Stories of Hope
Catalyst of Hope
Mary's Story
Mary has over 30 years experience at the Ashland Family YMCA and talks about how the Y is a community, her community. She invites anyone feeling isolated or anyone feeling like they have too many physical barriers, to come to the Y. You'll be in great company!
Building Communities with Zumba
Armando's and Lisa's Story
Learning Life Lessons at the Y
Rylie's Story
Staying Strong at the Y
The Brenners' Story
Reclaiming My Life
Martin's Story
After nearly losing his battle with addiction, Martin started coming to the Ashland Family Y and making every day a win!
It Takes Strength to Be a Mom
Kristen's Story
Initially intimidated to enter the gym, Kristen soon relaxed at the Ashland Family Y and started coming every day. Her goal was to be a strong mom for her two sons—now she's entering body building competitions!
Overcoming My Fears
Dominic's Story
Don't let his age fool you, Dominic has learned how you conquer fears. Afraid of the deep water, he realized the best way to overcome that was to learn to swim!
Training for Life
Melissa's Story
Melissa came to the Y with the goal to lose weight and ended up training for a marathon. She soon realized she was preparing her body for more than a race!
Watch More Of Their Stories — The Documentaries
Once we started filming these stories in early 2020, we quickly realized there was much more here than the short videos we had originally planned. We knew we'd want to share the full stories with all of you so you could be just as inspired as we were!
Scroll down and enjoy watching more of Kristen's, Dominic's, Melissa's, Martin's and Mary's stories.
Mary's Full Story: "Catalyst of Hope"
Mary shares how she was very shy and somewhat new to the community when she first came to the Ashland Family Y. Thirty years later, she can see how much she grew as a person through the experience. Going from taking classes to teaching them and helping create even more welcoming opportunities at the Y.
Kristen's Full Story: "It Takes Strength to Be a Mom"
It's about losing weight. It's about becoming healthy. But most importantly, it's about becoming the person you always wanted to be. Watch Kristen's full story and learn how she accomplished all that and more.
Dominic's Full Story: "Overcoming My Fears"
"Sometimes when I hear things [encouragement] like that, I want to keep on going or if someone says I can't do something, I want to keep on going." Watch Dominic's full story and learn more about this amazing 10-year-old.
Melissa's Full Story: "Training for Life"
Melissa discovered that her physical transformation led to so much more–emotional transformation and the strength to carry her through some hard times. Watch Melissa's full story and learn about her journey.
Martin's Full Story: "Reclaiming My Life"
His first goal was simple—just show up. It started with 20 minutes on the treadmill and saying hello to someone at the gym. It led to lifting weights. It led to making connections and having something to look forward to every day. Watch Martin's full story and hear how he reclaimed his life.