The YMCA is a starting line for individuals to become their best selves. For men and women seeking to improve their fitness, to children experiencing their first goal in soccer or first friend at camp, membership at the Y is a place to belong and grow. Our commitment is to make the Y experience accessible to all.
For more than 25 years, the Gateway Region YMCA has been proud to have a fully operational Inclusion and Adaptive Support Services department serving children and adults with disabilities. Our Y currently serves more than 1,550 children and adults with disabilities - allocating over $600,000 to support Inclusion and Adaptive Support Services.
Adaptive sports programs at the Y provide children and adults with disabilities the chance to play sports and participate in learning opportunities in a safe, fun atmosphere. We offer many adaptive sports programs year-round including Adaptive Basketball, Adaptive Baseball, and Adaptive Bowling - and that's just to name a few.
The Y, in partnership with The Miracle League, provides a chance to experience the joys and benefits that come from playing baseball. We have a $5.2 million Adaptive Sports Complex being built on the South County YMCA campus, in partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinals Care, the team's charitable foundation, Boniface Foundation and Miracle League. The Adaptive Sports Complex is about so much more than a game. It’s about building self-esteem, making new friends, and helping ensure individuals with disabilities can reach their full potential.
Additionally, the Trout Lodge is proud to host Veterans and members of the Armed Forces through our Veterans Adaptive Outdoor Adventure Programs each year since 2013. YMCA of the Ozarks also hosts more than a dozen additional groups with adults and children who live with special needs and/or physical disabilities each year. The YMCA of the Ozarks Trout Lodge, home to the Veteran Adaptive Outdoor Adventure Program, is an all-inclusive conference and retreat center situated on 5500 acres including a beautiful 360-acre lake located 90 miles south of St. Louis in Missouri’s eastern Ozarks.
As we continue to grow our Adaptive Sports and rehabilitation programs our staff are gaining the technical training and experience to further develop our programming to engage even more Veterans with disabilities, offer additional adaptive sports activities and provide hands-on training opportunities.