Y-Toss event gives new life to used items

Y-Toss is one of the university's largest sustainability efforts throughout the year. Virginia Tech students with the YMCA helped to collect all of the used items when students were moving out in the springtime. And then we warehouse there's over the summer and then make them available for move-in to students who are coming to the university to buy things that are much more affordable price than having to buy them new. I love the Y-Toss. I think it's super sustainable. A lot of these box fans and stuff just go to waste. And so when we reuse and we resell it just saves the ease of having to go off campus. It's also, it just helps us as students in general because you're saving money as students. And we all know as college students, we would like something cheaper. So it's a great way for us to redirect items from the waste stream, keeping them out of the landfill, and giving them a new life with incoming students. We are one of only eight campus YMCA's in the United States. We're very distinct and unique. We don't have a gymnasium or a fitness facility. We really do student leadership development with Virginia Tech students. And so we don't have the income from memberships like other gymnasium based YMCA's do. Y-Toss helps to provide some of that funding that allows the students to do their outreach mission in the community. We really wouldn't be able to do any of the stuff we do without Y-Toss. And they're a huge supporter in all of our students programs. And so for example, I run healthy kids day and I loved healthy kids day and we were all about getting kids active and healthy and getting out there. So we're not just giving back to our Virginia Tech community, but also the local Blacksburg and New River Valley Community and all that community service that we do. And not just in volunteering hours, but more of "Hey, I can show you where this is, Do you need help?" Any small task is a huge part of who we are as Virginia Tech.