Dear Editor and Community:
Life and times do move on, as it should be, but that doesn’t mean that you do not appreciate and savor those programs that are working for our community. Instead you work together to enhance them!
As a person who was born and raised in Santa Monica and as a previous President of the Board of Directors for the Santa Monica YWCA, I was saddened to hear that after 90 years they will be closing their doors to the community. But in that sadness, I also learned of a silver lining. Wise & Healthy Aging is proposing to the YWCA board to extend the WISE programing by building on the legacy of the YWCA with the creation of an intergenerational campus. WOW, that honors the legacy, moves the organization forward and answers the needs of the community.
Imagine, a day care with intergeneration support and interaction. Imagine a transition program for girls graduating from foster care and having the opportunity to interact and learn from their intergeneration interactions! Imagine our senior population once again being able to give back to the generations coming up.
This is an idea that merits strong consideration by our leaders to collaborate and look for a win-win scenario. If I have learned anything in my life, it is that given a good idea, bringing people together and focusing on a common goal can lead to a successful solution. In this case, that success would be for the legacy of the YWCA, provide a future for the girls in foster-care transition, ensure the children of childcare and the seniors benefit from the interaction and provide a long range solution for our community!
Please join with me in advocating for the best of minds to bring about the best of collaboration and a solution to create a brand new legacy!
Pam Brady
Former President of the YWCA of Santa Monica
