[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18967]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE YMCA OF THE ROCKIES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and 
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the YMCA of the Rockies 
Association. The YMCA of the Rockies, a nonprofit organization, began 
in Colorado in 1907. It was organized as a national training center for 
the Young Men's Christian Association. Since its foundation, the YMCA 
of the Rockies has grown into the largest two YMCA conference and 
family centers in the world--at the Estes Park Center adjacent to Rocky 
Mountain National Park, and at Snow Mountain Ranch between Winter Park 
and Granby, Colorado. It also runs a traditional summer residential 
youth camp at Camp Chief Ouray, located at Snow Mountain Ranch.
  YMCA of the Rockies serves conferences, family reunions, retreats, 
recreational and educational groups, families, individuals, and youth 
by providing lodging, meeting space, dining, programming and 
recreation.
  Estes Park Center has 860 acres and can accommodate 3,500 people in 
its 7 lodges and 206 family cabins. Snow Mountain Ranch has over 5,000 
acres with a Nordic Center and can accommodate 2,500 people in its 4 
lodges and 60 family cabins. Over 900 full-time and seasonal staff 
members work each year at both centers. They include senior retirees, 
college students and international students participating in a 
hospitalities services certification program.
  As noted on their website, the Mission of the YMCA of the Rockies,

       ``[P]uts Christian Principles into Practice through 
     programs, staff and facilities in an environment that builds 
     healthy spirit, mind and body for all. We will accomplish 
     this by serving conferences of a religious, educational, or 
     recreational nature; providing unifying experiences for 
     families; offering traditional summer camping experiences for 
     boys and girls; and serving our staff with leadership 
     opportunities and productive work experiences. Our core 
     values are: Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility and 
     Faith.''

  As a result of putting the values expressed in this mission statement 
into practice, the YMCA of the Rockies annually brings more than 
250,000 visitors to its two centers, serves more than 800 family 
reunions, educates more than 19,000 students in outdoor education 
programs, and continues to be major employer in Grand and Larimer 
counties of Colorado. The YMCA of the Rockies hires seasonal staff from 
more than 20 countries to help expose their guests to many cultures, 
has a membership base of 3,500, raises more than $350,000 in annual 
campaigns, and have over 100 staff members who donate money to the YMCA 
Staff For Kids program.
  The YMCA of the Rockies does an outstanding job of exposing kids and 
adults to the splendor of nature and the values that come from 
collective outdoor experiences. But it is not just about learning and 
growing both intellectually and spiritually. It is also about fun. The 
YMCA of the Rockies' camps provide nearly every outdoor recreational 
opportunity that Colorado has to offer from skiing, camping, horseback 
riding, hiking, fishing, swimming, rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, 
archery, golf, ice skating, snowshoeing, sledding, and arts and crafts. 
It's an opportunity for kids, families and adults to experience these 
activities in a safe and nurturing environment.
  In addition, the YMCA of the Rockies has been an important facility 
for the surrounding communities and others who share their Mission. 
Officials at the YMCA of the Rockies have opened up their facilities 
for use by other organizations such as Rocky Mountain National Park, 
the Colorado Mountain Club, the National Wildlife Association and the 
Sierra Club. At Snow Mountain Ranch, officials are pursuing the 
protection of many acres through conservation easements, ensuring that 
the outdoor splendor can be enjoyed by future generations. They have 
also worked to reduce the threat of wildfire and bark beetles by 
thinning dense stands of trees on their property, thus providing an 
example to their neighbors on creating defensible space and helping to 
reduce fire risks to surrounding communities and properties.
  Colorado Governor Bill Ritter declared July 19, 2007 as the official 
recognition of the YMCA of the Rockies Centennial. I ask my colleagues 
to join me in recognizing this centennial and all of the great things 
that the YMCA of the Rockies does to enhance the quality of life for 
all Americans and visitors from throughout the world.

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