Since the beginning of Red Point Church, the Hillcrest YMCA has been a great part of our ministry here in Cleveland. We have volunteered our time as a church and through the use of mission teams from outside the area. In return, they have done nothing but promote us and tell others about what we are doing in the community. They even let us use the pool for baptisms! As a thank you for our volunteer efforts, the Hillcrest YMCA has given us the YMCA of Greater Cleveland Triangle Award. Below, Alvin Austin, the executive director, was gracious enough to write why they believed we deserved this award. We look forward to serving there in the future!
Each year, the YMCA of Greater Cleveland presents the Triangle Award at its annual meeting to a volunteer or group from each YMCA branch that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help the branch succeed.
The Hillcrest Family YMCA located in Lyndhurst, Ohio is pleased to announce that Matt Jones is its Triangle Award Winner.
The old adage that YMCA volunteers add, "Talent, Treasure and Time" to the mission work of the organization is evident in Hillcrest Family YMCA "Volunteer Extraordinaire", Matt Jones.
Last year, Matt contacted Allen Stokes, Branch Program Director to determine if there were any volunteer opportunities at the branch for he and the members of his church, Red Point. The first time Matt and the group volunteered, he brought six young men who cleaned the entire building inside and out and stayed over six hours. Several weeks later he brought fourteen youth who painted several areas around the branch and cleaned the building. A month later, he brought a group that did gardening and debris removal from the branch's outside storage barn (which had not been cleaned out in fifteen years). Matt has already scheduled to paint the branch's picnic tables YMCA Character Development colors (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue) in 2008. In addition, Matt is always willing to help with youth sports, the Strong Kids Campaign and serves on the Hillcrest Family YMCA Black/Hispanic Program Committee.
- Alvin Austin, Executive Director of the Hillcrest YMCA
