Do any of you have that place that… in the moment you didn’t realize the impact it was making… but looking back you realize just how much it shaped your life? For me, that place is the local YMCA right here in the Triangle.
During summers when I was a kid, I attended my local YMCA summer camp in north Raleigh while my mom worked. I loved every minute of it… the welcoming environment, playing outside with my friends. In fact… when I attended summer camp the Y didn’t even have a building… It was just a big field. Wow they’ve come a long way and thank goodness!
Those days in the summer camp weren’t my last… After graduating high school, I got a job teaching children at that same Y. In fact, I ended up running one of their summer camps at one point.
This may be shocking but my time at the Y is something I think about quite a bit as I’m running for Congress. It was there that I fell in love with teaching — especially teaching children with special needs. It’s also the place where I first used my voice to advocate for inclusion and that became the foundation of the work we do with the National Inclusion Project… more on that later…
My love for North Carolina got me to this point and it's our state and region that will help our campaign cross the finish line. I’ve always been a “roll your sleeves up, get to work, and get involved” type of person. Now, I’m asking you to do the same…
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Clay
P.S. I want to thank you all for giving towards my budget deadline this week! I’m so happy that our campaign is growing and our chorus is getting bigger with workers and supporters. If you didn’t have a chance to give, there is still time… donate now.