KICKIN' IT WITH MR Q

In this episode, host Ahmad Qawi, President/CEO of the Racine Family YMCA, interviews Mr. Damian Dolley, the Racine Family YMCA's Credible Messengers Coordinator. Racine's Credible Messengers Movement was launched in January 2019 in partnership with Racine County. This initiative connects juvenile offenders referred by the juvenile justice system to mentors who have overcome similarly challenging life experiences and also works wit...

In this episode, host Ahmad Qawi, President/CEO of the Racine Family YMCA, interviews Mr. Charles Tyler, Racine's first African American Director of the Racine Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Mr. Tyler is also a longtime youth mentor and community activist in Racine.

Born in Cairo, Illinois, Mr. Tyler grew up with a vision of service to help others in need. He began playing basketball in high school, played whil...

In honor of Black History Month, we are presenting four podcasts that highlight Racine's Black History. In the second episode in this series, host and first African American president of the Racine Family YMCA, Ahmad Qawi, interviews Ronald Tatum, son of the late Callie Tatum, a Racine community advocate. In 1961, Mrs. Tatum worked closely with other local leaders such as Thelma Orr and George Bray to provide an after-school safe s...

In honor of Black History Month, the next four podcasts will highlight Racine's Black History. The first episode in this series talks to the Racine Family YMCA's first African American President/CEO, Ahmad Qawi, aka "Q." This interview was done by Keith Vinson, Vice President of Operations at the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. Q shares his Y story of joining the Racine Family YMCA, first as Community Development Director, ten years a...

In this sixth podcast episode of "Kickin' It With the Y," host Ahmad K. Qawi, President/CEO of the Racine Family YMCA, is joined by Mathias Werve, Personal Trainer at the Racine Family YMCA, to discuss how to start out the New Year right from the health and wellness perspective. Mathias also discusses how his personal support network and background in endurance sports helped him in his recovery from a brain tumor in his early teens...

In this fifth podcast episode, Ahmad Qawi, Racine Family YMCA President/CEO is joined by Teresa S. Johnson, PhD, RN, Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and researcher in infant health measures and infant mortality rates to discuss the 5 Social Determinants of Health in providing healthy outcomes: Economic Stability, Education, Health & Health Care, Neighborhood and Built Envi...

Season One

Episode Three

Date: 11-10-2020

“#LETSGETHEALTHY”

In this episode, Ahmad K. Qawi, Racine Family YMCA President and CEO, aka “Mr Q,” welcomes guest Lyn Boehm, the Y's Vice President of Healthy Living. Mr Q and Lyn discuss achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and how the Racine Family Y’s through specialty healthy living programs such as Salsa Sabor y Salud and LIVESTRONG, wellness facilities and our ongoing STRON...

Season One

Episode Two

Date: 10-27-2020

“The STRONG Challenge”

In this episode, Ahmad K. Qawi, Racine Family YMCA President and CEO, aka “Mr Q,” welcomes guest Brenda Hughes, the Y’s Chief Philanthropy Officer, to discuss the Racine Family YMCA’s community development programs and the STRONG Challenge to improve overall health and wellness. The STRONG Challenge takes place Monday, November 2nd and Sunday, December 13th, 2020.

What ...

In this premiere episode, Ahmad K. Qawi, Racine Family YMCA President and CEO, aka “Mr Q,” introduces the series, which will discuss current events, diversity and inclusion, society and culture, social justice, the Racine Family YMCA, and other topics of interest in Racine, Wisconsin, and also local, regional and national issues. Each episode builds on previous topics and we recommend listening to each episode in chronological orde...