McGaw YMCA Benefits From Astellas' "Changing Tomorrow Day"

This past Friday, the McGaw YMCA participated in Astellas Pharma Group’s fourth annual “Changing Tomorrow Day” in conjunction with volunteer group, Chicago Cares.

Sixty volunteers from Astellas’ Northbrook office worked throughout the day to build cubbies and cubby benches for the McGaw’s Youth Lobby and Elesh Family Learning Center, create a mosaic for McGaw’s mentoring program, Project SOAR, and produce two paintings for youth areas and a wall mural for the McGaw’s Beidler Babysitting Center.

All supplies and labor were donated through Astellas.

The renovation of the Youth Lobby is intended to create a space for all middle school children to drop in after school to connect with professional adult staff and mentors, free of charge, in an effort to develop life-changing and character-building experiences. The Youth Lobby will be open Monday–Friday from 3:30–6:30 pm starting at the beginning of October.

The Beidler Babysitting Center allows a parent to exercise when they might not otherwise be able to by providing supervised child care during their workout or class. The toy- and activity-filled facility offers a safe place for children six weeks through fifth grade to play and develop while their parent supports his or her own health.

 “Changing Tomorrow Day” is an annual day of service sponsored globally by Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company, Astellas Pharma Group. The McGaw YMCA was chosen because of their mission to strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.