Families, individuals, seniors — no matter who you are, YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region is sure to offer something.

As an arm of the national organization, YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region’s mission of putting “Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all” ties a variety of people and interests together under one umbrella spanning from Monument to Fountain.

As one of the area’s largest nonprofits, YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region serves 150,000 people each year, thanks to 60 salaried staff members, 600 hourly employees and up to 1,000 seasonal summer workers. The Y offers an array of programs that range from cooking classes and swim lessons to child care and senior activities, as well as Camp Shady Brook, a summer getaway for children northwest of Colorado Springs.

“It’s everybody,” said Theresa Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer for YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region. “They’re in here from 6 weeks of age to our oldest close to 100. We have people, seniors that come and connect.”

With seven locations and a partnership with two Colorado Springs outdoor swimming pools, the YMCA’s scope of programming focuses on areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

In practice, that means hosting daily sports and recreation activities for kids, tweens and teens, running the Colorado Springs Senior Center, and financially assisting those who want access to those programs but are limited by the cost. The Y also partners with organizations to offer military programming.

Perhaps no story shows the inclusive makeup of the Y better than the tale of two brothers and a baseball team.

When the parents of two young boys — Sawyer, their able-bodied, biological son, and Krishna, who was adopted and disabled — wanted their kids to play on the same baseball team, they were unable to find such an opportunity.

As members of the Y, the parents inquired about such an offering to Jack Miller, executive director of sports, who quickly accommodated their request.

“We’re here to make sure that all the players of any ability that want to play a sport have the ability to,” Miller said in a video produced by the YMCA. “So we were able to work with them and be able to put both kids on the same team.”

It’s because of staff members such as Miller that the Y holds a valuable place within the community, Johnson said.

“Our biggest asset is our staff,” Johnson said. “We have some of the best staff in the U.S. We do operate as a family and care about our members. We talk regularly about how we can make their lives better. People do work here because they care about the people we serve.”

But it’s not only the staff that puts this nonprofit ahead of the curve. Within its own organization, YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region was the first YMCA to offer members access to a tool known as TRAZER, a technology that analyzes a person’s movement to assist with injury rehabilitation and performance training.

In order for YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region to be able to provide programs, top-notch staffing and technology such as TRAZER, it does take money, Johnson said.

Last year, the nonprofit spent $821,000 providing financial assistance alone. That’s why partnering with campaigns such as the Empty Stocking Fund is crucial to offsetting costs.

“It is extremely important,” Johnson said. “We are so blessed that we are one of the recipients of the wonderful work the Empty Stocking Fund is doing.”