YMCA Stories

Meet Dorothea. She’s 83 years old and 12 years ago she had a stroke that forced her to make some changes in her life. That’s when she started coming to the Les Chater Family YMCA.

Meet Edgar Hernandez, the 35-year-old Program Manager and leader behind the YMCA Newcomer Youth Centres. Over the last 18 years, the YMCA has been there to ignite Edgar's potential, and he has shown resilience, dedication, and adaptability in his effort to help newcomer youth in our community.

The YMCA of Hamilton | Burlington | Brantford has been chosen by two Home Depot locations as their Orange Door Project Charity Partner this Spring. 

Meet Abdullah. He grew up in Kenya, but in December 2023 he came to Canada with two of his children. He says the decision to come wasn’t easy, but it was necessary as it was no longer safe for his son to be himself. 

Every Friday in the summer, Turkstra Lumber Hamilton hosts a charity barbeque in their parking lot. The Angus hamburgers and footlong hotdogs, for just $5, include a drink and your choice of toppings—condiments, pickles, onions, and tomatoes—and all proceeds go to the charity of the week!

Following years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian and Micheline saw their son Jason was spending more and more time alone in his room, he wasn’t socializing with the children in the neighbourhood, and he wasn’t contributing to their conversations at home. 

Randy is an aspiring comedian who has lived at the YMCA Men’s Residence, in Downtown Hamilton, for more than a decade.  For Randy, the Men’s Residence offered him an opportunity to be independent—to live on his own while he chases his dream. It’s his home, and the people there have given him a sense of community. 

Meet Eric. He is A full-time early learning assistant at the Les Chater YMCA Child Care Centre. 

Momina is a Grade 11 student at Glendale Secondary school.