The Ames/Iowa State Chapter of the YMCA has a new partner helping with its community work — PepsiCo, Inc.

The partnership is the first strategic alliance to directly benefit YMCA organizations around the country, said Sherry Green, public relations coordinator for the ISU Student YMCA. As a mission partner, PepsiCo and its divisions, Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay, will help with public awareness.

“We are receiving $700 from a new partnership with Pepsi-Cola Corporation,” Green said. “They wanted to get involved and linked to a quality and well-known organization. That is why they decided on the YMCA.”

PepsiCo plans to increase public awareness of YMCA’s mission and various programs. It will also help with fund raising for YMCAs around the country with various programs.

The company will give $700 to every YMCA in the country each year for 10 years,” Green said. “Through this relationship we will have more funding for our service projects. It should help out a lot.”

Green said the Ames/ISU YMCA has many functions, such as aquatics classes instructed by students.

“We also do a lot of service and community work,” she said.

The YMCA does countless service projects throughout the year. One will be Wednesday’s tree lighting ceremony at the Campanile.

“YMCA volunteers are going to carol, possibly with the Boys and Girls Club, that night,” said Brad Argo, junior in journalism and mass communication and volunteer with the Ames/ISU YMCA. “It is a project called Singing in Harmony. It should be fun for the volunteers and everybody there.”

Volunteerism benefits everyone involved, Argo said.

“Mainly we all devote our time as volunteers to help as many people as we possibly can,” he said. “It gives me a good feeling when I volunteer and help out other people. It also fills the void of some of the feelings that you get when you are in college. Mainly I do it because it makes me feel good.”

Anybody can be a volunteer for the YMCA by contacting the organization at 294-2263. The Ames/ISU YMCA office is located in Room 109 of the Laboratory of Mechanics building.

“People can get involved with the YMCA in whatever way they can,” Argo said. “They can contact our office and volunteer — we would be happy to have them.”