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Pushing Past the Limits 

by Jennifer Warren

Often we associate summer with ease. The weather is pleasant (except when it's not!), the days are longer, adventures abound.

At WYN summer camp this year, the vibe was definitely laid back, but there were also challenges that provided just the right push for students to get out of their comfort zones and realize what they are capable of achieving.  

A student in our Watauga camp learned about his tenacity through a swim test. Each middle school student has to pass a swim test in order to swim without a life jacket for the rest of the summer. Persevering through struggles was not this student's strength and he would often give up on new things if he was not good at it immediately. This summer he took his swim test over and over. Although he would become upset with staff when he did not pass, he kept trying and was finally able to pass towards the end of the summer! He and the staff were so excited and proud!  

Another summer camp student panicked once she began climbing the ropes course at High Gravity. In spite of fear consuming her, she took her time, and, with the cheers of students and staff, eventually climbed across the entire course! She even conquered an Alpine Tower later in the summer like a natural!

One student really saved the day during the end-of-summer talent show at the  Watauga site. Staff realized the morning of the show that the speakers were no longer working and there was no way to play the music to accompany a student who wanted to sing a song for her talent. One of our older students brought his keyboard to the program that day since he was playing a song on the piano for his talent. When he heard about the music mishap, he said he thought he could learn the song by the end of the day and accompany her. He spent his entire last day of WYN (he will be going to the high school in the fall) practicing the song over and over again. He was able to accompany his friend in her singing, and he even stepped up to comfort her when she became nervous right before the show.

Riding a horse, trying tennis, public speaking, and indoor climbing are just a few of the other new experiences our students tackled this summer. 

While there was a lot of fun and ease, there was also a lot of growth and confidence building that occurred in these summer months. Now, as they return to school, we are so grateful to have been witness to these moments of growth and confidence building that will set them of the path of tackling more challenges this school year.   

No Rain Can Spoil Our Fun

It's always a bummer when the last days of camp are full of rain. Although the most anticipated trip to Kool Park pool in Hickory had to be canceled, the students at the Alleghany summer camp were just as excited to experience a self-serve popcorn machine and watch “Despicable Me 4” with
their friends. One student found out that cheddar cheese on his popcorn was the "bomb-dot-com" and some other students experimented with putting different flavor combinations into their drinks.

All of this fun was followed by a pizza party and a dance party. The students learned how to do the "veggie dance" and the proper way to do the "cupid shuffle." 

The patience and creativity of our students cannot be squashed by a little rain! 

Celebrating Two Decades 

We are thrilled to celebrate Angela McMann's 20th anniversary of employment with WYN this month! Angela was first introduced to WYN when she was a community based support worker with a local mental health agency. She "attended" WYN summer camp with a student who needed a little extra support and she became hooked. She applied for, and received, a position in WYN's afterschool program before working in WYN's mentoring program. Angela has made countless life-changing mentoring matches in her time with WYN and enjoys seeing the children who were mentored now raising their own families in our community. Cheers to 20 years, Angela! 

Photo by Zach Colburn, Watauga Democrat

Did You Know? 

Did you know that WYN's Community Health team is behind a lot of community initiatives you may have heard of recently? 

The Watauga Housing Council, which is working to address the systems and policy issues that make affordable housing such a challenge, is funded in part by a grant that WYN receives and manages called the NC Behavioral Health Equity Initiative. 

WYN is also wrapping up a grant from UNC that has allowed us to provide training and coalition support for the Community Mental Health Project in its efforts to improve mental health and reduce suicides. In fact, you might be interested in registering for their free "Applied Suicide Intervention Skills" training coming up on Sept. 26th and 27th! 

Visit WHC and CMHP websites to learn more

WHY I WYN

Here's what the Monkee's team had to say about why they choose to support WYN:
WYN programs help reduce the gap between children born with advantages versus those who aren't. Children who are nurtured, fed, loved, and encouraged physically and emotionally, are more likely to succeed. By supporting WYN we are giving the opportunity for children, who may not have their basic foundational needs met, to have a chance at becoming functioning members of society. Children are our future. We need to give them every opportunity we can to thrive. WYN's programs go a long way in giving our local children those basic building blocks that will propel them to a great and successful future.

More about Monkee's of Blowing Rock:
Monkee's of Blowing Rock's mission is to create long lasting customer relationships by providing excellent customer experiences while curating a collection of trending fashion designers that suit any lifestyle. Come experience boutique shopping as it's meant to be! 

Visit their website

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will have access to the safe spaces and caring adults that allow children to break through systemic barriers and reach their full potential.

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