YMCA of the Northwoods to celebrate ‘Lights On Afterschool’

The YMCA afterschool program will sponsor its annual Lights On Afterschool rally on Thursday, Oct. 26.

According to a YMCA press release, the event will be one of thousands across America as part of Lights On Afterschool, the annual nationwide rally for afterschool programs organized by the Afterschool Alliance. 

This year, Lights On Afterschool will highlight the vital work that afterschool programs do to support student’s well-being and academic growth and provide opportunities that help them realize their full potential, the release states.

The YMCA is the largest childcare provider in the nation. 

“By participating in Lights on Afterschool the YMCA of the Northwoods is bringing awareness to the need for additional support for afterschool programs as they support students while facing funding and staffing challenges,” the release states. “We need to expand afterschool opportunities so that every child who needs a program has access to one and discuss the benefits of quality afterschool programs, including inspiring children to learn, keeping them safe in the hours when juvenile crime peaks, and giving working parents peace of mind that their children are safe and supervised after the school day ends.”

“Our afterschool program will be holding activities for the particiapants that shine a light on why they love afterschool, the staff and feel a sense of belonging at the YMCA,” the officials said.

 The YMCA afterschool program opened in 2012 in Rhinelander. 

It now serves 85 students at two sites in Rhinelander and 33 at one site in Park Falls, providing mentoring, and unique experiences in sports, recreation, literacy, mathematics, chess, and dozens of other subjects.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure all children have access to quality afterschool programs.

More information about Lights On Afterschool is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.