Stepping Up For A Cause

My name is Sergio Ortiz and I’ve been part of the Y since I was a young kid playing basketball at the Hollywood YMCA. As a teenager I was part of the teen center at the Hollywood Y and also part of a program called LA Bridges. I experienced firsthand what is like to be part of the Y community and the value of being supported by contributors donating to the programs that I participated in. I received guidance and mentorship from the Y and now I am able provide these same resources to other kids. I am now the teen and sports program director for the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA and I am responsible for the same programs that I was once part of. My role is now to mentor and support this community by providing programs such as Teen LEAD, Youth Basketball, and College Bridge.

I am leading this group of teens to participate in stair climb because I want to continue to support my Y and also to encourage teens to continue to achieve their goals, whether it’s climbing this building or being first generation college graduates. I enjoy being a mentor and big brother to all our youth that participate in our programs, especially our teen community that is vastly growing. I love what I do and I continue to support them because I can relate to them and share similar experiences. I am excited to see this group of teens continue to grow in numbers and continue to follow my lead as we support such a great organization that the Y is. I want to thank all those who donate and support our programs, because without your support these programs wouldn’t exist and these teens wouldn’t have another place to call home. I can’t wait to see you all at the top of the US bank tower!

To learn more about Youth & Family programs at the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, click here.