1. Letter to the Membership
The Muscatine Community Y
succeeds when members
and programs succeed
That is a simple way to think about the Muscatine Community Y’s performance and quest to provide opportunities
to build stronger, healthier kids, strong families and a stronger community. Ultimately, that simple statement sums
up the vision of having a membership movement, strengthened by diversity, nourished by its roots in Christian
values, is dedicated to the empowerment of women, girls, men and boys and the development of spirit, mind and
body to attain a common vision of dignity for all. Sound familiar? It should, it is the Vision Statement of your
Muscatine Community Y.
As a member of the board of directors for the last six years and serving as President this past year, I have witnessed
many successes and accomplishments. Please allow me to remark on some of those successes and accomplishments
achieved in 2006.
In March of 2006, the Y celebrated its 15th
year of service to the Community. Daily, an average of over 900 people
used some aspect of the facility and the total number of members surpassed the 10,000 mark in November. Caring
for a facility with such high use is not an easy task. New carpet was installed in the daily locker rooms,
improvements were made to the whirlpool and the showers. Several pieces of exercise equipment were replaced
with new units. Many thanks go out to the Building Committee, Quality Assurance Committee and the entire staff
for their diligent efforts in maintaining facility.
New members are important, however retention of members is as equally important. The National Y tells us that you
are doing well to retain 50% of membership annually. In 2006, our retention rate hit 84%! Also, over 107
contributions were received for the Community Partners Campaign that helped make a membership available for an
income eligible child and his/her family.
The number of programs offered at the Y remained the same in 2006. The Y continues to provide a variety of
quality programs and activities to an increasing number of participants. The exercise area use grew by 7% from
2005, the number of Big Brother and Big Sister matches increased by 10% and attendance at Participant Child Care
(a service to members using the facility) increased by 15%.
The Muscatine Community Y Family Program Services was awarded a Families Count, Family Strengthening
Award by the Ann E Casey Foundation and the YMCA of the USA. Only five awards were given out nationally.
Directed by Diana Broderson, the Family Program Services group was commended for including Dads, for reaching
out to Grandparents and for committing resources for a Family Program Services Department. Congratulations!
Volunteers provide a key ingredient to the success of the Y. Over 2,000 hours of service were provided through Y
programs as coaches, referees, timers, event facilitators and chaperones. Key events such as Try Melon Tri, Healthy
Kids Day, Halloween at the Y and Breakfast with Santa would not exist without the support of volunteers!
The Board of Directors, made up of 20 volunteers, met monthly to help determine direction for the Y. Board
members actively supported ten different committees. The Endowment Foundation volunteers continued to monitor
and advise the Board of Directors on our investment portfolios.
On an annual basis, the financial viability of the Community Y and all programs are reviewed by the Board of
Directors. Overall, the Y has been very solvent financially and has continued to provide high quality programs and
services to our membership. The efforts to obtain funding of these programs of at least 70% coming from direct
revenue sources continues to strengthen and will remain a focus area through our Financial Development
Committee. With that, the Board of Directors has determined there will be a slight membership increase in 2007 to
help off-set the cost of operating and maintaining the facility and sustaining the high quality program services to our
members. Overall, the dues remain very competitive with other Y’s in our area.
To Muscatine Community Y is in a unique position. As it is reflected in our membership growth, we are succeeding
and the success has presented a challenge. To begin addressing that challenge, the Board of Directors dedicated
many hours over the last 12 months discussing the Long Range Vision for the Y and came up with the following
focus areas: Provide for Life Long Health and Well Being, Continue Building Strong Kids and Build Strong
Families. The challenge for the Board of Directors, Staff, members and volunteers is to develop the plan to bring the
vision to reality. We need everyone’s help! Please ask how you can help, today!

2. Finally, I want to say that my experiences serving on the Board of Directors has been very rewarding. I commend
the entire staff, volunteers, the Board of Directors and notably, Susan Cory, our Executive Director, for having the
spirit, enthusiasm and dedication to make the Muscatine Community Y one of best the around! I am anxious to see
what the future will bring.
See you at the Y!
Tim L. Peters
President, Board of Directors
Muscatine Community Y