Volunteers Help Refurbish Aging Los Cerritos YMCA
Business tycoons who talk about how a small amount of capital can be leveraged should visit a newly remodeled YMCA in Bellflower for a lesson.
Starting with a $40,000 federal grant, Executive Director Kathy Bates and a band of volunteers have refurbished the Los Cerritos YMCA, a 30-year-old facility at 15530 Woodruff Ave.
“This has been a celebration of volunteerism,” said Bates.
First, contractor Tom Berry put on a new roof for only the cost of materials. Next, the ceiling tiles were replaced, new carpets put in and the building was repainted with the help of the Y’s Men’s Club. Blue awnings now decorate the front, and in the rear, hard-packed dirt has been replaced by plush grass and $26,000 in playground equipment.
A 79-year-old grandmother, Sally Thompson, even brought her sewing machine to Bates’ office where she made new curtains.
Between 85 and 90 youngsters enrolled in kindergarten to 6th grade crowd the facility every afternoon in an after-school day-care program for a working parents, said Laurie Carrion a youth sports coordinator.
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