the Cooper Koo Family Y means that an entire neighbourhood can now be united around this centre for health and wellness. Krystal and Michael’s favourite thing about the Y is that “it is a true hub for the community” – a place where people come together to build new relationships and strengthen old ones. That’s why their hopes for this new Centre of Community have to do with each individual member’s wellbeing:
Indeed, giving back to your community in any way – no matter how big or small – makes a difference. Krystal has come full circle, first joining the Y, then giving support through her volunteer work, and now providing opportunities for community involvement on a whole new scale.
Her advice to those interested in promoting good health? Support the Y if you “want to give back to an organization that believes in the well-being of people and moving communities forward.”
As our first days in this beautiful new space pass by, we can’t help but reflect upon the years of tireless planning, strategizing, and hard work that went into making the Cooper Koo Family Y what it is today. We know that without the generous support of Michael Cooper and Krystal Koo, none of this would be possible.
Krystal has long viewed the YMCA as an “amazing and welcoming” organization, having had a personal connection with the YMCA of Greater Toronto for years. As a teenager, she spent her spare time at the Scarborough Y, where she eventually began volunteering in after school programs where she helped teach children. The place she had come to know for its recreational opportunities grew into a place where she could give back to her community.
Years later, Krystal and her husband Michael would take community development to a whole new level. The pair decided to get involved with the Y’s strategic focus to fundamentally improve the health of communities across the GTA by building new Centres of Community.
We decided to support because we believe – and now have witnessed – the good that the YMCA can do for the communities they are located in and the people who they help,” says Krystal.
Krystal and Michael’s support has been paramount in helping the Y be there for the kids, teens, adults, and families who need us most. Too many Torontonians face barriers to good health, and it is only with the assistance of people like Krystal and Michael that we can hope to provide more of them with access to supportive Y programs and services.
The opening of the Cooper Koo Family Y means that an entire neighbourhood can now be united around this centre for health and wellness. Krystal and Michael’s favourite thing about the Y is that “it is a true hub for the community” – a place where people come together to build new relationships and strengthen old ones. That’s why their hopes for this new Centre of Community have to do with each individual member’s wellbeing:
We hope that it will help change someone’s life, no matter how big or small.”
Indeed, giving back to your community in any way – no matter how big or small – makes a difference. Krystal has come full circle, first joining the Y, then giving support through her volunteer work, and now providing opportunities for community involvement on a whole new scale.
Her advice to those interested in promoting good health? Support the Y if you “want to give back to an organization that believes in the well-being of people and moving communities forward.”
