Dallas YMCA and Dallas After-School All-Stars Announce Partnership to Strengthen Afterschool Programming for Youth in Southern Sector.

DALLAS -- Calling it a "win-win" for the youth of Dallas' southern sector, Dallas After-School All-Stars, a program of the Todd Wagner Foundation, announced today it is uniting its innovative programs with the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. By combining the forces of the YMCA and ASAS, more youth will benefit from diverse academic and recreational opportunities that will help them achieve success in school and life.

The unique partnership, which mirrors the 'start-up-to-merger' model of the business world, combines the strengths of the two non-profit organizations -- the non-traditional, well-executed programming upon which Dallas After-School All-Stars (www.dallasasas.org) has built its reputation with the YMCA's (www.ymcadallas.org) powerful presence in the community, its dynamic management team and existing neighborhood facilities.

"What this means is that -- after all the good things accomplished in the five years since After-School All-Stars launched in Dallas -- we have the potential to multiply our services on a grand scale and reach more kids as a result of our partnership with the YMCA," said Todd Wagner, founder of the Todd Wagner Foundation and CEO of 2929 Entertainment. "The Y is an incredible operation that has been in our community for 123 years. We couldn't be happier to have an organization of this caliber carrying out the mission of the After-School All-Stars."

Wagner says that ASAS programs will be integrated into the YMCA's afterschool curriculum, and children involved in ASAS programs will continue to be served throughout a seamless transition. The programs will now operate as "After-School All-Stars in partnership with the Dallas YMCA." He adds that the ASAS's specialized staff, known for creating strong collaborations with community and educational partners and effectively executing programs, will remain in place.

The decision to merge the two programs was an easy one for YMCA president and CEO Gordon Echtenkamp.

"The YMCA board welcomed this opportunity to fulfill an important goal to expand our presence in the southern sector," said Echtenkamp. "When Todd approached us about consolidating their high-quality programs with ours, we saw a perfect fit and jumped at the chance."

Echtenkamp adds the southern sector is a top priority and that they recently hired Michael Brown, Vice President of Operations, to direct their ambitious outreach efforts.

"Gordon and I and both staffs have been in total agreement from the start that there will not be changes in programming or staffing after the merger," said Wagner. "And every child (and parent) currently involved with After-School All-Stars will continue to be served in the same high-quality manner with the same top-quality programs. Everyone involved quickly recognized that this top-priority requirement had to be met to create a successful partnership."

Since its 2001 launch, Dallas After-School All-Stars has served a total of approximately 8,600 children through partnerships with 50 DISD schools and a dozen community- and faith-based organizations in the southern sector and West Dallas. ASAS has developed and delivered inventive year-round technology, academic, sports and cultural programs that range from girls' volleyball, golf and outdoor survival skills, to math games and computer skills, to chess and book clubs.

The ASAS programs will complement the YMCA's existing 90 afterschool programs serving 2,920 elementary-school children each day and the 56 summer day camp/child care programs serving 2,468 elementary school children. The curriculum for the YMCA afterschool and day camp programs consist of eight core components: arts and humanities; character development; health, wellness and fitness (Utilizing the CATCH fitness curriculum); homework time during afterschool or outdoor education during day camp; literacy; science and technology (includes financial literacy); service learning and social competence and conflict resolution.

The two organizations have a strong history with deep ties. The YMCA was an active partner in July 2001 when Wagner formally launched the After-School All-Stars (originally known as Inner-City Games), as one of the Todd Wagner Foundation's first initiatives.

Wagner drew upon his experience in the business world, particularly the groundbreaking $5.7-billion merger of broadcast.com with Yahoo, when choosing a partner. He considers the Y merger successful because it combines two powerful brands (Dallas After-School All-Stars and the Dallas YMCA), brings the expertise of the current ASAS staff into the YMCA organization, continues to smoothly deliver creative programming to all current ASAS participants, and fosters program expansion to ultimately involve and positively influence youth living not only in the southern sector but throughout the Dallas area.

"The merger between After-School All-Stars and the YMCA represents a 'cutting-edge' approach to making nonprofits more effective, and it's a movement that is spreading throughout the country," said Cynthia B. Nunn, President of the Center for Nonprofit Management. "This is a terrific example of charities 'working smart' for the benefit of the people they serve."

Echtenkamp sums it up.

"For 123 years, the YMCA has been at the heart of communities working to build strong families," said Echtenkamp. "The After-School All-Stars program is right in step with our mission to teach positive values to kids, create safe places to help young people get healthy, and help prepare teens to become productive adults."

For more information about the Dallas After-School All-Stars and YMCA programs, please call Michael Brown at 214-421-5301.

About Dallas After-School All-Stars

Since its launch in July 2001, Dallas After-School All-Stars has served a total of approximately 8,600 children through partnerships with 50 DISD schools and a dozen community- and faith-based organizations in the southern sector and West Dallas. Participants in Dallas After-School All-Stars strive for excellence in each of these five major disciplines: sports and recreation, educational programs, technology training, arts and culture, and life skills and service learning.

The mission of After-School All-Stars is to provide comprehensive out-of-school programs that keep children safe and help them achieve in school and life. To this end, After-School All-Stars engages middle-school children in activities and ongoing relationships that increase confidence and encourage success.

After-School All-Stars grew out of Inner-City Games, an initiative founded in Los Angeles in 1991 to positively influence and inspire at-risk children and youth. In 1995, Arnold Schwarzenegger founded the Inner-City Games Foundation to expand the program nationwide. The name was changed to After-School All-Stars in July 2003.

After-School All-Stars currently has programs in 15 U.S. cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose and South Florida.

About the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas

The mission of the YMCA is to put Christian values into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Volunteer founded and volunteer led, collectively YMCAs are the largest not-for-profit community service organization in the United States. Last year, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas served over 240,000 members and participants through a broad range of programs, including childcare, fitness, teen leadership and volunteerism. The Dallas YMCA is comprised of 23 branches serving Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman and Rockwall Counties. Financial assistance is available for YMCA programs and membership.

Photos, logos and b-roll are available upon request.