Last year, more than 10,000 people participated in YMCA activities or worked out. Free memberships were given to individuals in such programs as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, as well as young people who are staying at group homes and disadvantaged youths.

Randy Hagedorn, executive director at the YMCA, said he recently was contacted by a physician who had a patient who was also a mother. She was dying of cancer.

The woman, with little income, has a 7-year-old who is blind and a 5-year-old. The father cannot be located.

The mother wanted to make sure the children learned to swim before she died, as well as to have a safe place for the children.

Despite her condition, the woman was upbeat and was willing to go out and raise funds, Hagedorn said. Because of the Strong Kids campaign, her children will be set up to make sure her wishes are granted, he said.

“That’s just one story I can tell you,” Hagedorn said. “I’m lucky. I get to see those stories all the time.”

For others with low incomes, it gives the children something to look forward to, such as waking up Saturday morning and getting a parent to take them to the YMCA, he said.

Bruning said state Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk has continued to remind him of the importance of the YMCA to Northeast Nebraska.

“What you have here is a gem for everybody in Northeast Nebraska, but especially for those at-risk kids,” Bruning said.

Bruning, who is president of the National Association of Attorneys General, said the funds came from a legal settlement that took six years to get completed.

Flood said the YMCA is important not only to Norfolk, but also Northeast Nebraska. From opening its doors during emergencies to helping the underprivileged, it’s a tremendous asset, he said.

Flood said Hagedorn’s persistence of looking for ways to help underprivileged children is unmatched in Norfolk.