They are the future of our community and a local non-profit has unveiled plans to help the littlest Siouxlanders. "So we're investing in our youth of Sioux land for our future, right? That's what we're doing." The Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA unveiled plans for a 12,000-foot expansion and building renovations. They are currently in Phase 1, renovating part of the existing building to better serve the youth and programs they currently have. They've begun the fundraising portion of the new development, all of which will be dedicated to youth development. "So we're trying to be unique and really taking a look at the true need of Siouxland to see where those gaps are and then The Y wants to be able to fill that to the best of our ability," said Rhonda Robson, CEO of the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA. This expansion will include several classrooms and child care areas for babies as young as 6 weeks up through the Y's preschool program that they launched this year. They also have plans for a large indoor play area, which they hope to make a unique space in the tri-state. They will offer traditional childcare and also different types to give working parents options for finding a safe place for their children. "what we're looking at doing is actually extending that and making it earlier. So that second shift worker could so the second shift workforce, the entire workforce could possibly have care even into the evening, the y's already open. So why not be able to do that? And if you don't need full-time child care, they will have part-time options, too. "What we're going to do is we're going to have drop-in childcare as well," said Robson, "so that those parents who maybe have a part-time job or a second job will be able to do that." This project is one Robson and the Y team have had in the works for several years, with a goal to fill a gap in child care offerings, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the progress of the plans. But now, the Y team is dedicated to creating a space for all kids and parents. "We're in a childcare desert and what that means is essential there are more children who need care than there are spots," said Robson. They will be adding over 80 new spots for child care as well as hiring several more full and part-time positions within the Y. All with one goal in mind: creating a place for Siouxland kids to learn and grow. "This is really a project that we're investing in Siouxland, because 85% of all brain development happens before the age of five, so zero to five," said Robson. "So the YMCA and this project and people who donate to this project and support this project will be investing in the future of Siouxland. So that's what I think is super cool is that we're investing in children and we're investing in our future." And with this expansion, they hope to bring in more programming for not only the smallest Siouxlanders, but the older kids as well. "So we first started in after-school care, and then we went to preschool and now we're looking at taking on the younger generation, even smaller of the babies and all the way up to teens," Robson said. "Because we're talking about leadership programming too, as well." The Y has begun the fundraising portion of the expansion and relies fully on donations to make this possible. If you'd like to contribute or learn more about how you can help make this happen, you can contact the Y directly. SEE THE VIDEO
0 Comments
One person was injured in a shooting Monday morning, March 21st, the third in Sioux City in a week. This string of gun violence in the community has been a concern for many residents, so Siouxland News spoke to the Sioux City Police Department about what is happening. Sgt. Jeremy McClure says the Sioux City Police Department takes gun violence seriously and has put all the resources the department has into investigating these crimes and getting both the guns and violent offenders off the streets. Sunday night, March 20th, one person was hurt when a tan SUV shot at a man and two kids in a black Chrysler. One person in the car was hurt, though not from gunfire. Police are still searching for that SUV and the people in it. Also, last Monday, March 14th, a woman was shot after entering a man's home trying to purchase meth. Sgt. McClure says these crimes aren't random. They are typically stemming from issues between individuals who are then turning to gun violence to solve their problems. "It's very concerning to the fact that people feel that they need to resort to guns to handle some of these situations. And this is something that I think we're all seeing across the nation as it is," Sgt. McClure said. "I mean, these aren't random events. People just aren't minding their own business and getting shot at. A lot of them are involved in some sort of feud that's going on that precipitates this." So these aren't just random out-of-the-blue events. There's some conflict that's been going on, that leads to this moment.Police are still searching for information regarding the March 21st shooting at 1600 Nebraska and the shooting on Sunday, March 20th near Cook Park. Sgt. McClure says police need the public's help to find those involved. "You need somebody out there who has information that can help get a violent person off the street," Sgt. McClure said. "Give us that tip, give us a chance to help make our streets safer. There's only so much that we can do in our job without a partnership from the community and if this is the kind of community that you want to be safe and to not have violent people, just, you know, shooting randomly at each other, then please give us that information. Help us get these people off the streets." If you have any information on any of these crimes, you can report that information to the Sioux City Police Department by calling (712) 279 - 6960 or, if you'd like to remain anonymous, call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (712) 258 - TIPS. SEE THE VIDEO |
Katie CoppleWeb articles from my time at Siouxland News. Categories
All
Archives
May 2023
|