Congratulations to the YMCA's 10 My Fresh Page Project Winners

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Nov 24, 2014, 04:57 ET

CHICAGO, Nov. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Now in its third year, the Y's My Fresh Page Project proves that a single idea can transform the quality of life in neighborhoods across the country. After receiving more than 560 entries and 430,000 votes, this year's winners presented creative ideas to address real needs in their community. Read more about the winning projects below.

$5,000 recipients:

Reyce Merritt; Saint Joseph, Mo.
Reyce Merritt will use the $5,000 prize to build an indoor skate park for the youth of St. Joseph, Mo. community in a space that has been donated. Merritt is seeking nonprofit status so the skate park will be free to the public. He is also working on establishing afterschool programs, and providing transportation to and from the park.
Will's Friends in Flight; Rochester, N.Y.
The Katawazi's 5 year old son, Will died three days before he graduated from his preschool in Rochester. Their son's preschool was integrated for children with and without disabilities. When the Katawazi's heard about the Y's My Fresh Page Project, they wanted to use this contest as an opportunity to bring some of their son's zest for life to his friends at CP Rochester by building an adaptive zipline that will allow children of all capabilities to fly.
SOAR - Student Opportunities and Academic Resources; Baltimore, Md.
The mission of SOAR is to expand educational opportunities for low-income students by minimizing financial burdens. By empowering low-income students with a profile-based website where they can market their academic track record, these students will have the opportunity to acquire funding for educational necessities or opportunities.

$1,000 recipients:

OK Teens Care; Edmond, Okla.
OK Teens Care will use the $1,000 prize to reach more teenagers to help make an impact in their community through service opportunities. OK Teen Care encourages participants to share their experience in the hope that their stories will help inspire other teens to volunteer. With the $1,000 award from My Fresh Page Project, OK Teens Care will purchase pancake batter for local Kiwanis Clubs, provide needed items to children in local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, serve seniors citizens "Taking Time to Smell the Flowers" working in flower beds and provide refreshments at community Christmas festivals.
WALL\THERAPY on the move; Rochester; N.Y.
WALL\THERAPY has brought public art to neighborhoods across Rochester with the aim to heal the city with new life and energy. "WALL\THERAPY on the move" will take the goals and objectives one step further by integrating physical activity into the viewing of more than 100 murals. With the organizations $1,000 award, WALL/THERAPY will create unique routes to encourage citizens to explore the walls, the city and move their bodies to get there. These routes will be individualized using an interactive map based on location, distance, and mode of active transport.
Manners Count, Give Back & Speak Out; Atlanta, Ga.
PROJECT M.A.L.E. will use the $1,000 prize to reach more inner city males of Atlanta to help teach public speaking and proper table manners while engaging them in ways to take lessons learned back to their homes and communities. Participants also compete in an oratorical contest where speeches will focus on male empowerment and ways to impact their community.

$500 recipients:

Children's Enrichment Center; Tappan, N.Y.
Children's Enrichment Center will use the $500 prize to replace the toy school bus on their playground, which has fostered imaginative group play for 13 years.
Choose, Chance, Change; Oklahoma City, Okla.
Choose, Chance, Change will use the $500 prize to provide positive role models, healthy activities, inspiration and hope to youth in the Oklahoma juvenile detention center.
A Call Away; Los Angeles, Calif.
When people are dealing with medical issues, their lives, along with those of their loved ones, get turned upside down. A Call Away wants to make a difference in lives by providing assistance in completing daily tasks that would otherwise be a struggle to accomplish. A Call Away offers a variety of free services that include grocery shopping, homework help, delivering meals, pet care, watching children while patients are at the hospital and fundraising for costly hospital parking, among others.
Soccer Field for Briarwood Elementary School; Oklahoma City, Okla.
The kids at Briarwood Elementary lost their school on May 20, 2013 in an EF5 tornado. The $500 prize will help the school replace the much missed soccer field that gives the students something fun and physical to do at recess.

Giving back and providing support to the community is a vital part of the Y's commitment to social responsibility. The Y believes that everyone has a role to play in improving their hometowns. Find your local Y to learn how you can get involved.

Contact:
Mamie Moore
YMCA of the USA
312-419-8418
[email protected]

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SOURCE The Y